In China, young people are encountering myriad challenges, from societal pressures around success to existing in a highly surveilled society, that have made them turn to the internet in search of a balm to soothe their pain. What has emerged is a host of content called digital ibuprofen – viewed as a way to numb the anxieties of modern living.
The most popular digital ibuprofen at the moment is the Japanese webcomic Chiikawa (2020), a portmanteau of the Japanese words small (chiisai) and cute (kawaii). Set within what has been called a “post-apocalyptic gig economy”, Chiikawa follows the daily lives, jobs (like weeding and monster hunting) and struggles of small, emotional creatures. The appeal of the sweet, strange world to a disaffected youth becomes apparent as darker themes emerge.
