New ways of learning

In addition to "study with me" videos, the rise of the internet and social media has introduced more innovative forms of "companion studying".

Xiao Zheyue, 28, from Zibo, Shandong province, also began by creating "study with me" videos and later took it a step further by livestreaming her study sessions for up to 14 hours a day.

Starting with just around 20 viewers, Xiao now typically has over 100 people watching her livestreams simultaneously. She has noticed that many people genuinely rely on this content to create a productive learning environment — one that provides a sense of security. "By tuning into live study sessions, they actively immerse themselves in a study-focused mindset," she said.

Despite her growing viewership, Xiao prefers not to engage directly with her audience during livestreams, aiming to maintain a balance between intimacy and detachment.

"I usually start a session only when I have an important task or a pressing learning goal for the day," she explained. "For me, it's mainly a way to establish a focused study period without the distractions of my phone."

On Chinese and international platforms like Xiaohongshu, Discord, Reddit, and TikTok, 24-hour online study rooms allow users to join freely, with some channels hosting tens of thousands of people studying together. Zhang has been one of them.