朋友圈新功能上线了，你会设置一个月可见吗？| Wechat adds new privacy options
A new function that allows users to show Wechat Moments for just the last month has been added to the platform as part of the Wechat app update date on May 5, 2019.
The new Last Month function gives users greater flexibility for how long their statuses, pictures and links are shown publicly to other users, adding to the previous time limits of three days, six months, and all moments.
The newest 7.0.4 version of the app also enables users to add background music to their Time Capsule, a short video function introduced at the beginning of the year. Private comments can now be left by friends on Time Capsules, which can only be read by the video owner.
The hashtag #Moments viewable only in the last month# has gone viral on Sina Weibo and by the end of May 7, it had been read over 740 million times and discussed more than 100,000 times.
Netizens voiced their opinions on this new function.
Some criticized the function as being neither meaningful nor necessary, and that hiding content could make relationships more distant.
Others gave recommendations on how to improve this function further, such as allowing users to choose their own custom time that posts are displayed for.
More hoped that other new functions could be added, such as posting videos longer than ten seconds, notice for when contacts unfriend, posting moments at a fixed time, and albums that can be edited by more than one user.
The function of dividing friends into different groups was expected to be on the list.
Data released in Wechat Open Class early this year by Allen Zhang, the founder of Wechat, suggest that around 750 million people share Moment posts every day, and users browse Moments more than 10 times per day each on average. Around 100 million people allow their posts to be visible for just the last three days.
For many, Wechat Moments has become part of their daily lives, whether it’s to catch up with friends, follow hot topics or just to pass the time.
Wechat Moments resembles a plaza where users can greet everyone along the way by clicking like. Along the way, they can stop to join interesting conversations with shared friends.
In the recent May holiday, millions posted photos of their travel and happy moments. So while browsing these pictures, you were not only informed of latest news of friends, but also took a digital holiday from the northern to southern China, and even around the world.
So why do we want to hide our moments after posting?
Wechat serves as a platform to present ourselves to others, whether it’s through pictures of our achievements, or reaching out to others to express our feelings and receive comfort.
But with a growing number of friends kept in Wechat, including friends, relatives, colleagues, and teachers, the pressure not to post anything embarrassing is lifting. Unless users play with their privacy settings, each post can be read, scrutinized and commented by every Wechat friend. That brings a huge pressure to express personal feelings while also maintaining a healthy public image.
Feedback can also turn out different as expected. Or maybe previous posts are not considered good now, or represent a different chapter of our lives.
In a poll, more than 15,000 netizens said they will use the new Last Month option, as it fills a gap between three days which is too short and six months which is too long. The rest, nearly 3,000 netizens, said they wouldn’t use it, as the original options already meet their demand.
So what's your view on this new privacy option? Will you be using it to show just your posts from the last month? Comment below, and let us know.
Editor: Shang Zhen
Intern editor: Chen Xianglan
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