介绍:
John: The American anonymous social network Secret launched recently in China. In the meantime, however, about 20 similar apps developed by domestic companies are also available for mobile users. So I guess the first question is, have you guys tried using Secret or any other applications?
Amy: I have no secrets.
Heyang: Oh, I have secrets, but I haven’t used Secret, the app.
John: You guys are useless. So what are they?
Heyang: According to the research, these apps involve acquaintances. So it could involve strangers, or people from your phone book so it’s synchronized with your Wechat contact list or phone contact list. What’s so special about apps such as Secret is that it gives you a chance to gossip, say whatever about someone, and not being found. So I think it’s hugely liberating for some gossip girls and boys.
Amy: Yeah, definitely. I guess this February, the first anonymous social networking app was available in China, called Mimi, which means Secret, of course. The app gained a lot of popularity. In April, the app was removed from app stores, since it was regarded as a knockoff of Secret, which is the American app. And then in May, it came back with a new name Wumi and the UI (user interface) has been changed as well. So now in China, there are around 20 apps like this, and almost half of them were produced in the last month.
John: Right. It’s strange to me because as Heyang says, you can link your contacts into this. But then if you supposedly chat anonymously, but it seems to me that your personality would come through quite quickly, so they would know who you are even if they don’t know who you are.
Heyang: Or, it’ll just create confusion, and people will be guessing: oh, this sounds like somebody. But actually that person might not have sent out that piece of information at all.
John: And you can totally set someone up by pretending to be them and start a vicious rumor and then everyone will think you start the vicious rumor when it’s actually someone else.
Heyang: Yeah, that totally could be the case.
Amy: You could be the new gossip girl.
John: I think it’s interesting because before I asked you guys if you’ve used it, you guys haven’t. But fortunately, I have used it. I use the American version, Secret, which is available on the Apple app store. And it’s very interesting. So you have people who ask questions they would never ask anyone that they know, No. 1. Nor would they ask the same question on a social network if their name was attached to it. Stuff like I’m 19 years old, and I’m still a virgin, is that okay. Stuff like I peed the bed last night, should I go and see a doctor. And even stranger ones that I can’t remember nor will I mention on air. But it certainly is interesting because it gives people a lot of freedom, because there is nothing to connect you to it except for an IP address that’s on the Secret server I suppose. But otherwise, that’s it.
Heyang: But it seems like a lot of the questions that are being asked are often sexual-related or ...
John: Embarrassing right?
Heyang: And sometimes I just wonder, I don’t think there is such a great need for such an app.
Amy: I think there is a huge need for people wanna release their secrets like crazy, but they just don’t want people to know about it.
John: Indeed. So if you want to release any of your secrets, just get in touch with us on Wechat. We are ezfmroundtable. Stay tuned.
