As advances in AI technology ignite this trend, graduation photography is increasingly turning into a venue for bold and self-help expressions.
The Hong Kong daily South Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Chinese graduates, who are facing an uncertain future, are sharing laughter with “self-deprecating graduation photos.” Photos shared online show the graduate holding up his head, his soul escaping from his body, and escaping from an exploding school.
Some students were unhappy with their school records and took pictures of them throwing their diplomas into the trash. They expressed their masochistic humor. Some students copy memes that are popular on the Internet. For example, they are parodying a scene where U.S. President Donald Trump raises his fist after saving his life from an assassination threat last year.
In line with this trend, hashtags are spreading that say, “You don’t have to be too serious about graduation photos.” Many described it as “calm madness,” while others called it “bittersweet affection for school.”
A netizen said, “Young people tend to express everything with humor these days,” adding, “It reflects a self-help attitude in the face of uncertainty in life.” The background of these graduation photos is structural anxiety of young people, including severe employment difficulties and low starting salary. It is pointed out that it is a picture taken to laugh, but there is a reality in which one cannot laugh.
According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, as of April last year, the urban unemployment rate of young people aged 16 to 24, excluding students, was 15.8%, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous year.
MyCos, a research institute specializing in higher education, analyzed that the average starting salary for Chinese university graduates is 6050 yuan and 4683 yuan for junior college graduates.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
