15 seconds of a burden, 30 seconds of a reversal, condensed dozens of minutes of plot into just a few minutes of the micro-short drama attracted a lot of audiences. However, while micro-short dramas obtain commercial profits on a large scale, there are also many problems.
Many micro-short dramas need to recharge membership or pay to buy to watch all the content, and some users reported that they paid the fee "inexplicably", especially some elderly people who are not familiar with electronic payment, and unknowingly pay a high fee, but it is even more difficult to get a refund.
"0.9 yuan to unlock an episode" as bait
Seniors are deducted without their knowledge
Ms. Du's mother, who just retired two years ago, has been watching short dramas on her mobile phone lately, and has paid unknowingly.
Ms. Du introduced that the plots are all types of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law struggles, husband and wife conflicts, emotional entanglements, etc., and the content will continue to be reversed, which is very attractive to the elderly. Since her mother's mobile phone platform was bound to Ms. Du's bank card, she found that there were often small payments to pay bills. "Many short dramas are free to watch in the first two or three episodes, and you have to pay for them later, and my mother unknowingly spent dozens of yuan. ”
The elderly are not proficient in using mobile phones, and sometimes it is difficult to notice options such as "the default will automatically unlock the next episode" after receiving advertisements such as "unlock an episode for only 0.9 yuan", resulting in them being deducted without knowing it. After the children find out, they also face problems such as cumbersome appeal procedures.
The reporter also interviewed some elderly people in Shenzhen, and they said that this situation does exist, and they have fallen into the routine unconsciously.
Ms. Lu, a citizen, was obsessed with short dramas for a while, and spent more than 200 yuan on several recharges, but later found out that they were all pits, and the elderly were not skilled in using mobile phones, and some short dramas were unlocked for only 0.9 yuan per episode, and they were induced to pay, and it was difficult to notice options such as "automatic unlocking of the next episode by default".
In this regard, other elderly friends who usually play together also said that everyone feels the same way.
The micro-short drama routine also includes that when playing, the applet quickly jumps to the membership payment interface, and if you are not careful, you will spend hundreds of yuan to become a member, but it is not easy to get a refund. In addition, many elderly people have opened face recognition payment, small password-free payment, etc. Before I could figure out the situation, I was deducted, and when the children found out that they wanted to appeal, the procedures were very cumbersome.
Several platforms with short drama mini programs have reported that the current payment restrictions are mainly aimed at minors, and there are no special measures for users with independent civil capacity, including the elderly.
A lawyer said that the skit "automatically unlocks the next episode by default" and the unbinding button is hidden, which are suspected of violating the law.
Lawyer Huang Zhiming said that the elderly have limited cognitive ability and Internet level, and are more likely to encounter such skit renewal pits, so they need more care from their families and society to enhance their relevant knowledge and recognition ability. At the same time, it is also necessary to strengthen supervision of short video producers and broadcast platforms.
The micro-short drama is developing rapidly
Consumer protection should keep up
According to the data, as of December 2023, the number of online video users in mainland China has exceeded 1 billion, of which micro-short dramas with a daily payment of up to 60 million yuan are becoming the new favorite of online video.
According to the "2023-2024 China Micro Short Drama Market Research Report", the market size of China's online micro-short dramas in 2023 will be 37.39 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 267.65%, and it is expected that the market size of China's online micro-short dramas will exceed 100 billion yuan in 2027. In the context of the high efficiency and relatively low cost of content production, micro-short dramas have become the focus of pursuit by various capitals and creators.
The market is huge, and it needs to be regulated. In response to the problem of chaotic charging with many consumer complaints, experts suggest that platform operators have the obligation to fully inform consumers of the relevant key terms before they make a payment for recharge, and at the same time clearly set up a refund mechanism.
Not only the elderly, but also online micro-short dramas have become the "electronic mustard" of many young people, however, some online micro-short dramas have clichéd content, distorted values, and "cool" for the sake of "cool", constantly refreshing the audience's bottom line, and also repeatedly causing the audience to complain and criticize.
What do you think of the "electronic mustard" of online micro-short dramas?
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Source: First Field Synthesis