The COVID-19 pandemic has been raging for three years, and the performances of foreign stars in Hong Kong have been greatly reduced. However, the local pop culture industry is extremely prosperous. Not only Hong Kong films have repeatedly broken box office records, but the MIRROR craze has swept the whole of Hong Kong.
However, with the lifting of the epidemic prevention measures, Hong Kong has gradually resumed exchanges with the mainland and the world. With all the flowers blooming, citizens have more entertainment options. It is still unknown whether MIRROR can continue to outshine others or even revive the glory of Cantonese songs.
But in any case, MIRROR has been regarded as the "son of Hong Kong", carrying the emotional needs of many people going through social changes.
The new crown virus epidemic has been raging for three years, and the MIRROR craze has swept across Hong Kong.
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Chasing stars for psychological satisfaction
Why can MIRROR attract the eager attention of Hong Kong people?
What emotional projections do supporters have toward them?
This emotional projection stems from what expectations do you have for this city?
It all starts with the essence of "chasing stars".
Li Zhanpeng, assistant professor of the Department of Communication at the University of Macau, said in an interview with "Hong Kong 01" that from the perspective of "star fans", star chasing has three meanings: the first is entertainment, the second is desire projection, and the third is emotional recognition .
Li Zhanpeng explained that modern people need to find some entertainment in their busy lives, so they will choose to appreciate idol singing or dancing.
It can be seen from the fact that most teenagers are more enthusiastic about star chasing, "They are growing both emotionally and in terms of desire, so whenever they see some "beautiful girls" or "beautiful boys", they will There is a projection of desire, and this also explains why there are "gods" and "goddesses" in society." Li Zhanpeng said that celebrities often become the projection objects of teenagers' emotions and desires, and the essence of this emotion is similar to love.
As for "emotional identity", Li Zhanpeng emphasized that this is different from "desire projection". Because of the bondage or pressure on her body, through liking Anita Mui, a rebellious image, a bad girl image, and her independent female image in the audience, she gained an emotional identity.” It can be said that Anita Mui’s supporters at that time were precisely Back then, a group of people who agreed that Hong Kong society should make bold breakthroughs, strive for change, and other social values, and their love for Anita Mui was precisely because they also saw in Anita Mui the qualities they were looking for.
Li Zhanpeng called this "characteristic" "star text", and "emotional identity" is the supporter's sense of identification with the "star text".
Li Zhanpeng said that from the perspective of "star chasers", star chasing has three meanings: the first is entertainment, the second is desire projection, and the third is emotional recognition.
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MIRROR becomes popular with the times
From a psychological point of view, the difference between "emotional identification" and "desire projection" lies in the level of needs.
According to the "Needs Hierarchy Theory" proposed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow, human needs can be divided into five levels, and develop from low-level needs to high-level needs, which are physiological needs, safety needs, and social needs. Needs, respect for needs, self-realization, and each level must be satisfied before it can be sublimated to a higher level.
The "desire projection" mentioned by Li Zhanpeng is at the third level - social needs (love and belonging needs), which is a need for friendship, love and affiliation; "emotional identification" is closer to the higher level of respect needs (Esteem needs), including recognition and respect from others.
Taking Anita Mui cited by Li Zhanpeng as an example, supporters believe that Anita Mui's "star text" can provide them with a certain degree of recognition.
So, how should Hong Kong interpret MIRROR's "star text"?
They have already stood out in ViuTV program "Good Night Show All People Make Stars" as early as 2018. Why did they not appear suddenly until 2020?
"Mirror members have their own talents. Jer (Liu Yingyan) sings well, Ian (Chen Zhuoxian) knows how to compose and write lyrics, Edan (Lu Juean) plays the piano well, Lokman (Yang Lewen) is an experienced dancer, and Jiang Tao has stage charm. They are not without It’s just that the market looked down on local stars in the past.” According to Li Zhanpeng, Hong Kong people are used to remembering the superstars of the 1980s and 1990s, thinking that it was the most glorious era of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, so they failed to pay enough attention to new stars; The turmoil, and the public's flawless attention to pop culture inevitably overlooks the existence of new stars.
However, since the anti-revision incident in 2019, the mentality of the citizens has undergone a major shift.
ViuTV's flagship talent show "All People Make Stars III" has come to a successful conclusion.
(Photo by You Dadong)
Hong Kong people live with MIRROR
At that time, Hong Kong began to undergo many unexpected changes, especially after the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in 2020, the political situation was tense, the epidemic was intermittent, the social atmosphere was low, and many psychological needs could not be met; Interactions with other places have been cut off, entertainment activities have been greatly reduced, and many people have gradually shifted their attention to the local culture, allowing some new stars who have debuted for a period of time to get attention, such as singer-songwriter Serrini, Lin Jiaqian, etc.
"This is related to the local awareness and sentiments accumulated in Hong Kong over the past 10 years." Li Zhanpeng said that although the motivation and hope that citizens find in MIRROR can be described as "escape" (dissatisfaction with the real world) to a certain extent, it is also It shows that Hong Kong people return to their native culture.
In addition, ViuTV's breakthrough also meets the expectations of many citizens for "demolishing the big stage" and "anti-authoritarianism". Naturally, they have more emotional identification with MIRROR, which was trained and promoted by it.
Li Zhanpeng believes that MIRROR itself has the characteristics of being young, talented and easy to be popular, and "making stars for all" allows the audience and contestants to grow together, and the citizens have an inexplicable sense of intimacy with MIRROR.
"This kind of intimacy is not just the idea of "newcomers again", but can see them go up and down on the show, sometimes win and lose, sometimes they are inaccurate, sometimes they cry." He also pointed out, MIRROR members have their own stories. Before they became famous, they were questioned a lot, and after they became famous, they were also criticized. Therefore, the stories of common growth and struggle are all permeated in MIRROR's "star texts"; and these texts are just like ordinary people, growing up On the road, we constantly experience the interlacing of "success" and "failure".
Therefore, when this group of unpopular new stars suddenly emerged, it was like breaking the fate of "Cantonese songs being watched to death".
MIRROR's celebrity texts are certainly attractive and friendly, but the key to their "instant popularity" is the psychological state of Hong Kong people under the social changes - everyone has derived various emotions, and they all need an outlet.
Chen Jianxin believes that Mirror meets the psychological conditions needed by Hong Kong people, and the stories of the members of the group also echo the general climate of Hong Kong, making it easy for Hong Kong people to have a sense of empathy.
(Photo by Zheng Zifeng)
It was not very happy
What is the psychological state of Hong Kong people?
According to the "Global Happiness Index 2021" by the polling agency Gallup World Poll, Hong Kong ranks 71st out of 149 countries and cities in the world, which shows that the citizens are not very happy.
"I think the psychological quality of Hong Kong people is really poor, especially compared with ten or twenty years ago." Chen Jianxin, the founder of the social enterprise "Tree Hole Hong Kong", replied to "Hong Kong 01".
He pointed out that the medical journal "The Needle" had published a research paper "Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress During Major Social Unrest in Hong Kong: A Group Study Across Ten Years" in 2020, and the results of this study showed that the depressive symptoms of Hong Kong people and post-traumatic stress symptoms have increased tenfold since 2009.
According to the Level of depression severity (PHQ-9) reported in the study, in the first wave and the second wave (that is, from March 2009 to March 2014), no respondent had severe (Severe) For depressive symptoms, even the proportion of respondents with moderately severe and moderate symptoms is only a single digit, and the proportion of respondents with mild symptoms is more than ten percent.
However, when the study was carried out until the "Occupy Central" period in 2014, the number of respondents with mild symptoms rose sharply to about 25%, and those with moderate symptoms rose to nearly 10%, and there was also a trend of severe symptoms.
By 2019, the prevalence of mild symptoms was close to 40%, and the prevalence of moderate symptoms had exceeded 10%. The prevalence of severe symptoms has also continued to increase in the past ten years.
The prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms has a more pronounced upward trend, surging from less than 5% in mid-2015 to about 30% in mid-2019.
"There are two key points in the report, one is 2014 and the other is 2019. During these two time points, the mental health of Hong Kong people has declined sharply, and the epidemic has made this matter worse." Chen Jianxin emphasized, Different elements are needed to make human beings healthy, including connections between people, group belonging, exploring new things, and even self-growth, and these are innate psychological desires of people; but, in 2020 Later in Hong Kong, it was very difficult for the citizens to satisfy these desires, and the star chasing culture became an outlet for them to relieve their emotions.
Chen Jianxin believes that MIRROR is exactly in line with the psychological conditions that Hong Kong people need, and the stories of the members of the group also echo the general climate of Hong Kong, making it easy for Hong Kong people to have a sense of empathy.
For example, the story of Jiang Tao's "prosperity" is very catchy. He was a "fat boy" in middle school and was not particularly popular, but through his own efforts, he has become the number one superstar today. Even Causeway Bay where he lives is also known as "Jiang Taowan"; he is also a visionary young star. He once said on the 2021 music awards stage: "I can say with confidence in this place that we will definitely be number one in Asia." Chen Jianxin said , Some Hong Kong people think that they are suppressed and disadvantaged, so they have a kind of wish projection towards Jiang Tao, hoping to strive for self-improvement and stand out like him.
This is exactly the emotional identity mentioned by Li Zhanpeng.
Then, the psychological needs of Hong Kong people reflected in MIRROR's frenzy reflect what is wrong with society?
Star culture.
上|Looking at the emotional needs of Hong Kong people from the frenzy of MIRROR