互联网时代礼物的社会功能演变对社会心理和行为的影响

Change of Gifts' Social Function in Internet Age and Its Impact on Social Mentality and Behaviors

礼物交换是乡土中国社会普遍存在的现象,这一现象是一种民俗文化,礼物往来可以调解乡村社会关系,是维持乡土社会情感的重要纽带。随着城市化进程的加快,互联网技术的迅速发展,消费主义成了时代的主要特征,互联网礼物出现了。互联网礼物既在虚拟空间中完成礼物的授受,又可以在现实中流动;既可以是虚拟形态,也可以是实物形态。礼物的形式和内容都发生了前所未有的改变。这些改变并未影响到类似传统社会的礼物功能,只是因社会的变迁强化了某种功能,有的功能以新的形式而呈现出来。互联网礼物也在悄然地改变中国社会。

Gift exchange is a common phenomenon and a kind of folk culture in rural China,which can mediate social relations and function as an important bond to maintain social feelings in rural society.As urbanization accelerates and Internet technology develops at a high speed,consumerism has become one of the main features of the times,and led to the appearance of Internet gifts.People might receive Internet gifts in virtual space,or exchange them in reality,and the gifts might be virtual or substantial,so both their forms and contents have undergone an unprecedented change.The change has not influenced gifts＇ social function that they had in traditional society,but intensified some functions due to social change,of which some present themselves in a new form.Internet gifts are quietly changing Chinese society.