An Empirical Study On The User's Motivation Of Anonymous Social App Utilization

Anonymous social App appeared in 2013. Compared with other social networking applications, anonymous social App is totally different that it automatically forms in-App social circle for users based on their real social nets mutual interests, while users? identites are kept highly anonymous. So the study of Anonymous social networking App is expected to expand the horizon of current motivation studies and online anonymity studies, and to direct the product design and operate of anonymous social App.By choosing “Wumi”, a representative Chinese anonymous social App, this study have explored the user's motivations of anonymous social App utilization, and the influence that the effect of anonymity on user's motivation.This study is based on the studies about online anonymity, the motivation of SNS, and the Uses and Gratifications theory, and used a variety reseach methods including user interview, questionnaire survey and data analysis. And this study have made these conclusions:There?re four fundamental motivations of anonymous social App utilization: entertainment, emotional release, information seeking and anonymous alternative. Entertainment and emotional release may be the main motivations.In the anonymous environment,people will have a certain degree of self-disclosure. And the degree of self-disclosure, have partially decided by the user's motivations.