Zhuo Mingliang and Yuan Tao: A Study on the Spreading Trend of "Micro-superstition" Behaviors Among Adolescents
I. Introduction Although the term "superstition" (迷信) is frequently found in ancient texts, its anti-scientific connotation in modern Chinese was only formed in the modern era. Shen Jie posits that the modern meaning of "superstition" likely originated in Japan; through its introduction and dissemination by modern reformist thinkers and revolutionaries, the connotation of "superstition" gradually transformed into a "belief world and psychological state that runs contrary to rationalism" [1]. Within the context of modern revolution, "superstition" became increasingly associated with those backward parts of traditional culture that contradicted science and rationality (such as folk beliefs and customs including divination, astrology, physiognomy, fortune-telling, and fengshui), and was often used in conjunction with "religion" and "feudalism." The scholar Huang Kewu argues that there were two lines of thought regarding the transformation of the concept of superstition in the modern era, but regardless of the approach, superstition remained closely linked to science and religion [2]. It is evident that the evolution of the connotation of "superstition" is intimately connected to the social changes of modern China. Rooted in a social soil characterized by low levels of productive forces and a dense atmosphere of primitive religious belief, "superstition" is a blind worship of non-natural forces that is anti-scientific and anti-rational. Having undergone the ideological enlightenment of the May Fourth New Culture Movement [3], as well as large-scale "anti-superstition" movements and policies implemented by the Party and state across various historical periods, the scientific literacy of the citizenry has greatly improved, and "superstition" has gradually lost the social soil upon which its survival depended.
Although the immense development of science, technology, and social cognition has led to a daily decrease in the audience for "superstition," the phenomenon has not been completely eradicated. "Superstition" itself is an irrational interpretation by humans of their own circumstances and external environment, possessing a mystical character. When integrated with religious beliefs and folk customs, it provides a certain spiritual sustenance and solace for believers, catering to the spiritual needs of certain groups. Precisely by virtue of this emotional value, certain "superstitious" behaviors hide behind religion and custom, and by hitching a ride on the trends of the era and technological progress, they have quietly transformed their forms of dissemination. The "micro-superstition" (wei mixin) currently rising among the youth is a representative example of this transformation. "Micro-superstition" is typically used to describe routine behaviors and beliefs that, while lacking scientific basis, are nonetheless widely accepted and followed, often originating from cultural traditions, social customs, or personal experience. "Micro-superstition" differs from traditional superstition in that the degree of "belief" is lighter; it manifests more as spiritual solace and has not yet reached the level of blind worship or faith; generally, it does not cause significant impact on the individual or society. However, "micro-superstition" remains superstitious in essence and may, to some extent, influence personal decisions and actions. If "micro-superstition" behaviors are allowed to become popular and spread among the youth, they will imperceptibly affect their cognition, impacting their scientific outlook, their view on striving, and their collectivist spirit. It will encourage the winds of ignorance and individualism, which is detrimental to the healthy growth of young people and presents risks to ideological security. Based on this, clarifying the main manifestations, potential harms, and subjective and objective causes of "micro-superstition" among youth—reflecting on the underlying social dilemmas and providing the correct diagnosis and treatment—will not only help guide youth to establish a scientific worldview and form a spirited, upward-looking outlook but also benefit the defense of the state's ideological positions and the maintenance of social harmony and stability.
II. Main Manifestations of Youth "Micro-Superstition" In form, the "micro-superstition" behaviors of youth are mainly manifested as activities integrated with religious belief and folk customs, such as praying for blessings, campus superstitions, and fortune-telling. Some of these behaviors take online activities as their primary form and possess foreign cultural colors and consumerist tendencies.
(1) Burning Incense to Pray for Blessings Becomes a New Trend in Youth Culture Circles Youth "micro-superstition" is directly reflected in the popular pursuit of burning incense to pray for blessings. in recent years, more and more young people have become keen on visiting temples and Daoist monasteries to burn incense and pray for academic success, future prospects, and marriage. For example, famous ancient temples such as the Yonghe Temple in Beijing, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, Shuxiang Temple on Mount Wutai, White Horse Temple in Luoyang, Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, and the City God Temple in Shanghai have gradually become popular spots for youth to pray. According to relevant reports, since February 2023, those born in the 1990s and 2000s have accounted for nearly 50% of the people booking tickets for temple scenic areas, becoming the main force igniting the flourishing incense of various temples [4]. Behind this craze for burning incense is the gradual popularity of the sentiment among youth: "Between going to work and going forward, I choose burning incense; between asking people and asking myself, I choose asking the Buddha." This concept has gradually developed into a new trend in youth culture. Furthermore, investigations have found that among the youth praying for blessings, there are many members of the Communist Youth League and the Communist Party of China (CPC). They even state: "We are materialists, but metaphysics might have scientific bases we don't yet understand, so we 'half-believe' in it; perhaps it's related to the laws of the universe or something." It is clear that the concepts behind these incense-burning behaviors among youth groups (especially among League and Party members) clearly exceed folk customs and possess superstitious colors.
(2) The Wind of Campus Micro-Superstition Prevails Youth "micro-superstition" is also reflected in the superstition regarding statues of famous figures on campus. Unlike the religious or folk worship of statues of gods and ghosts, youth prefer to pay respects to statues of famous figures on campus, which carries clear superstitious and utilitarian colors. Notable among these is the campus superstition of worshipping statues of Confucius or experts and scholars before exams. During various exams, "worship" phenomena often appear on the campuses of China's universities, middle schools, and primary schools. Many students bow and pay respects before statues of Confucius or famous experts in various disciplines, praying for good grades. Fruits, yogurt, and various snacks are often piled in front of these statues as "offerings" (贡品, gòngpǐn), and some are covered with sticky notes praying for smooth exams. Some students even place exam stationery and revision books under the statues to "absorb spiritual energy and good luck." For example, medical students burn incense for Sun Simiao [5], literature students light cigarettes for Lu Xun [6], and economics students worship Adam Smith, and so on. These behaviors do not stem from worship or identification with the character and skills of these outstanding figures; they often possess a superstitious nature of praying for wishes, creating a sharp contrast with the scientific and cultural atmosphere that a campus should have.
(3) Online Divination and Praying Grow Increasingly Hot As internet technology matures, terminal devices—primarily mobile phones and computers—have become the main tools for youth to socialize and receive information, and online activities have become an important part of their lives. Consequently, the internet has become a vital carrier for the spread of superstition. New forms of online divination and prayer superstition, such as "Cyber Merit" (saibo gongde) and "AI Buddha," have used the convenience of the internet to quickly become new favorites among the youth. "Superstition + Internet" and "Superstition + Intelligence" are breaking the limitations of traditional superstition in terms of dissemination carriers, expanding channels so that superstition invades the daily lives of youth in a more relaxed, active, lifestyle-oriented way that aligns with youth preferences. Currently, the representatives most favored by youth include "Cyber Merit," "AI Buddha," and "Computer Fortune-telling." "Cyber Merit" is a fusion of artificial intelligence and metaphysical superstition, where one clicks an "electronic wooden fish" [7] on a screen to "accumulate electronic merit," promoting slogans like "Strike the electronic wooden fish: Merit +111, Worries -111." "AI Buddha" is a new form of intelligent superstition that originated in Japan before spreading to China; by carrying GPT-3.5 technology on websites, it provides online consultation services, claiming "no need to go to a temple, stay at home, don't spend a cent on incense—with just a light tap on the keyboard, AI Buddha can answer the doubts in your heart." "Computer Fortune-telling" involves divination through software; website creators match traditional numerology knowledge with specific birth dates and code it into specific programming languages for netizens to perform their own divinations. These forms of online superstition combine modern technology with traditional superstition, relying on the technological elements baked into them to dilute their superstitious color, thereby weakening the vigilance of youth and making it easier to spread among them.
(4) Foreign Superstitious Cultures Find Favor with Youth "Contemporary youth are active in thought, quick in mind, novel in concepts, broad in interests, full of drive to explore the unknown, fast to accept new things, and strong in their sense of subjecthood and participation" [8]. However, the strong exploratory desire and receptivity of youth have also opened the door for the spread of foreign superstitious cultures. for example, "Tarot divination," "horoscopes," and "seeking Japanese shrine amulets (omamori)"—foreign cultures containing superstitious values—have gradually become trends favored by youth. In the eyes of young people, the above behaviors are more youthful, novel, and interesting than traditional Chinese superstitious behaviors like fengshui or divination, making them more attractive. Foreign superstitious culture is penetrating the youth population with strong momentum. According to surveys, the daily reading volume for the "Horoscope" topic on Weibo exceeds 5 million; the "Tarot Card Divination" topic has reading and discussion volumes exceeding 2.7 billion and 3.9 million respectively; and Baidu search results for "Tarot Card Divination" exceed 50 million. Some young people have even been brainwashed into an obsession with horoscope culture [9]. Taking the horoscope blogger Tao Baibai as an example, his Douyin account gained 18.26 million followers in just a few months. Furthermore, in recent years, the "Summer Festival" (Natsumatsuri) activities—introduced from Japan to perform rituals for gods and ghosts, summon spirits, and pray for blessings—have been held in multiple Chinese cities. In 2022 alone, 21 cities held such events, attracting massive youth popularity, with some even making special trips to Japan to buy shrine amulets for blessings. These forms of superstition combined with foreign culture have gradually become popular among youth due to their perceived novelty, serving as an important manifestation of youth "micro-superstition."
(5) Forms of Superstitious Consumption Emerge Endlessly The youth "micro-superstition" cultural trend has also attracted the attention of capital markets. Some businesses and enterprises have begun to provide targeted products and services, causing the heat of youth superstitious consumption to continue rising and the forms of such consumption to diversify. On the one hand, merchants integrate elements of prayer and superstition into jewelry, stationery, and clothing designs, providing goods with prayer as a selling point and possessing superstitious guidance to attract young buyers. For example, the Yonghe Temple launched "Incense Ash Glass Prayer Bracelets," M&G Stationery launched the "Confucius Temple Prayer" series of stationery, and Langsha launched "Must-Pass Exam" underwear featuring a large red checkmark. On the other hand, various scenic spots and platforms have begun to provide consumption projects including divination services and online fortune-telling. Network platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, Xianyu, and Taobao have launched a large number of divination, fortune-telling, and prayer services, providing precision services for various youth needs. Even though Taobao has implemented "Green Net Plan" interception measures, many merchants still use the virtual and indirect nature of the network to sell relevant superstitious services in more hidden ways. According to an investigation, a blogger on Weibo with 466,000 followers, @DragonMaidenTarot, has a charging standard as high as 2,000 RMB per hour, and within this consumer group, more than 70% are youth [10].
III. Potential Harms of Youth "Micro-Superstition" Although youth "micro-superstition" is not an extreme or paranoid deep-seated superstition, within the online environment of cultural commodification, it has already transformed into a social and cultural phenomenon with potential harms. These potential harms manifest specifically as the erosion of the spiritual world of youth, the increase of ideological risks, the fueling of unhealthy social trends, and the disruption of the socio-political order.
(1) Erosion of the Youth Spiritual World
The behavior of "micro-superstition" among youth differs from religious practices that possess long historical traditions and rigorous organizational forms—it lacks the support of a positive value system. Closely linked to internet culture, it possesses a distinct individualistic color and a high degree of uncontrollability, and thus easily leads to an overflow of negative emotions and erroneous values. Adolescence and young adulthood are a critical period for the formation of a person’s worldview, outlook on life, values, and beliefs, as well as a specific stage characterized by a lack of discerning analytical ability. If youth are immersed in various types of fragmented superstitious information over the long term, they are extremely susceptible to being misled by the various erroneous values lurking behind superstitious behaviors. In particular, when some young people commit errors or encounter setbacks, they attribute their difficulties and failures to occult objects; they dare not face hardships head-on and may even give up on themselves, unconsciously forming a passive and decadent outlook on life and values. Some lawless elements take advantage of "micro-superstition" to create gimmicks concerning the personal interests, gains, and losses of youth to attract their attention. Exploiting the superstitious psychology and character weaknesses of young people, these actors use systematic "scripts" to swindle their trust, eventually committing actual fraud under the guise of "changing one's luck and averting calamity." Under the influence of notions such as "fortunes" and "predestination," young people may not only suffer economic losses, but their scientific outlook, their view of struggle [11], and their collectivist spirit are also easily impacted. This leads to the growth of negative emotions such as "lying flat" [12], "letting it rot" [13], "misanthropy," and "cynicism," and even extreme sentiments. Meanwhile, the negative value guidance hidden behind "micro-superstition" may cause the youth group, whose mental faculties are not yet fully mature, to blur the boundaries between reality and the virtual world. This leads to the formation of erroneous worldviews and values, where they become addicted to the illusory world woven by superstitious metaphysics and virtual networks, unable to extricate themselves, and neglecting their real social responsibilities and consciousness of struggle. If such phenomena that poison the physical and mental health of youth are left unchecked, they will weaken the sense of responsibility and mission for young people to dedicate themselves to the cause of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, which is detrimental to mobilizing the strength of youth for the construction of a modern powerful nation.
(II) Increased risks of infiltration in the ideological sphere
The behavior of "micro-superstition" appears to be a form of youth spiritual self-consolation that "need not be over-sensitive," yet the ideological risks hidden behind it must not be underestimated. Some hostile forces, both domestic and foreign, take advantage of the popularity of such behaviors among youth. They deliberately cater to the sensory experiences of young people who pursue novelty, stimulation, security, and comfort, enticing them into total immersion. Some of these behaviors and contents have actually shifted from commercial and cultural symbols to political symbols, imperceptibly spreading extreme individualism, liberalism, and Western religious thoughts, thereby exporting Western ideology to our nation’s youth. Since the cognitive, value, and belief systems of youth are not yet fully mature, they are more likely to fall into the targeted "traps" of hostile forces when facing setbacks in academics, employment, marriage, and dating. For example, various goods and services containing foreign cultural elements, represented by "Tarot divination" and "horoscope prediction," often carry matching ways of thinking and discourse systems. These carefully designed thoughts and discourses are mixed with ideological elements of Western ideology; when young people turn to superstitious behavior due to confusion and anxiety, these elements imperceptibly plant the seeds of extreme ideology in their hearts. Because "micro-superstition" already possesses non-negligible attraction and influence among the youth group, if its further spread is watched with indifference, the ideological cognition of youth will be disrupted. This is detrimental to the socialist education of youth and the cultivation of socialist core values, threatening the ideological security of our nation’s youth and increasing the risk of Western ideological infiltration into this demographic.
(III) The spread of unhealthy social trends
"Micro-superstition" is not only combined with religious rituals but also relies heavily on modern communication media. This allows the superstitious elements and negative concepts it contains to spread more covertly among youth, fueling unhealthy social trends. With the development of science, traditional religions and folk beliefs have gradually undergone disenchantment; the religious and superstitious connotations within various rituals have gradually receded, replaced by secular values injected by modern communication media [17]. Among these various secular values, there is no shortage of negative concepts that are "de-idealized," "de-collectivized," and "de-strugglized." Within a social context of diversified values, "micro-superstition" provides a relatively hidden channel for these negative concepts, imperceptibly spreading bad moods and erroneous values, and fueling the spread of unhealthy social trends. Furthermore, since "micro-superstition" satisfies to some extent the psychological need of youth to resolve anxiety, many unscrupulous merchants exploit this trait. They use "changing luck" and "averting calamity" as gimmicks to exaggerate their product claims, or establish consumption items like "ritual ceremonies," "erecting monuments," and "baptisms" in the name of faith to swindle money from youth, causing them both spiritual and property losses. Some lawless elements even use online media as a vehicle to carefully weave scams, operating in gangs under the guise of "technology" and "faith" to commit fraud. This not only pollutes the atmosphere of cyberspace but even strikes at the bottom line of the social rule of law, threatening social harmony and stability.
(IV) Destruction of social order
The spread of "micro-superstition" among youth may also strike at the socio-political order. The common pursuit of specific "micro-superstition" methods by many young people forms a "we" identity consciousness. Followers of different methods become the "other" or "anomalies" in terms of identity. This specific group consciousness of youth "micro-superstition" begins the moment they become keen on pursuing a certain superstitious consumption behavior, and it is continuously shaped, "defined," and "disciplined." During the "Arab Spring," Western countries utilized similar methods to rapidly gather young people in the Middle East who "shared common values," instantly transforming day-to-day accumulated symbolic effects into the political force of "collective action" and continuously releasing it. This formed a massive socio-political mobilization, triggering social unrest and state decay in the Middle East. Youth "micro-superstition" itself has links to foreign cultures, and the specific group consciousness it shapes may also provide common values for socio-political mobilization. Therefore, the continuous spread of "micro-superstition" among youth carries, to a certain extent, the risk of disrupting the socio-political order.
IV. Analysis of the causes of "micro-superstition" among youth
As a means for youth to alleviate mental pressure and self-anxiety, the transformation of "micro-superstition" from individual behavior into a socio-cultural phenomenon is the result of a combination of factors. These include the anxiety caused by development dilemmas, the overflow of negative value concepts, the weakening of anti-superstition education, and the hype of commercial capital.
(I) Development dilemmas trigger youth anxiety
The behavior of "micro-superstition" among youth stems first from the psychological anxiety generated when facing their own development dilemmas. Huntington perceptively observed the side effects hidden behind the rapid development of modern society, noting: "Modernity breeds stability, but the process of modernization breeds disorder" [18]. This uncertainty is particularly evident in developing countries currently undergoing the modernization process. Ulrich Beck also pointed out that the uncertainty of modern society is increasingly transformed into a high level of risk threatening the survival and development of social members; risk is the destiny of modern people [19]. The massive uncertainty brought by rapid social development increasingly erodes people's sense of security. Youth, who are still in the growth stage, gradually fall into development dilemmas under the impact of uncertainty and risk, generating psychological anxiety and unease. Young people generally face a situation in academics, work, marriage, and development where they "cannot lie flat" but "cannot win the scroll" [14]. Because superstitious culture fits the needs of youth to establish a sense of self-identity and security/belonging under development dilemmas, it has gained the social soil for dissemination and development. When facing problems such as "degree devaluation," "employment difficulties," "low wages," and "marriage anxiety," their choice is actually not a binary between "lying flat" or "involution" [14], but a state of "passive effort" where they "cannot lie flat" and yet "cannot win the scroll." At the same time, a result-oriented evaluation "obsession" based on "growth" has formed in current society; if one cannot complete specific "growth" standards within a limited time, one faces the risk of being eliminated. This also leads to the passive efforts of youth failing to yield expected returns in the long term, thereby generating a huge sense of frustration and anxiety. For example, young teachers face "up or out" [15] policies, internet giants implement "retirement at 35," and graduating without a famous school or high-degree background is equated with unemployment, and so on. Excessively objectified and quantified social evaluation mechanisms keep youth in a normalized state of "playing catch-up," making it difficult for them to grasp the initiative of personal development, reducing their sense of gain and happiness, and increasing their sense of frustration and powerlessness. Youth is a critical period for the establishment of self-identity (developmental psychology suggests this is from age 17-18 to 35), but real dilemmas cause youth to frequently encounter setbacks. Because they are often in a disadvantaged position regarding social status and possession of social resources, the individual sense of value among youth declines, self-identity is difficult to establish effectively, and even anxious emotions like insecurity appear. The mysterious and unfalsifiable nature of "micro-superstition" exerts a strong attraction on youth who are eager for self-affirmation, causing them to turn to an illusory world to seek self-identity and alleviate anxiety. Therefore, youth "micro-superstition" can be seen as a form of psychological compensation—a choice born of helplessness when facing psychological anxiety.
(II) The overflow of negative value concepts
Under the orientation of cultural diversification, some social trends containing negative value concepts continuously strike the spiritual world of youth, providing space for the spread and development of "micro-superstition." Under the influence of social trends such as "individualism," "utilitarianism," and "pan-entertainmentalism," the spiritual world of youth is severely "de-idealized," "de-collectivized," and "de-strugglized." The development of superstition toward entertainment and fashion caters to narrow spiritual needs, becoming one of the means for youth to combat anxiety. The post-90s and post-00s generations are known as the "Internet generation"—almost everyone is online. Social media platforms like Weibo, Douyin, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, and WeChat are favored by youth, becoming the main channels through which they understand various types of social information. The fragmented and convenient expression and dissemination methods of the internet have accelerated the spread of various social trends among youth. Negative trends and unhealthy values among them are widely disseminated through network media, exerting a serious interference on youth whose ideological cognition is not yet mature or settled. In particular, trends like individualism and utilitarianism skillfully combine with the living conditions and real situations of young people to generate resonance, subsequently instilling narrow value concepts such as "living for oneself," "winner takes all," and "making oneself happy is the only meaning." This causes the value orientation of youth to lean more toward their own subjective feelings, disregarding their own value within the collective and society; their spiritual life becomes increasingly meager, and their sense of value and meaning decreases. Disseminators of superstitious culture take this opportunity to widely spread videos and posts of a superstitious-guiding nature, deliberately catering to the psychological needs of youth, creating a superstitious "fashion" culture and continuously heightening the atmosphere. They rapidly penetrate internet cultural battlegrounds, inducing a shift in youth attitudes toward superstition. Furthermore, lax online supervision and personalized recommendation algorithms have fueled the arrogant momentum of superstitious culture spreading among youth. Under the impact and guidance of these unhealthy thoughts, the concepts of youth further tilt toward superstitious culture. Under the combined action of anxiety and pressure, their scientific faith and ideals and beliefs are gradually shaken; they lose rational thinking and judgment regarding things, gradually developing a blind following of "micro-superstition," forming a vicious circle that eventually allows "micro-superstition" to run rampant.
(III) The promotion of capital and commercial hype
Capital bolsters the rapid development of superstition-related industries; team-based and corporate operational models, along with planned commercial hype, have greatly enhanced the dissemination and influence of superstitious culture among youth. Leveraging internet communication media, "micro-superstition" has broken the thresholds of faith worship and personality cults found in traditional superstition. It has formed a new type of low-threshold, high-profit, and highly commercialized superstition-metaphysics economy, attracting the attention and participation of numerous well-known large enterprises and social capital [17] chasing profits. Currently, there are many companies in society operating under the guise of cultural dissemination or recreational services that are actually spreading superstitious culture for profit. Through these means, they cloak superstitious cultural activities in a "legitimized" outer garment, entering the capital market to attract investment and win support for commercial operations, thereby striving for even greater gains. For example, Xiaomi Group participated in the tens-of-millions Series A funding for "Constellation Goddess" (Xingzuo Nüshen); Orient Fortune Capital (Dongfang Fuhai) was an investor in the Pre-A round of "Blue Star Man" (Lanxingman); Uncle Tongdao’s (Tongdao Dashu) Series A included Sequoia China; and Tencent invested in the angel round of "Yi Qi Bazi" and took a strategic stake in "Cece Xingzuo." At the same time, professional commercial operation teams have introduced marketing models into "micro-superstition" such as "low-price (free) trials" followed by paid upgrades, livestreaming sales of goods and services, self-media video tipping, and personalized promotion via stable fan conversion to WeChat. These have enhanced the appeal of superstitious cultural consumption. Furthermore, the entry of capital has promoted the industrialization and popularization of "micro-superstition," fueling its proliferation among youth. On one hand, capital increases the production efficiency and service quality of superstition-related products and services by introducing mature commercial operating models into the superstitious field. Using online self-media platforms and meticulously designed superstitious content, it attracts youth whose minds are not yet fully mature, driving the monetization of superstition-related traffic. On the other hand, the popularity of "micro-superstition" has prompted social capital to attempt to integrate superstitious elements into other industries, creating "hotspots" through these elements to seize market share. The combination of capital and "micro-superstition" has allowed the latter to gain market support and the endorsement of popular culture, pushing it to constantly innovate in form and causing the "micro-superstition" phenomenon to intensify.
(4) The Dilution of Anti-Superstition Education The dilution of anti-superstition education has, to a certain extent, led contemporary youth to have a high level of tolerance toward "micro-superstition," objectively creating favorable conditions for its dissemination. The attitude of youth toward "micro-superstition" is directly related to the breadth and depth of its influence. In recent years, youth have exhibited a relatively tolerant attitude and a high degree of acceptance toward "micro-superstition." The reasons for this can be summarized in two aspects: First, the current emphasis on anti-feudal superstition and the cultivation of a scientific spirit among youth has declined in both education and media publicity. In education, ideological and moral education courses in many primary and secondary schools have become mere formalities, serving exam-oriented education in a one-sided manner. Universities overlook this aspect of education even more, failing to effectively guide and help youth recognize the backwardness and harmfulness of superstition. In media publicity, long-term and widespread trend-oriented media traffic redirection has created an online "micro-superstition" cultural environment that subtly interferes with the scientific and rational concepts youth form during their study of scientific and cultural knowledge. Second, "micro-superstition" is constantly changing, producing many novel and exotic forms that cater to the curiosity and fashion-seeking psychology of youth, reducing their sensitivity to and vigilance against "micro-superstition." By borrowing religious rituals and folk customs and combining them with modern technological media and capital markets, "micro-superstition" has shed the "strong value intervention mode" of past superstitious behaviors. Instead, it provides entertaining and interactive services for emotional venting and guidance, leaving a "perfect" impression on youth and gradually dismantling their vigilance. One could say that the tolerance of youth toward "micro-superstition" has diluted their awareness of its potential harms; they even enjoy it due to its entertaining service format, consciously or unconsciously cooperating with the dissemination of superstitious culture.
V. Policy Recommendations for Addressing "Micro-Superstition" Among Youth While the phenomenon of "micro-superstition" among youth is still in a stage of gradual development and diffusion, its negative impacts have already begun to manifest, harming the spiritual world of youth to a certain extent and restricting the cohesion of youth power. Therefore, it is necessary to apply the right remedy by addressing the multidimensional causes—including the real-life dilemmas of youth, media platforms, cultural markets, and scientific literacy—to nip the problem in the bud.
(1) Focus on the Real-Life Dilemmas of Youth Spinoza argued: "If men could manage all their affairs by a settled plan, or if fortune were always favorable to them, they would never be gripped by superstition. But often they are in such tight fix that they cannot follow any plan at all, and their fortunes fluctuate most piteously between hope and fear for the goods they desire without limit; so their minds are generally very prone to credulity." [18] The reason youth fall into the quagmire of "micro-superstition" is precisely rooted in the social risks and developmental dilemmas they face. High levels of uncertainty cause them to oscillate between hope and fear, making them prone to a belief in "micro-superstition" that offers spiritual comfort, even if such solace is equally uncertain or even illusory. Based on this, focusing on the real issues of greatest concern to youth, conducting investigations and research, and increasing targeted assistance for different groups will help eradicate the social soil where "micro-superstition" is born. Specifically, this includes three aspects: First, the Central and local committees of the Communist Youth League can establish special research and survey projects focused on the real-world problems of youth. They should mobilize, encourage, and support research teams to go deep among youth to understand the practical difficulties of different groups, discover new situations, study new problems, and find effective solutions. They should appropriately increase basic-level policy consultation reporting points [19] to facilitate the efficient reflection of problems and provision of policy suggestions by research teams. Second, relevant departments such as education, social security, and the Communist Youth League can further smooth convenient online channels—such as official websites, WeChat accounts, and Weibo—to directly connect with youth. They should listen broadly and accurately understand their demands, paying special attention to the "groundless complaints" (tucao) and "grumbling" of youth to discover existing work problems and policy irrationalities. Third, focus intensely on specific groups in difficulty, such as those facing employment or marriage and dating challenges. Facilitate the introduction of targeted and operable youth policies and assistance measures, conduct follow-up surveys on the effectiveness of implementation and youth feedback, and adjust and optimize measures in a timely manner.
(2) Strengthen Media Supervision and Review Mechanisms Some self-media [20] outlets, relying on their relative freedom on internet platforms, wantonly spread content related to "micro-superstition" and bear an inescapable responsibility for its proliferation. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen ideological supervision of self-media and improve review and supervision mechanisms to curb the spread of "micro-superstition." On one hand, the gatekeeping of self-media content must be strengthened. Cyberspace administration departments should increase the intensity of their reviews regarding the dissemination of superstitious culture by self-media and press relevant platforms and enterprises to fulfill their internal review requirements. A superstitious sensitive vocabulary database should be established and updated regularly. Posts and videos with superstitious guiding qualities should be monitored in real-time, and rectification should be ordered immediately upon discovery. Supervision of niche or hidden APPs and websites must be strengthened, with particular vigilance regarding whether the introduction of foreign cultures carries the dissemination of superstitious values. On the other hand, reward and punishment mechanisms should be gradually improved to increase the intensity of the crackdown on online superstition, placing it on the same level of importance as the crackdowns on online pornography and gambling. Users who report the dissemination of superstitious culture should be praised and given appropriate economic rewards, while disseminators should be warned, educated, or penalized. For repeat offenders who refuse to change, accounts should be closed and blacklisted, and their violations should be publicized periodically. Websites that promote ignorant superstition must be resolutely shut down; for those overseas websites that cannot be shut down, high-tech means should be used to block, filter, and restrict access. By strengthening the supervision and review of media resources in cyberspace and building a clean, healthy, and scientifically rational online atmosphere, the transmission channels of "micro-superstition" can be cut off, effectively curbing its spreading trend.
(3) Rectify the Atmosphere of the Cultural and Entertainment Market The proliferation of "micro-superstition" among youth is inseparable from the push of capital behind the cultural and entertainment industries. Therefore, it is necessary to implement reasonable control and guidance over capital that profits through superstitious culture. Specifically, this means regulating the cultural and entertainment market, strictly limiting commercial marketing that uses "blessing-seeking" as a selling point with superstitious guidance, and guiding capital toward rational investment to establish a healthy industry atmosphere. First, laws and regulations related to the cultural and entertainment goods and services market should be improved. Standards for defining whether elements of superstitious guidance are present in product production, service provision, and marketing should be clarified and refined. This will reduce the possibility of "playing edge-ball" [21] (treading the line of legality) under the guise of promoting traditional or foreign cultures. A punishment mechanism covering the entire chain of superstitious product and service supply and dissemination should be established, restricting the sale of goods and industries containing superstitious elements and banishing those involved in serious cases. Second, special rectification and normalized governance against superstition should be carried out. A comprehensive review of current online culture dissemination companies, cultural and creative enterprises, and online trading platforms like Taobao should be conducted to rectify and educate non-compliant merchants, establishing a "looking back" [22] normalized governance mechanism. Third, the qualification review for the establishment of cultural and entertainment enterprises must be strictly regulated, especially for those with financing intentions. Attention should also be paid to the education and guidance of investor enterprises to avoid investment behavior that seeks only profit regardless of social impact.
(4) Strengthen Scientific Atheism Education Science and reason have always been the most powerful weapons for mankind to defeat superstition. Therefore, strengthening scientific atheism education and improving the scientific and cultural literacy of youth is the fundamental means of responding to "micro-superstition." Although "micro-superstition" is a milder form of superstitious behavior, its essence remains a blind belief in supernatural forces. The root of this blind belief lies in the insufficiency of scientific atheist knowledge and the influence of the shackles of idealism and metaphysical thinking. Therefore, further improving positive guidance and education for youth, targeted strengthening of scientific atheism education to help youth establish a firm belief in scientific atheism, and actively carrying out education on Marxist materialism to break the negative influence of idealism and metaphysics will help eliminate the phenomenon of "micro-superstition." First, closely monitor the ideological dynamics of youth, understand the characteristics of current "micro-superstition" behaviors, and carry out targeted scientific atheism education to reveal the anti-scientific essence of superstitious behavior. This helps youth correctly understand and treat the phenomenon of superstition, guiding them to distinguish between excellent traditional culture and superstitious culture, and consciously resist the subcultural trend of superstition. Simultaneously, regarding the deviations in some students' understanding of social issues, ideological and political theory teachers and student counselors should conduct work to clarify and explain these thoughts. Second, schools and the Communist Youth League should increase their emphasis on the cultivation of a scientific spirit. By offering relevant courses and themed education, they should promote Marxist materialism and atheism education, expose the errors of idealism and metaphysics, help youth establish a scientific worldview of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and master the scientific ideological weapons to oppose superstition. Furthermore, practical courses including "education through practice" [23] and the establishment of role models should be conducted to promote the core socialist values, cultivate a scientific spirit, and guide youth toward a healthy, optimistic attitude toward life and a positive attitude toward study and work. Third, strengthen the construction of online culture and give full play to the role of central media such as portal websites and Party newspapers and journals to purify the media market and online environment. Supervise and rectify internet portals to ensure they undertake the responsibility of providing positive ideological guidance; rely on the public opinion advantage of central media to promote scientific atheism in a timely manner, guide youth to treat life pressures such as studies, employment, and marriage correctly, and promote the spirit of struggle [24]; and produce a batch of positive online cultural products that resonate with the characteristics of youth.
Third, consolidate the work of guiding and educating youth through diverse channels. To fundamentally govern and standardize the internet, we must strengthen ideological and political education for youth and enhance their "scientific literacy." [25] On one hand, it is necessary to actively carry out activities such as "Enter the Campus with Science and Atheism," creating a strong campus atmosphere that advocates science and opposes superstition. We must help youth cultivate a dialectical materialist world-view, outlook on life, and system of values, ensuring they maintain high vigilance and strong resistance against the "micro-superstition" and "pan-entertainment" trends on social media platforms. On the other hand, we should innovate the methods and carriers of ideological and political education. By fully utilizing new media technologies and platforms, we can produce and disseminate scientific and cultural products that are small, specialized, and refined—catering to the psychological characteristics and interests of the youth. We must give full play to the guiding role of the "Mass Line" [26] by mobilizing and organizing forces from schools, families, and society to jointly participate in the ideological and political education of youth, thereby forming a powerful synergy for collaborative education.
In recent years, the rapid iteration of information technology and the continuous evolution of the media landscape have enabled "micro-superstition" to spread widely and deeply among youth, hidden under the cloaks of "psychological comfort," "entertainment," and "traditional culture." Addressing the spread of "micro-superstition" among youth is a systematic project that requires the joint efforts of the Party, the government, society, and families. Guided by Xi Jinping's Thought on Culture, we must adhere to the principle of "uphold the fundamentals and break new ground," taking multiple measures to clean up the network environment and strengthen spiritual guidance. Only by doing so can we fundamentally curb the spread of "micro-superstition" and cultivate a new generation that is capable of shouldering the great responsibility of national rejuvenation—one that possesses "lofty ideals, moral integrity, knowledge, and discipline." [27] We must persist over the long term to achieve lasting results, ensuring that youth grow up healthily in a "political ecosystem" and social environment characterized by clarity and uprightness, [28] contributing their youthful strength to the "Chinese-path modernization" and the building of a modern civilization for the Chinese nation.