Have a dinner with a group of strangers? Recently, a form of social networking called "blind box socialization" has attracted many young people to participate online. According to the participants, the participants of the "blind box social" are strangers to each other, and the identities of their peers in the event are unknown, and some participants said that they have made a lot of new friends in such activities, but some organizers frankly admitted that they have encountered impolite behavior when participating in the activities. The uncertainty of the blind box has become the characteristic of this type of socialization.
Experts say that "blind box socialization" benefits from the rise of the Internet, and the social surprises brought by its huge uncertainty are the key to attracting young people. But he cautions that behaviors involving strangers socializing may also encounter ** or bad people, and participants and organizers should pay attention to screening.
Participator. Don't worry too much about communicating with strangers."
Cheng Fang, a 23-year-old Shanghai citizen, said that he does not have many friends. "There are very few friends who can usually make a date, and even fewer friends who can play games outdoors together. ”
One day in the second half of last year, Cheng Fang discovered an activity on the Internet called "blind box socialization", in which organizers recruit a large number of strangers to participate in outdoor games and other social activities, and meet new friends in the process.
Cheng Fang felt that this kind of social activity was very attractive to her, so she signed up for an event to go to the park with strangers. She recalled that before the event, she joined the WeChat group set up by the organizer and found that she did not know anyone in the group. She was late for the event, but when she arrived at the venue, she saw that the participants were all greeting each other warmly, "and the atmosphere made me feel very comfortable."
A netizen who has participated in the "blind box social" told a reporter from Beiqing Daily that this form of socialization means that the participants are unfamiliar with each other, which is very different from the previous acquaintance social model. "The objects I came into contact with were varied, and I couldn't **, just like opening a 'blind box', which was very fresh and had some excitement. ”
Another netizen Xiao Ao, who participated in the "blind box social" activity, said that he had just arrived in the new city to work, and he usually dealt with colleagues the most. In his opinion, the social form of "blind box socialization" does not have much mental pressure, "because the participants are strangers, I don't have to be afraid of getting along with people." If I communicate with familiar people, I have to consider the emotions of the other party, but I don't have to think so much about communicating with strangers. ”
Xiao Ao said that he has met a lot of new friends through "blind box social" activities. "It's a place where you can talk about your opinions, and even discuss emotional issues. There will be a lot of people here who are willing to listen to me and can help me solve my problems. ”
Cheng Fang also said that the main reason that attracted her to participate in the "blind box social" activity was that the participants themselves did not know each other, so they were able to chat casually and were very enthusiastic in the activity.
Cai Qing, who has also participated in the "blind box socialization", is also very interested in this new form of socialization, and she also faces the problem of lack of friends around her after working in Shanghai from other places. After seeing the recruitment post for the online "Blind Box Social" event, I signed up. "After attending a few events, I've found friends with whom I can meet for dinner and shopping in Shanghai. Cai Qing said.
Organizer. Look for strangers who are willing to play with me".
Gaibao has organized "blind box social" activities on the Internet many times, she told a reporter from Beiqing Daily that in early October last year, she wanted to participate in outdoor games, "I want to play, but I can't find someone I know to play with me, so I posted on social platforms, looking for strangers who are willing to play with me." ”
What Gaibao didn't expect was that this post attracted the attention of many netizens, and hundreds of people left messages wanting to participate. For this purpose, Gaibao has set up a WeChat group to organize unfamiliar netizens to participate in the "blind box social" activity. Today, the group has grown to two, with a total of more than 500 people.
In less than half a year, Gappal has organized 7 "blind box social" activities, including hide and seek, frisbee throwing, etc., and will also organize everyone to celebrate the New Year on New Year's Day.
Wang Xueren has also organized a number of "blind box social" activities, and he said that he and his wife would gather with friends at a fixed time on weekends. In 2023, he and his wife came up with the idea of inviting strangers to their home party. He admitted that when he used to gather with friends, he often invited strangers to his home for a party, and the AA system could help him "cover a lot of costs" and meet a lot of new friends.
After Wang Xueren posted a post on the social platform about the "blind box social" party, it received a response from many netizens. At first, he would invite strange netizens to come to his home as guests, everyone drank, chatted, and played games together, and then more and more people wanted to participate, Wang Xueren found a venue in February this year to organize everyone to participate in the "blind box social" activity, where strangers can watch movies and play board games together. He said that in the future, he hopes to organize more types of social events.
Both Wang Xueren and Gai Bao said that the main participants in the "blind box social" are young people in their 20s and 30s, and many participants will say that they are usually very introverted and do not like to socialize, and hope to get a channel to communicate, communicate and even vent with others through the "social blind box".
There are hidden dangers. There were participants who were found to be harassing women.
However, just as consumers may encounter favorite styles or hated styles when they open the "blind box" after purchasing it. A number of participants and organizers of the "blind box social" activity admitted to the reporter of Beijing Youth Daily that in the process of "blind box socialization", they will encounter some social objects that are unacceptable to them from time to time.
Wang Xueren said that once a man attended a "blind box social" party, and before drinking, the man behaved very well and brought snacks made by himself. But then the man drank too much and began harassing the girls at the scene. After this happened again, Wang Xueren received complaints from other participants, "I immediately warned this man. ”
Wang Xueren said that the man then posted an apology on Moments, saying that he would not do anything similar again. "After thinking about it, we decided to refuse him to participate in our activities again. He admits that the people who come to participate in the "blind box social" activities are strangers, so it is difficult to prevent them in advance, and many times they can only deal with problems in time after they occur.
Gai Bao also said that some outdoor activities such as hide and seek that she organizes will inevitably have physical contact between participants. In order to avoid unpleasant incidents, she restricts the number of participants to be women, thus eliminating the hidden danger of sexual harassment.
Cheng Fang has similar concerns, so she will observe in the WeChat group set up by the event organizer before participating in various offline "blind box social" activities, "I will look at the atmosphere in the group, and if the atmosphere makes me feel uncomfortable, I will not participate in offline activities." ”
In addition, some netizens admitted that "blind box socialization" does not seem to be suitable for everyone. Wang Peng, a graduate student who has participated in "blind box socialization", told a reporter from Beiqing Daily that he has participated in "blind box social" activities at school, and this activity made it clear when recruiting participants that the activity is helpful for making friends.
Wang Peng said that during the day's event, participants could draw a note in a box provided by the organizers, and the note would correspond to another girl. After Wang Peng chatted with the corresponding girl, he began to feel that the two had a good chat. But after that, he found that the girl chatted very cheerfully and generously, while he seemed a little restrained, "I don't talk to female classmates like this every day." After the two talked about **, work, etc., Wang Peng had a feeling of "incompatibility", and the two slowly broke off contact. "I wasn't quite able to adapt to the 'blind box social' format. ”
Remind. The organizer should take care of the safety and security and bear legal responsibility for the damage caused.
Why do many young people like "blind box socialization" nowadays? In response to this phenomenon, Zhang Xiaoyuan, former head of the Department of Journalism at Sichuan University, said that the emergence of "blind box socialization" is first due to the rise of the Internet. ”
However, Zhang Xiaoyuan said that people who participate in and organize this kind of new social mode should also be vigilant: "For organizers and participants, they should pay attention to problems such as being deceived. ”
In addition, Han Xiao, a lawyer at Beijing Kangda Law Firm, reminded that the organizers of "blind box socialization" should pay special attention to their legal responsibilities, and according to the provisions of the Civil Code, if the organizers of mass events fail to fulfill their safety obligations and cause damage to others, they should bear tort liability. If the organizer of the offline event fails to ensure safety and causes damage, the organizer may need to bear the corresponding tort liability. At the same time, if there is forced persuasion to drink, failure to deliver the drunk person safely, failure to dissuade drunk driving, failure to perform the duty of reminder and care, the organizer may also bear the corresponding liability for compensation in the event of an accident or accident. The organizer of the event should also prepare a safety and security plan, prepare relevant safety and security facilities, verify the identity and physical health factors of the participants before the event according to the content of the event, inform and confirm the relevant activity content, risks and safety protection plan in writing, and purchase relevant insurance for the participants in advance. In case of dangerous situations, stop the relevant activities immediately or call the police for help.
For the participants of "blind box socialization", Han Xiao reminded that netizens should verify the real situation of the organizer and related activities before participating in such activities, and try to avoid participating in dangerous activities such as mixed people and remote locations. Pay attention to retaining relevant evidence to protect the legitimate rights and interests of individuals. (Reporter Qu Chang, intern Yao Yi, coordinator Jiang Shuo).
At the request of the interviewees, the names of the participants and organizers of the "blind box social" are pseudonyms).
*: Beijing Youth Daily).
Editor: Fu Ying].
*: Beijing Youth Daily).