Facing the severe crackdown initiative by the Chinese administration on social apps to prevent the circulation of low-brow and vulgar content, several messaging apps were either totally shut down, or, like the used-to-be dominant anonymous chat tool, Toilet (citing “throw your negative mood into the toilet”), resorting to a sideway developing e-commerce business. Online purchasing elements merging with social media is a global trend, which is not only followed by Chinese apps but also by international giants such as Instagram and Pinterest.
