Causes and Enlightenments of the "Media Transfer" Phenomenon in the Age of Social Media-Taking WeChat Moments as an Example
Abstract
With the increasing integration of WeChat and the real life, the media transfer phenomenon appears in users of WeChat Moments. There are 5 reasons for this phenomenon. Firstly, the fact that “both family members and friends can see WeChat Moments†leads the users to display “middle ground†and the users’ media image tends to show “the meâ€. Secondly, "Audience Isolation" function narrows the content of communication and leads to short-term effect. Thirdly, real social pressure shifts online social pressure, deviating from the original motivation of online social. Then weak-tie friends dilute strong social attributes, blurring privacy boundaries. Next, the rise of short video apps is replacing video display functions. Lastly, the rise of the "show" culture brings media anxiety and forms an "online silence spiral". And there are enlightenments we can get from the analysis above. First of all, verticalization and specialization are the development trends of social media. Second, complementary use of multi-platform is a manifestation of user initiative and the normal use of media in the future. Finally, alleviating media anxiety is a common problem in the development of all social media. In the future development of media, the phenomenon of media transfer may become the norm.
Keywords
Social media, WeChat moments, Media selection, Media transfer
DOI
10.12783/dtssehs/ecemi2020/34667
10.12783/dtssehs/ecemi2020/34667