ETYMOLOGY

The term gained mainstream attention when China Central Television's 2014 Spring Festival Gala featured a skit satirizing smartphone addiction. Within 24 hours, #ditouzu became the top trending Weibo topic with 180 million discussions.

Cultural analysts note three driving factors:

WeChat's omnipresence in Chinese daily life (2.4 billion monthly active users)Short-video platforms like Douyin averaging 118 minutes daily usageThe '996 work culture' pushing people to seek digital escapesA viral TikTok video shows Shanghai subway riders: 72/100 people were staring at screens, 15 sleeping, only 13 engaged in offline interaction. This visual evidence sparked nationwide debates about tech etiquette.

Example: When Beijing's Temple of Heaven installed 'phone-free benches' with body sensors that play traditional music if someone sits without using devices for 5 minutes, it became an instant tourist attraction.