China is now officially the worlds largest online population. Under strict communist regime, China has had to contend with the development of new technology and social media which brings about both challenges and opportunities for the country.
With the majority of Chinese favouring Instant Messaging sites over using search engines, it portrays a very ‘social’ population, bringing with it a huge opportunity for growth. However not until China opens up to the world.
The Chinese government banned the use of Facebook and Twitter but instead use they’re own strictly controlled sites. These are:
- Sina Weibo – The Chinese version of Twitter with 300 million registered users
- 51.com with 200 million registered users
- And Renren – The Chinese version of Facebook with 160 million registered users.
These sites provide a tool for activism and social resistance, however with the government having strict control over what is said, they are able to delete posts and prosecute if necessary. There are even rumours suggesting the government hire thousands of people to search through content.
Can you imaging if the UK was like this?