The feature that some young people love to use has been disabled! Or it may be related to the ubiquitous Momo, and from now on, Zhihu will make major adjustments to acquaintances, anonymity, and functionality

"Thank you for inviting me. I am in Dubai, just got off the plane, graduated from Qingbei, with an annual salary of one million. I have too many acquaintances/interests, and have disappeared." Starting today, similar expressions will become history on its birthplace - the online Q&A community "Zhihu".

Starting from July 14th, Zhihu will gradually take down its anonymous function, and users will not be able to anonymously create questions or post content.

This reminds many people of the army of momos they have seen on multiple social media platforms recently. Young people use the same avatar and nickname to hide individuals in groups, only to avoid acquaintances, avoid "human flesh" search, and release themselves on the Internet.

On one hand, there is a legitimate need for free expression and sharing, and on the other hand, there is a reduction in the cost of spreading rumors under anonymity, as well as the escalating online violence. Just a week ago, the National Cyberspace Administration publicly solicited opinions on the "Regulations on the Governance of Cyberspace Violence Information".

Zhihu's Anonymous Function "Hidden"

The trigger for Zhihu's recent major adjustment was the anonymous defamation of the platform by the founder of Yiou, Huang Yuanpu, on June 20 in his social media circle, and he initiated a real name report. After being reminded by a friend, he saw the question "Will the Yiou Huangyuan Pu get away with money?" and a series of anonymous answers there, which made him extremely angry.

On July 7, more than half a month later, Zhihu released an announcement: "As the early product mechanism of the community, the launch of the anonymous function was originally intended to be based on open discussion and friendly interaction among users. However, with the increasingly complex Internet communication environment, in order to ensure healthy discussions in the community, the new version of the anonymous function will be launched in major app stores on July 14." However, Zhihu was still lenient, and the past anonymous posts can be made public at the publisher's discretion.

The anonymity function of Zhihu, in simple terms, is to choose anonymity when you do not want other users to know your true identity. Anonymous articles will not display personalized avatars and nicknames, and others will not be able to view your past posting history.

Introduction to Anonymous Function by Zhihu Official Previously

For a long time ago, "Thank you for the invitation, hiding" was a common opening line for anonymous responses on Zhihu, and it was used by netizens on other platforms to play jokes.

Some people express regret for the offline use of the anonymity function: "I used to like to anonymize things I wrote casually, but I won't be able to do it anymore." "Anonymity is a good tool, but unfortunately it is misused by some people."

There are also many people who have been making up stories for a long time, clapping their hands and cheering, "Xi Da Pu Ben, there are too many people on Zhihu who anonymously make up materials." "It's just a bunch of story meetings, strongly supported."

The ubiquitous momo

In the early stage of the development of the Internet, anonymity was the most mainstream mechanism, which laid the foundation for the free, open, shared and other characteristics of the Internet.

In 2014, a software called Secret in the United States caused a firefight among anonymous societies. At that time, its popularity may not be inferior to the social app Threads recently launched by Zuckerberg.

Inspired by this, a boom of anonymous social software start-ups has emerged in China. Wumi, crow, hehe, toast... Those who love to hear the inside story and gossip, and those who love to expose information and roast, two groups of people get together under the temptation of "anonymity".

In June 2017, the online real name system was fully implemented, specifying that registered users need to have a "backend real name"; Starting from August 1st last year, according to the regulations of the National Cyberspace Administration, online platforms must display the user's IP address.

However, for a long time, there has been a high demand for online anonymous expressions that are disconnected from the real world, and some variant forms have also emerged.

If you frequently browse Xiaohongshu, Douban, Zhihu, etc., you may have noticed a user named Momo with a pink dinosaur avatar who is exceptionally active. Almost all posts and Q&A can find the figure of TA.

But if you click on your personal homepage, you will quickly realize that these momos are not the same person at all. They come from all walks of life across the country, with both men and women.

Initially, when new users logged into platforms such as Douban and Xiaohongshu through WeChat, Momo and Pink Little Dinosaur were one of the default nicknames and avatars in the system. The earliest group of momos were those who were too lazy to name or change their avatars.

Nowadays, more and more young people are actively changing into this unified vest and becoming members of the Momo army.

Xiaoxin, a girl born in the 2000s in Hangzhou, is a newly joined Momo. She used to use a cartoon version of her self portrait, until one day, "My mom also started playing Little Red Book and changed her avatar and internet name overnight."

In the month since becoming a momo, Xiaoxin feels more willing to express her opinions online: "Because there's no need to worry about some ideas being attacked by unfamiliar netizens who don't agree with them." Last week, she even took the initiative to leave a message refuting a big V viewpoint, "It's a topic related to gender. In the past, I would have dared not, afraid of being 'hung'. But now, there are thousands of online momos, and even if they are attacked or 'hung', it seems that they are not targeted at me, and the psychological burden has decreased."

Wandering on the Edge of Free Expression and Law

"Big hidden in the market, small hidden in the mo" "One mo does ten thousand tasks" "Momo won't scold you, won't exclude you, will take the blame for you when you" go to war "... In some Momo registration collection posts, pink little dinosaurs lined up with slogans. Having a shared identity also gives them a sense of identity in the online space.

After Momo became popular, more group oriented influencers gradually formed their own forces on social media platforms, gathering a large number of netizens who refused to reveal their nicknames. The most exaggerated may be the Hidden Sect, with blank avatars and nicknames.

There is a hidden sect sandwiched in the Momo

However, just like Zhihu's anonymity function has become a breeding ground for many rumors, malicious individuals also use this hidden nature to make negative comments. Therefore, some people who do not like Momo refer to them as "electronic cockroaches".

The most famous incident occurred in February when actor Chen Feiyu's private photos were leaked. At that time, there were constant discussions among netizens on multiple platforms, and there were many who added fuel and vinegar.

In the process of reputation protection, Chen Feiyu Studio sued a Douban user named Momo, claiming that the post posted by the latter contained many suspected defamatory remarks against Chen Feiyu.

This announcement has put Momo on the hot search list. Someone left a message that the Momo group on Douban has over 8000 members, and it is unclear which one is being sued.

However, even if the avatar nickname is the same, each user has a unique UID, and the poster can be locked down along the internet cable.

"Good momos actually hate those behaviors that lead to wars and spread rumors, but some bad momos stir up the whole pot of Congee." Xiao Xin said that the momo group she joined will have managers who occasionally issue some reminders to regulate online speech.

Anonymous on the internet

Will it turn people into complete jerks?

Whether it's the platform's anonymous posting and Q&A functions, or netizens spontaneously changing to a unified avatar and nickname, the original intention is to protect personal privacy and a space for free expression. For example, you can share your bad job experience in a company online, or roast about the poor hygiene of an online celebrity store, and kindly remind others to avoid the pit.

However, even with the combination of backend real name and IP display of location, frontend anonymity still gives some people the illusion of breaking away from the constraints of real identity and social relationships, mistakenly believing that they no longer need to take responsibility for their own opinions.

The rumor of a Jiangxi girl receiving a sky high dowry of 18.88 million yuan on the hot search at the beginning of the year was posted by anonymous users on Zhihu. The tragedies of a girl with pink hair and the suicide of a mother who lost her child in Wuhan have also arisen due to online violence on social media, which has made the public hate online violence to the extreme.

The once popular Secret software eventually became a hub for self complaints, gossip, and online bullying. Developers and managers attempted to establish an anti violence system, but ultimately failed. After less than 16 months of popularity, the creators voluntarily chose to end it. Several domestic platforms that follow the trend are also mostly in similar situations.

At that time, the well-known technology website "Lianhe" commented, "Anonymous online can turn people into complete jerks."

However, netizens also have different opinions regarding the discontinuation of Zhihu's anonymous feature. One of them shared a small story:

The company's suggestion box has been installed for several years, but has never received a letter of opinion. The boss boasted at the company meeting that the company has humanized management and there has never been any favoritism or exploitation of employees. Otherwise, how come no one has ever voted in the opinion box?

Because the boss forgot that there are two 4K high-definition cameras directly above the suggestion box.

On the same day that Zhihu announced the offline anonymity function, the National Cyberspace Administration issued the "Regulations on the Governance of Cyberspace Violence Information", soliciting public opinions.

The draft opinion stipulates that "Internet information service providers should strengthen the management of online community sections and online groups, and shall not collect online violence information in word-of-mouth, group, post bar, and other links. It is prohibited to create topic sections and group accounts that publish content such as anonymous submissions and empty shouting, with negative orientation."