Paying for Compliments.

Social media is often blamed for making people feel bad about themselves-but in Asia, a new online trend is trying to spread positivity. Chinese internet users have recently begun turning to so-called "praising groups," where they can pay to be flooded with compliments. For the equivalent of a few U.S. dollars, a user can purchase 3 to 5 minutes of time. They'll be invited to a group on WeChat, the country's largest messaging app; hundreds of users will then shower them with good vibes. (A sample exchange: One participant complained of not being able to...