The internet has made a huge impact on the web 2.0 giving people the opportunity to communicate. The newest Digital report of 2018(Kemp, 2018) reveals that there are 4.021 billion of Internet Consumers and among them, 3.196 billion users actively use social networks. Social sites are promising tools in every field: from social to economic. The most well-known globally are notably Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. On the other hand, Weibo and WeChat are famous social networks which contains millions of Chinese users(Wang & Tang, 2015). The dynamics of usage in China are different the Western part and the current Chinese internet generation is distinctively contrasting(Monggilo, 2016). Sadly, Chinese youngsters do not know the internet like the rest of the globe and they prefer it that way. China with the largest internet users in Asia and the world has been accredited as the country with the lowest Internet freedom(CCNIC, 2015). Google, Facebook and foreign websites are blocked. Technical censoring mechanisms include IP blocking, content censoring, and keyword filtering to restrict a user’s capability to access information and freely communicating(Qiao & Shih, 2018). An abundance of cloned applications with similar functions were created however the contents are highly filtered. This paper explores Chinese youngsters evolving differently in the age of digitization from the rest of the world and the goal is to determine the reasons why they prefer their current situation.
Technology has given mankind an asset known as the Internet. The total of Chinese Internet users during the half of 2018 was noted to be 802 million(Kemp, 2018). The 42nd bi-annual statistic report from the China Internet Network Information Center(CNNIC) reveals that internet availability was raised to 57.7% with 26.3% of Internet consumers being from remote parts. According to a survey from the CNNIC, by July 2008, the number of Internet users in China has reached 253 million, surpassing the U.S. as the world’s largest Internet market. Although the development of the Internet industry in China is outstanding, the young Chinese generation in this digital era are getting familiar with the Internet differently from the rest of the world. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram as well as famous websites include Bloomberg and Chinese Wikipedia supporting the freedom of speech are banned(Monggilo, 2016). Even Google which allows access to all democratic and controversial information happening worldwide is blocked(Schlaeger & Jiang, 2014). Many Asian countries implement censorship legislation and similarly, China followed the path starting from filtering, regulating internet content and applying multilevel control mechanisms. If any web page is found to be dangerous bypassing the rules and safety of China, it gets blocked by the Government without proper explanation and this act has been labeled as the “Great Chinese Firewall”(Zhi-Jin & Huang, 2017). US based NGO which promotes freedom speech labeled China as ‘the worst abuser of internet freedom’ for the 3rd consecutive years in its Net Freedom report.
Censorship in China has been dominant way long in its history. One example often depicted in dramas is the burning of scholar books by the First Chinese emperor. The trend targeted the internet. Fallows stated that from 2000 to 2007, 80% of the Chinese population started having negative impressions of the internet(as cited in Monggilo, 2016) and they agreed upon giving the control of the Internet to the Government to regulate internet censorship practice(Yang, 2013). Most content available today are unknown to Chinese people. Evaluating from the Government’s perspective, internet censorship is a good thing as it filters out pornography and vulgarity which is a taboo for China(Tu, 2016). Banning sites which bring negative influences makes the internet with a healthier platform especially for young people who are easily manipulated and find it hard to different between good and bad. More on, for years, the Government parties have feared that infiltration of foreign pop culture and the western values on the internet will impact their youth and this might make them lose their grip on the ideological loyal towards their culture(Kou & Nardi, 2017). Hence, the Government doesn’t want the younger population to be corrupted by these Western ideologies.
Meeting Chinese friends during social events made me learn the existence of a Chinese social network called Sina Weibo which is one of China’s biggest social networks. It is a Chinese social networking application which has similar features as Twitter(Poell, Kloet & Zeng, 2014). Created an account on it led to some interesting facts. Weibo allows a person to be know who visited the latter’s profile and at what specific time. But the main unusual factor is the way individuals express themselves. The users are more active in posting personal information on themselves instead of freely discuss topics linked to political organizations like on Twitter. Some implemented difference codes for expressing themselves on sensitive matters(Qiao & Shin, 2018). This shows that the population must obey to the Chinese rules of not posting sensitive contents. The meme on referring the Government Xi with Winnie the Pooh was blocked. Furthermore, Weibo’s existence has created a lot of heated controversies due to the government control to erase information. One big scandal occurred in October 2010 when a drunk boy, Li Qiming, aged 22 was involved in a hit and run case while heading to Hebei University. He warned lightly; “Sue me if you dare, my father is Li Gang! (a deputy police chief in nearby district).” This case became a sensation as the government covered it(Poell, Kloet & Zeng, 2014). Any online or offline public opinions which can cause chaos against the political party are erased while negative comments are blue-penciled(Mou & Atkin, 2014).
Before Xi Jinping becoming the current President, the internet was turning into a common political platform for the population and people could possess transparency in some contents and the power of communication(Zhi-Jin & Huang, 2017). Today, China operates the most sophisticated online censorship system on the planet. Famous Chinese bloggers and social activists were voicing out their thoughts and the netizens in unity made virtual petitions and protest and make the officials aware of their wrong actions(Clark & Zhang, 2017). A survey in 2010 reveals that 300 Chinese authorities were worried on online leaking about their wrongdoings or private details(You & Huberman, 2011). Among the 6000 Chinese people who did the survey, 88% of them reacted positively on officials having this fear. But in 2012, for President Xi, the virtual world and reality should be treated equally in terms of ideologies and standards(Bao, 2013). Therefore, he started investing in technological models to reinforce the internet censorship with more new strict laws and punishments. The population was informed that the initiative behind this change is to protect them from cyber-attacks(Fourie & Bothma, 2014). SNSs were started to be monitored, political content banned, the press fully controlled, and rebels were imprisoned(Mou & Atkin, 2014). The Government officials believed that limiting people’s knowledge will protect their image(Bao, 2013). In my opinion, this is compromising the netizens’ rights to freedom of speech. Even if the censorship on politics are being mentioned to protect the public, no one is superior enough to decide the welfare of a society by implanting his personal views as they are not forcibly correct. Also, the public’s creativity is hindered as they cannot access democratic or sensitive topics which are important for growing knowledge.
Unfortunately, most netizens agree with President Xi’s views and they prefer it this way. The main reason is the fact that many Chinese citizens turn to their regulated internet to get deeper understanding about the events going on in China and focus more about communicating among themselves since their media is heavily censored(Wang & Mark, 2015). The internet is a main source of entertainment for them and youngsters like it because they get many social sites and services(Piskorski, 2014). Although they cannot access many western social and blogging sites, china has allowed the emergence of a plethora of similar Chinese networking sites although they are monitored(Schlaeger & Jiang, 2014). In US, the most popular SNS is Facebook however in China, there’s a variety of options such as WeChat, Weibo, QQzone, Renren and so on(Yang, 2013). Some even provide social games to keep the users engage while others like yy.com allow singing with friends(Jinfang, 2015). When asked about Facebook, one of my friends named Joy (喜悦), a freshman student at Changsha University responded, “Is it like our WeChat?” referring to China’s popular messaging app. WeChat is an indispensable tool in their daily lives. Besides having similar features like texting, voice messages and video-calls, WeChat provides further functions such as booking taxis or appointments, sending payments, food orders and many more which are not available on Facebook(Svesson, 2013). Accustomed to their country’s services and applications, the youth shows zero interest in understanding what’s censored online allowing China to construct an alternative value system competing with the western liberal democracy(Mongillo, 2016). These apps make the youngsters appreciate their country’s technologies as their entertainment and communication needs are satisfied(Piskorski, 2014). This factor makes them prefer the internet the way it is even with the internet censorship.
Another explanation is the case when the Chinese Government ordered the pre-installment of a censorship software called “Green Dam Youth Escort(绿坝花季护航/ Lvba Huaji Huhang)” on every new PC being sold on the marketing including those that are being imported(Kou & Nardi, 2017). The aim of this initiative was to protect the youth from having their mind corrupted due to pornography and violence graphics. As many netizens supported this idea, the researchers Kou and Nardi from the article ‘A Confucian Look at Internet Censorship in China’ came up with a very interesting analysis on this issue. After closely gathering enough information, they found out that unlike most countries that have the will to protest the decisions of their governments and view censorship as infringement of one’s rights, the Chinese society have the mindset of the Confucian state-society ideal regarded by the belief “custodian government(父母官 /fuwu guan)”, which gives the netizens a misconception on interpreting censorship. This Confucian belief reflect a state society structure in which the government upholds the authority by setting an exemplary image misguiding the population into believing that he cares for them. In return, the netizens respect and obey the projects of the Political Party. Both benefit from the situation causing social ideology, harmony and peace to prevail in the country(Wang & Mark, 2015). Upon interviewing some undergraduate students from Nanjing University, they stated; “The censorship in China is effective because it fosters an environment in which citizens do not demand such information in the first place”. However, the Chinese culture does not summon hierarchy, nor it confronts the government legacy if the regulations match the confusion beliefs(Kou & Nardi, 2017). Back to the “Green Dam”, many netizens consented because they expect a society with better morals which regulates the youngsters with the correct norms. Thus, for China, censorship is not a violation of rights rather it perceives it as a beneficial regulation that makes it meet the expected moral ethics(Fourie & Bothma, 2014).
The last justification is that the Chinese President Xi has spent a lot of money to make the ‘Great Firewall’ and many youngsters affirm that the country’s investment in the internet censorship project is fruitful(Bieliński, 2018). Recently, when social media giant Tencent surveyed more than 10,000 users who were born in 2000 or after, nearly eight in 10 said they thought China was either in its best time in history or was becoming a better country each day (Tencent & China Internet Watch, 2019). Kaifu Lee, an innovation young incubator and the owner of Innovation Works living in Beijing, mentioned that censorship acts as a mechanism to protect the local IT businesses even though the main idea was not meant to target this point(Bao, 2013). Censorship can eradicate some competitive foreign firms in the market which give more job opportunities and profits to the local ones(Bieliński, 2018). “The most pressing concern for entrepreneurs is to survive; I feel grateful to the government for the censorship rules as it prevents international firms from getting in China’s market” he added. According to Statista 2019, Facebook gained approval to open a subsidiary in the eastern province of Zhejiang – only to see the approval quickly withdrawn. Even if the western apps and sites make it into China, they may face apathy from young people. Lee’s opinion is further discussed by his friend Bishop Bill, Company Sinocism’s editor. He argued by stating that in the future, people’s views might change as being deprived from the latest information and idea exchanges on a more worldwide platform represents a big loss for new entrepreneurs and those who wish to expand beyond China(Bieliński, 2018). The Chinese government recently banned GitHub, an open source site where global programmers would discuss projects and Bishop was part of it.
To conclude, this paper reflects how china’s youngsters are very opinionated about internet censorship in the country and most of them have no interest in being to expose to the internet like the rest of the world because they like it this way. I aimed to find out the reasons behind Chinese youngsters not knowing about censored contents on the internet and internet. Many factors such as regulating the internet to stop pornography, violence and political sensitive information that can disrupt the mind of the youngsters were explored. Then, I focused on why the youngsters prefer this situation and do not voice out to the government on the censored regulations. The Chinese apps copying the western ones offering better features, an analysis of the society’s Confucian belief prevailing and internet censorship providing better prospects in the job sector were inspected. Although social networks connect the world together diminishing barriers, whether terming internet censorship as normal or as a big danger towards freedom of exchanging information is arguable. As MacKinnon (2011) stated, “If people do not wake up and fight for the protection of rights on the Internet, we should not be surprised to find out one day that they have been legislated and sold away”(as cited in Monggilo, 2016).
References:
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Hi there KRagoo,
I found your conference paper really interesting to read and informative. I don’t have any knowledge or experience in Chinese social media so all this information was new to me, and you presented it in a way that was easy to understand with great examples.
That being said, I was wondering your opinion on the following two things:
1. Do you believe that despite the immense censorship used in Chinese social media there is still the opportunity to develop online communities?
2. Did the introduction of Web 2.0 affect the strict censorship by the state? (Possibly, did it make it easier to get around the censorship rules?)
Thanks for a great read. I also wrote my paper under the Web 2.0 and Communities stream. Feel free to check it out – https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/05/web-2-0-effect-on-societys-engagement-with-activism/
hey there people,
i’d like to add a comment to say that asian countries such as China and the rest are seen differently (the west vs the rest). they are trying to build up their own identity and trying to have their own imperialism as they want to take over the world with their own app or sites. however, it is very important to consider that many countries are using chinese app and this is because their are a lot of people traveling to that particular country and “WeChat” for example is a mean of communication for a person residing in China and someone else in another country. so from my point of view, i see that chinese links are expanding almost everywhere.
Hi MBisasur,
You’re correct with your statement. The most recent example is how China has lodged “solemn representations” with the United States after it escalated a trade war between the two countries by placing Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei on a blacklist for US suppliers. Huawei has since indicated that it could roll out its own operating system in China this year and globally in 2020. Well Apple is in trouble and no wonder Trump is shaking! Definitely China’s way of doing business is skyrocketing and will probably one day take over the world.
Hi AMcAuliffe,
Glad to know that you found my paper interesting and I’m happy to be able to share something new that contributes to knowledge and you’ve understood the message behind the paper. So, let me respond to your two intriguing questions.
1. Yeah, definitely there is opportunities to develop online communities. In fact China does have its online communities since they use the Chinese apps instead of the western apps. Although the Chinese apps are different and are filtered in terms of content, still they are fun to use and have much more features. You know, the Economist Column once wrote that WeChat is a promising threat. You should check it out..you might end up liking it more than Facebook 😉
2. Not really because I did mention that censorship in China has been prevailing since the old dynasty in other forms. So, even the introduction of the Web 2.0 didn’t get spared by the trend. And the web 2.0 did not affect the strict censorship because the citizens themselves made a mutual agreement upon the regulations. So, the consequences have been brought up by its population and they are happy with it.
Hope this clarifies some of your doubts. If you have further questions, let me know.
If you guys have any further doubts, let me know. I’ll be happy to respond. 🙂
Hi,
I really enjoyed reading your paper. As you mentioned China government control social networking sites, it is a good thing when it comes to pornographic content and violence but I am a little bit skeptical when it comes to political information. Everyone should be able to know what is happening pertaining to the heads of the country. What do you think?
Hello MThomas,
Indeed in terms of values and inculcating good knowledge to the youngsters, the President is absolutely correct to have taken this initiative. However as you are aware of this saying ” Every person has their own flaws”, the president doesn’t want the citizens to raise questions upon his decisions. Sometimes I ponder myself whether that country is really a democratic one because on the inside, it doesn’t appear so. Freedom of speech is important and you have to voice it out but in China’s context, the population themselves consented to this practice. Ain’t it there own fault if today they cannot access the western apps? Ain’t it their own decisions if they are happy with their version of the apps? Do we really stand a chance to question them? I really ponder upon these reflections.
Your conference paper is fantastic and very easy to understand.
I found it very interesting about how Chinese youngsters do not know things happening on the Internet.
Hello Nil,
I’m happy to learn that my paper has taught you new things and made you learn about the Internet culture in China. Actually there are some who are aware of how the world is in the other side but still they prefer to continue the trend as they are at ease with the chinese apps and do not require the western ones. If you have any questions, let me know. 🙂
Hi,
I really appreciated your work as you have debated on many points on the youngsters in china using the internet. I guess every country has form a certain type of community. But I think that everyone should have the right to know what is happening around the globe and should not be limiting themselves to everyday news. So, what are your views?
Otherwise, I liked the way you have presented your work.
Hello yaaz,
Glad that you’ve liked my paper. Indeed every country has a different community and they all vary in terms of their cultures and perspective. However as you’ve mentioned, the right of freedom of speech should be equal. But it is the Chinese people themselves who are limiting themselves as they have no problem with the current issue. If I was a Chinese person, I’d probably fight for my rights but again the consequences of the internet censorship are actually doing a positive role in the society. So would I mind it? I’d probably think and act just like the Chinese people are since the economy are blooming and this act is helping to the development of the country. What about you?If you were a Chinese youngster, what would you do?
Hello,
I found your paper to be a very interesting and informative read. I had no idea that the Chinese government controlled the internet and social networking sites. Do you think the limitations of the internet will have any affect on youngsters in the future?
Feel free to check out my paper: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/03/under-the-influence-social-media-influencers-and-their-role-in-impacting-millennials-travel-decisions/
Hi SFurfaro,
Thank you for taking your precious time to read my paper. I truly appreciate the fact that it broadened your knowledge. As for your question, I personally don’t think it will affect these youngsters because they do have access to social networking apps. China has its own version of social networking apps although they contract a lot from the western ones in terms of regulations and privacy. But in that sense, ain’t it a good thing to limit the internet in order to shape the youngsters into better human beings? For example, let”s contract the youth in the West and the East? Who do you think are better in terms of habits and values? For me, it’s the East. Yes, Freedom of speech is important however what’s the use if it is turning youngsters into delinquent ? I would love your thoughts on my questions.
P.s I’ve seen your paper and I found it really informative. I’ve left my views on it. 😉
– Kavina
Hi KRagoo,
Your paper was a very interesting read and you have done some good research to back your points.
In addition to your research, I believe the “social credit scheme” that China introduced in 2014 could have been a great fit in your paper. This scheme uses algorithms to monitor and assess Chinese citizens. It monitors their online activities as well as behaviours through security cameras – and provides a score to each individual. The score determines an individual’s access to certain privileges. The lower the score, the less access you have to certain services – such as access to fast trains. You can read more about this here: https://www.abc.net.au/foreign/leave-no-dark-corner/10264302
Overall, your chosen topic is very interesting, and I believe you did a good job in highlighting some of the issues.
Feel free to check out my paper here: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/07/travel-vloggers-using-social-media-to-bring-tourism-back-to-pakistan/
Hi Akhan,
Thanks for sharing the knowledge. Most of the points I’ve backed up comes from journal articles.If I had found any, would have definitely added it on the paper. But that’s really nice of you to further the idea. I’ll read your article. Now that it reminds me, I couldn’t use this factor, it’s because those privileges are for the working people and the focus on my paper is mainly based on the youth who are still teenagers or have just started working. But again, the idea is great and would have definitely made the paper more appealing.
P.s I’ve read your paper and left my thoughts.
Hi,
I found your paper very interesting and enlightening. Like you said, many Chinese citizens avoid commenting on political issues publicly and turn a blind eye to societal affairs, out of fear of retribution from the Cyberspace Administration of China. However, some Netizens found a way to bypass the internet censorship and challenge the government with satirical contents.
For example, when the Chinese government censored data linked to the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989, they forbid the remembrances of the protest by censoring words such as “Tank Man”. Words that had similar pronunciation or connotation to “June 4” were censored. Likewise the lyrics of Thomas Chow’s song known as “The Flower of Freedom” which is sung every year in Hong Kong to commemorate the victims of the protest were also censored.
Chinese web services were temporarily blocked days leading up to and during the anniversary and were said to be “under maintenance.” The Chinese Netizens responded with subtle protests against the authority by sarcastically calling June 4, the “Chinese Internet Maintenance Day.” Chinese Netizens also use cynical internet memes to criticize the government and to bypass censorship by creating memes for example where the tanks in the Tank Man photo are replaced by rubber ducks. This culture of satire and sarcasm has created a community and a weapon of resistance against the Chinese authoritative government.
Good points. I think that, the population is more concerned about surviving than living their life out. With China’s population, most likely jobs and resources are difficult to access. They are more concerned about their own survival than being bothered about what’s going on elsewhere, so they just accept this heavy censoring. That’s also maybe why you don’t see some kind of modern feminism or flat-earther in China, where they are not exposed to some kind of conspiracy theories
But there are definitely many labour strikes each year. Hm conspiracy theories? I think corruption, materialism and inequality is growing in the Chinese society.
XDeuiii and Rishna,
Yes I agree with both of your thoughts. This factor probably explains my last paragraph on how the youth are happy on the internet censorship because this promotes employment in the country and make them develop their skills instead of the western companies coming to rule over them.
Hi kavina,
i am quite fond of your reading like truly the title itself ‘Youngsters in China don’t know the Internet like the rest of the globe and they prefer it that way’ and the content of your paper is enriching in the sense that i for instance isn’t quite knowledgeable about the current situation of social media inChina. I would actually like to point out that asian countries like china is trying to build their own identity and trying to have their own imperialism and i personally think that they are restricting their own people.
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/06/social-media-influencers-post-semi-naked-selfies-to-get-more-likes-introducing-the-practice-of-micro-celebrity-trend/?fbclid=IwAR1Hwv-erhaaLDd-D6-pXjzJhfwtb5_3O1Bz–6fukOekWVs-KrCzAox4nU
Hi Devanee,
Thanks for liking my paper. I’m happy I could broaden your horizon of viewing things. Well, China is not only building its own identity, it has actually reached a point where it has already processed that and has started becoming a direct competitor to the US. I’m referring to the latest scandal of Huawei with Donald Trump. What are your thoughts on it?
P.s I’ve checked your paper and left my opinion on it.
Hi kavina,
i am quite fond of your reading like truly the title itself ‘Youngsters in China don’t know the Internet like the rest of the globe and they prefer it that way’ and the content of your paper is enriching in the sense that i for instance isn’t quite knowledgeable about the current situation of social media inChina. I would actually like to point out that asian countries like china is restricting their own people through social media apps.
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/06/social-media-influencers-post-semi-naked-selfies-to-get-more-likes-introducing-the-practice-of-micro-celebrity-trend/?fbclid=IwAR1Hwv-erhaaLDd-D6-pXjzJhfwtb5_3O1Bz–6fukOekWVs-KrCzAox4nU
Hello Kavina,
First of all, your title got me by hook. As I read your conference paper, I’m actually amazed about learning how the law is in china and how severe internet censorship can be. I’m actually happy to not be born in China as I cannot imagine my life without fb, twitter and Instagram. So does it means we cannot at all access the western apps? Will my phone apps not work in China? however to some extend I agree on the fact that Internet censorship is important as the internet is partly filled with trash. Your points highlighted were very nice and very in depth. It makes me want to know to explore more about this topic as it is intriguing. Definitely, one of my favorite papers so far!
Hi Kushi,
Thanks for the encouragement and support. I’d glad you liked my paper. Oh, trust me, I’ve been to China and probably without the VPN, I’d be homesick. We are actually so used to the external world that it’s hard for foreigners to adapt to their system. As for your questions, well we can access the western apps through a VPN. A VPN is an app which connect you to another server. For example, the American or European one and thus you can access around 98% of all your daily apps. But the free ones are really bad while the paid ones are quite pricey. That’s why many Chinese people tend to neglect them. So your phone will work there just make sure you get the VPN before entering the country 😉
Hello Kavina,
I read your conference paper and I must say that was really a good research that you made. Your paper grab my attention about the different facts that you wrote especially about how the government is really forcing on internet censorship and even how actually younsters are connected to internet there. This paper has been really helpful, you made me learn something new. I really enjoyed reading it. Keep going on! Keep spreading knowledge!👍
Thanks for your thoughts and views.
Hi kesh,
I like the research and analysis you’ve done regarding all the aspects concerning technology in China.
In China, the people are banned of using facebook, google, YouTube and so on.. (in some region).
As you’ve seen in the lattest news, Donald Trump has the brand Huawai from the USA, the real reason must be in between your research.
To sum up, i wish you the best in your life and continue to do more interesting research and keep the good work.
Kush
Hi Kushram,
I’m glad you’ve liked the paper. That’s a really good point you’ve catch upon. I’ve been giving this example to the others in the comment. And you are right! China has built up its own identity and become powerful in the market to the extent it doesn’t require any partnership to function Independently. US is feeling this threat however I don’t think their attempts to keep their position will work. China’s future is promising.
Thank you for the encouragement. It means a lot.
Hi Kavina,
I really like the title of your conference paper as it’s as rare as the youngsters in the chinese country. there is a point I’d would like to raise is that, the chinese along with the other asian country are considered as “the west” and this bring a certain kind of imperialism among them, that is they have their targeted people for anything they want, their audience is as high as our country or event higher i must say. though being without the access of all the platform that country has, or anything that is banned in China, i must also say that the country is well known for producing large amount of diverse product for many industries. would you believe if I tell you that iPhone is assembled there and many other Apple accessories! China wants to take over even having no access to all the platform, do you think in few years they might take empire?
nice topic,
Manishta
Hi KRagoo,
I found your paper really educative because it’s my first time getting to know about China and also about what kind of culture they face in terms of the internet. Internet censorship looks really high system there and it was so fresh learning about the mentality of Chinese people. Probably if I was born there, I would have got used to it and in that sense for us youngsters, this censorship really matter to our upbringing. In Mauritius, so many youngsters go on the wrong path and this can be seen from the internet post. If this system was inculcated in many especially for parents to censor their internet, this might prove effective on youngsters.
I really love your blog in the sense that you share your view. There are so many information that people do not know. When you imagine how many restrictions there are over there over social media, it’s kind of a abuse of power or fear from the government as youngsters can use social media as a tool to voice out against government. However by making use of their own websites, social media and all , China can be said to be developing it’s product so that is is not dependent on other countries.
Hi Ray,
Nice thoughts! I agree on your perspective that it is abuse of power from the Government side. But the irony is that China is a democratic country where they can voice out their thoughts. However, they do not do so because they like the regulations implemented in the country. Look at us, all freely expressing ourselves and voicing out all our thoughts on the government and the political parties in our country. But in China, even if some youngsters want to voice out, the number is very little compared to the number who are agreeing to continue internet censorship. Your last sentence justifies everything. Indeed through internet censorship, it has increased the competitiveness and made China to stand on its own feet. One of the major contribution to China’s success is the way the country is ruled.
I am a Latvian (Europe) Architect, that for nearly 2 years now is living and acquiring an additional Management degree in China.
With that being said, I have some comments to share.
1. It is a little pitty that already in the begging of the article you are referring to the situation of Chinese youngsters’ having limited access to the internet as “sad”. On the one hand, it is fine. You are the author of the article and your opinion matters. On the other hand – I think I would profit more if, in the beginning, you take a neutral position instead when touching this topic. Otherwise, I am afraid that it may be considered as manipulation with the way a reader feels about the topic. Facts first. It shall be clear to both – the Author and the reads if it is an Opinion Article or a Research paper. I got a little lost here.
The sentence I am referring to:
– Sadly, Chinese youngsters do not know the internet like the rest of the globe and they prefer it that way. – this is the sentence.
2. The “Internet freedom (CCNIC, 2015)” reference may seem to be a little irrelevant and sort of outdated when compared to other references you use. I do doubt, however, that there are any sufficient changes regarding the censorship situation in China since 2015, but maybe instead of referring to such statement it would make sense to rather mention when did the situation escalate and what were the reasons behind? Because since then nothing has changed sufficiently and China nominally is still listed among countries with the lowest internet freedom. That is a fact.
3. A statement that “It gets blocked by the Government without proper explanation” – well…. technically the “proper” explanation is the explanation you as an Author are providing the reader with at the second part of the article. Even though, yes, it is subjective: internet users’ physical and mental safety (perspective of PRC). I would rather say – it is “over-protecting” and “critical-thinking limiting”, unclear… but hardly improper. The problem is that no one really knows.
3. In the third paragraph, Author gives an interesting argument “Most content available today is unknown to Chinese people.” Well… The interesting thing is that it raises a contra-argument right away: Most content today is unknown (and most likely also will stay like that) to any internet users. For example, there are many web-pages, that people from overseas (e.g. from a Chinese perspective) have never accessed based on such cultural barrier as… knowing the language (recently there are AI solutions available, but for now this is just an example). Another aspect to consider, based on my own experience, is that people develop their routine of how and what they do online. For example, I myself have developed a routine of checking out something around 10-20 different internet pages on a daily basis. And the pattern rarely changes. So… It might be an indication that people (me) do not actually need all those 100’000’000+ pages to feel free and refer to it as a “free choice”. The habit seems to be somehow stronger than that. It is probably more about finding such information exchange source that fits a person’s values. It is all about comfort in the end. I think that is also why many people in China don’t really bother of not having access to many pages many of which they have never even heard of 😛 since it is not part of their habit.
What do you think about that? 🙂 With these contra-arguments, I am not disagreeing with what the Auther has said, I am rather saying that there is more to consider before making a statement.
By the way, there is another thing I’ve noticed when discussing China case with foreigners. The biggest issue is that many foreigners have an Autocratic way of exposing their opinion. At least the way people seem to attack China’s ongoing position is seemingly harsh and definitely non-democratic. That raises a question: is it the right way to approach the situation? By attacking it? The less aggressive approach of studying Chinese customs (including internet-related ones) seem to be an alternative and nominally more democratic way, I guess. The rhetorical question is who is the hostage in the situation: people who have strict preassumptions of how bad/unfair it is not to have access to all the web-pages in the world (surely most of which are never accessed anyway), or people who just do not access some web-pages.
(My personal opinion is that the limitation to access certain social media problem is mostly business-related issue rather political one).
4. It is hard to argue to the facts mentioned in the fourth paragraph. Weibo is what it is.
5. I share the Author’s statement that “Even if the censorship on politics is being mentioned to protect the public, no one is superior enough to decide the welfare of a society by implanting his personal views as they are not forcibly correct.” But I don’t think that examples mentioned in the article are strong enough to successfully justify such a statement. Especially when referring back to the 3rd paragraph 😛
And, yes, “the public’s creativity is hindered as they cannot access democratic or sensitive topics which are important for growing knowledge.” Sounds real. But again – in the article mentioned supporting arguments are too weak to strongly state that. After all, such contra-argument can follow: The way China has developed in the past 20 years shows arguments about people being at disadvantageous situation wrong-ish. China and its population in the past nearly 200 years has never been as educated, skilled, and moving forward as it is today.
I personally think the problem is in the scale. Firstly, China is big and it shall be understood that people in the West still differ from the people on the East coast. Secondly, on the Global scale, China is big, too. Both as a consumer and as a producer. It is hard to think of China as a solid Subject to make research on. It is a rather dynamic formation with multiple variables.
Another argument is the fact, that in China people can have VPN and use its services to access any pages they want. It is a matter of paying for that. More and more universities e.g. provide such service for free for its students. I would rather change the direction of the discussion and focus on population income-equality problem in China. Since middle-class people can afford to freely access whatever internet page they need to (if they want it, of course). They can afford paying some money up to ~10USD per month to use VPN services. The thing is that people in the west and nominally poorer people – they don’t have such privilege. But even with that being said we shall not forget about at least 300 million middle-class people (and the number is expected to grow to 500 million in the next 5-7 years) have access to any internet page in the world. And that is a considerable number of people that makes the issue discussed in the paper actually…. secondary?
As I already mention before and I will say it again – I personally think that today that the fire-wall situation in China it is rather a business-related problem, than a political one.
In conclusion, I do think that this paper may grow into good research if it is carried out in a good analytical way. The goal of the article stated in the conclusion paragraph is relevant to me. I definitely would like to see the results of such research.
There is just one final thing that confuses me:
This citation mentioned in the conclusion: As MacKinnon (2011) stated, “If people do not wake up and fight for the protection of rights on the Internet, we should not be surprised to find out one day that they have been legislated and sold away”(as cited in Monggilo, 2016).
This guy is wrong for me. It is a way more important to understand and also even challenge the reasons why culture and existing processes are as they are, instead of trying to prove someone being/living wrong. I do not see how MacKinnon’s mentioned “Fight” is a modern solution. Maybe back then when such nominal censorship issue escalated and such companies as FaceBook was losing market share – that was something to fight for from the business perspective. But today? It is an inefficient way of using our resources. I believe many of my Chinese colleagues share this opinion.
Best wishes,
Ervins
Hi Ervins,
That was a really deep analysis. Will definitely implement them next time. Thanks.
Dear Kavina,
Indeed you enumerated great points here. I personally think that you can definitely have a stand as you are the author. Now, it is up to the readers to decide how to take it. You have given your views why and what keeps young chinese happy about this ban. You have well researched.
I personally do not know so much about China. However, ive read from articles from New York Times and LeMonde, Platforms which are banned in China.
Nevertheless i wanted to know your opinion about VPN.
With the use of VPN, we could browse any websites right?
Hi Rishna,
I really appreciate your positive thoughts upon my paper. Indeed other replies has been quite controversial however it is fun to clarify doubts. 🙂 It’s nice to learn that you keep yourself informed as there are plenty of articles which have raised this point without going in depth. Here’s one https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/technology/china-generation-blocked-internet.html but I’m sure you have already checked it before.
As for your question, yes, there is VPN is China although it comes with a subscription fee and many chinese people cannot afford it or should I say, do not want to afford it. The Government is becoming more strict upon the regulation of VPNs and he is planning to reinforce the laws. Soon, we might hear that VPN companies are closing down. But with VPNs, we can access most of the websites, not all though. The free VPNs are really bad based on my experience and the paid ones allow access to Apps like Google, Facebook, Instagram and even Wikipedia. For tourists, VPNs are a must as they are mostly used to the Internet of the Western side rather than the Eastern one.
Hi guys, looks like some serious talks going on here. Kavina, more than Adarsh, I’m willing to answer that question. I think I’ll go for WeChat if I’m living in China. Definitely the features stand out more however they are only limited to China while the other apps Facebook, Google and Instagram have more global users and it is easier for us as we are more used to them compared to the Chinese apps. China’s beauty filters are the best though. Hahaha!
Hi AKM,
You’ve just spoken all my thoughts. We definitely view things in the shame direction. I’d probably go for WeChat too if I was a Chinese person however I cannot adapt without the western apps now that I’ve known them and got used to them.Nice catch on the beauty filters one. However what a shame, that most of the filters makes a person white probably lowering one’s self esteem especially if the person is dark skin. They should work on being less discriminant and have a global approach or local one as the rural people are not that white in terms of looks. That’s quite unfair.
Hi Rishna & Kavina
Good points being discussed by you two. Actually I do have a similar question in the same area as you guys have been reflecting upon vpns. How about youngsters who have gone abroad, been exposed to the western apps and then have returned back to China? Aren’t they influenced or miss the western social networks?
Hi Adarsh,
You’ve raised a really challenging question. I’ve actually interviewed a friend of mine called Frank in China and let me dissapoint you as he told me that the western apps made him love the chinese apps more. Yes, I’m speaking the truth! They are not influenced at all as the Chinese apps have more and better features compared to the Facebook or Whatsapp. On WeChat, you can order food, pay your bills, chat, share pictures, hail taxis, make snaps, check the news, check the weather and so on. You yourself sincerely tell me, which apps are better ?
But fun fact Kavina, i have Sino Mauritian friends whose grandparents live in China. They usually visit China for festivals. They definitely do not enjoy those apps because most of their friends are using those apps and they are not able to.
Hey Rishna,
High five. Me too! I have 2 uncles that are married in Chinese families and kinda weird that I’ve never heard of any Chinese apps before. It was only when I went to China, I figured them out. Well those apps features work only in demography of China. Makes sense why our Sino Mauritian families and friends don’t mention them.
Does that mean, chinese citizens do not object the fact that the country allows VPNs and tourists can share it with the population? Aren’t tourists roaming the VPNs and promoting the western culture and apps a threat to the chinese youngsters?
I don’t think they do because of the fact that the country is gaining money from the tourism sector and promoting local rural development. Let’s face it, it’s obvious that foreigners will find it difficult to adapt to Chinese system and without the VPN, they will probably run away. Myself, I’d be homesick with my daily apps in China. I’ve been to China and using the Chinese apps were frustrating. Then I figured it’s because of the language barrier and i’m just not used to it. Your second question is really intriguing. Not a threat in my perspective because the meeting are probably short. And btw chinese people absolutely love their culture. Even if foreigners try to influence them, it is the foreigners who are going to be brainwashed by their words as they are more effective in convincing people to shift toward their culture. Saying this from my own experience.
Hi KRagoo,
Very eye-catching title you got there. Your paper was very instructive as to how young people in China live with their restricted and controlled internet access. As you mentioned, Web 2.0 users in China do not have access to many internet services, the most noticeable one being Facebook.
I always wondered how they could make it in this digital era without those tools and you just clarified that.
You state that the Chinese youngsters prefer their restricted internet access. Can it be because they want, or the government there wants, to preserver national identity and prevent local culture from hybridizing with Western culture and its influences?
Regards,
Keshav
Do check my paper on : https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/09/social-media-influencers-defining-construction-of-identit/
Hi Keshav,
Glad to know you appreciate my paper. China wants to build its own identity that’s why it prefer to make their own tools with their beliefs rather than following the western trend. As per your question, in my opinion, they prefer their censored internet because they have been used to their own culture and apps, they no more feel the need to look at the Western apps. I’ve mentioned this factor in the 6th paragraph. Your question is arguable though because nowadays there are many students who inspire to study abroad and so many chinese students move to the west. Still, they like to preserve their identity rather than hybridizing with the western culture. Probably they have this mentality because of their upbringing. Check out this link https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/technology/china-generation-blocked-internet.html, it might reply to your curiosity in depth.
Regards,
Kavina