Are you invisible on QQ today?

I had just got online when a message popped up in the QQ dialogue box: "You haven't been online for half a year?" It was from one of my university classmates. I typed back: "Actually, I am online everyday, but I set myself as invisible."

Soon, a grey avatar on QQ started moving. It turned out that this classmate of mine was also in stealth mode. He said: "Actually, there is nothing in particular." Then his avatar turned grey again. Neither of us continued chatting and we fell into silence.

When I first got QQ, wherever I could get online, be it in the library or internet cafe, the first thing I would do was to log onto QQ and let the penguin avatar stay hanging at the top right corner of the computer screen. Soon, the avatars on the buddy list lit up one after another, chirping away non-stop. But that was many years ago. Back then, what we called going online was essentially QQ chatting. Whether they were familiar friends or strangers, everyone was chatting idly about useless things.

Nowadays, I have QQ on everyday. There are dozens of good friends in it, all of them being my schoolmates and friends. However, most of the time their avatars are grey. Occasionally, I would type a few words and instantly there would be a reply. Originally, almost everyone was online but chose to be invisible.

I once asked a friend why he was always in stealth mode. My friend casually replied: "There is nothing to say." Indeed, what is there to say? We have all been working for many years and no longer like to show off or complain when we first start working. Time is like a cocoon, wrapping our hearts tightly. We have already gotten used to not easily opening our hearts to others, be it happiness or distress. Even if we occasionally exchange pleasantries on QQ, there is more silence after the pleasantries. If there is anything to discuss, we will directly call each other. Who would still tap away at the keyboard for a long time in front of the computer?

There is another reason. Once you go online, won't you greet those friends with bright avatars? QQ is different from mobile phones and telephones where you only answer when there is an incoming call. You clearly see your friends and colleagues online, how can you not exchange pleasantries? It's like when we meet on the street, we would ask each other "Have you eaten?" Actually, we are all busy. Perhaps your pleasantries might make your friend feel that you are bored, lonely, need someone to chat with, or need comfort. Messages will pop up one by one, making you too busy to handle them. Perhaps, the friend on the other side is also too busy to handle them. So, we might as well go invisible. This way, we will have less moral burdens.

More and more people choose to be invisible. No matter how many QQ or MSN accounts you have, many people choose to be invisible. Many times, QQ has become a dispensable tool. We don't expect to gain anything from it. On anyone's business card, the QQ number pitifully stays at the bottom.

However, no one would abandon QQ. The first thing many people do when they start work is to hang QQ. Our buddy lists are often dark and gloomy, yet very few people delete their contacts. Perhaps, what we care about is just a feeling, a feeling that even in such a big city, there are still people we know. Staying on QQ makes us feel like we are still in a warm and familiar group. Although we are all invisible, we are all paying attention to each other. When you have a need, the login prompt will rise from the bottom right corner all the way to the top of the screen. In the city of steel and concrete, behind the dark QQ avatars, there still hides warmth and trust that can be confided in.