Uploading Photos and Saying "Please Help with Payment"... Controversy Over New Type of Beggars on SNS

A new form of begging using the social networking service (SNS) 'Threads' operated by Meta is gaining popularity in Taiwan, causing discomfort among local netizens.

On the 1st (local time), Taiwanese media 'Dongsen News' highlighted the recent controversy among Taiwanese Threads users regarding this new type of begging. This behavior is spreading mainly on Meta-owned SNS platforms such as Threads and Facebook.

This begging starts when a user posts a photo of a bill addressed to themselves. Then, through the post, the user elaborates on their situation in detail and requests 'donations' from other users.

An example of the 'new type of begging posts' gaining popularity on Taiwan's 'Threads' and others [Image source=Captured from Taiwan Facebook group]

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In an actual screenshot posted in a Facebook group, alongside a payment bill photo with a barcode, there are captions such as "Please pay," "Could you please pay this?", "Sorry. I shouldn't become an online beggar," "I am really poor and survive on dirt," and "Everyone helped me, this is really unbelievable."

If someone actually helps pay the bill, they even send thank-you messages like "Thank you. I will remember this kindness."

Local netizens reacted with disgust to this de facto begging behavior. Comments such as "It's electronic begging," "I don't know how our country came to this," and "What nonsense are they babbling while begging?" flooded in.

However, some influencers received praise for creating a new donation movement through 'barcode posts.' Taiwan's famous beauty influencer 'Lauren' recently posted a photo of a payment barcode, which was a donation code sent by an elderly welfare association.

Lauren said, "Recently, many posts asking for payment help have been flooding Threads. But this barcode is a code to donate to the elderly welfare association," adding, "You can refuse, but I hope people donate to those who really need help." Netizens who saw the post joined Lauren's fundraising and praised her, saying, "Lauren is much better than influencers who post begging messages."

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