北京alexa中国

SocialMediainChinaIngridFischer-Schreiber,MarcLaperrouza,MehmetYildirimli–March2013ThistextdescribesthedevelopmentofsocialmediainChina.
ItisprecededbyashortdescriptionofthehistoryoftheInternetinChina.
1.
HistoryoftheChineseInternetInordertounderstandthedevelopmentandrelevanceofsocialmediaplatformsinChina,itisusefultohavealookatthedevelopmentoftheChineseInternetasawhole.
ThehistoryoftheInternetinChinacanbedividedinto4phases1:Thefirstphasewasbetween1986until1992,whenInternetapplicationswerelimitedtotheuseofemailsamongahandfulofcomputerresearchlabsinChina.
ThefirstuseofInternetinChinawasmadeinSeptember1987,whenthefirstemailwasexchangedbetweenateamofresearchersattheBeijingInstituteofTechnology)andKarlsruheUniversityinGermany.
2OnApril201994apilotnetworktoserveeducationandscientificresearchwaslinkedtotheInternetviathe64KspeciallineinBeijing'sZhongguancundistrict.
Thisfull-functionconnectionmarkedChina'sformalaccesstotheInternet.
3Thesecondphasewasbetween1992and1995,theChinesegovernmentproposedseverallarge-scalenetworkprojectsandbuiltupanationalinformationnetworkinfrastructure.
Thethirdphasewasbetween1995and1997.
TheChinesegovernmentsteppedupitseffortinbuildingtheinformationnetworkinfrastructure,hopingthattheITindustrywouldyieldsignificantbenefitstotheChinesenation'seconomy.
Meanwhile,thegovernmentstartedto1Asur,Sitaram,Yu,LouisandHuberman,BernardoA.
,WhatTrendsinChineseSocialMedia(July18,2011).
AvailableatSSRN:http://ssrn.
com/abstract=1888779orhttp://dx.
doi.
org/10.
2139/ssrn.
1888779.
2http://de.
wikipedia.
org/wiki/Internet_in_der_Volksrepublik_China(lastaccessedMarch18,2012).
3http:/english.
gov.
cn/2010-06/08/content_1622956_3.
htm(lastaccessedMarch18,2012).
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchimplementavarietyoftechnologicalandpolicycontrolmechanismstoregulatethesafeoftheinformationontheInternet.
Thefourthphasestarted1998andcontinuestothepresent,duringwhichtimetheInternethasbecomeapowerfulmediumintheChinesesociety.
ThemaindriversofthisexpansionareaffordablebroadbandInternet;agenerationofdigitalnativeswithoutsiblings;separationoffamilies(rural/city;China/overseas);controlandcensorshipofprintmediaandTV.
1.
1.
InternetinChinain2013InitsmostrecentannualreportpublishedinJanuary2013,theChinaInternetInformationCen-ter(CNNIC)identifiesthefollowingtrendsandfeatures.
4ThegrowthofInternetuserscontinuedtheslow-downtendency,andmobilephoneInternetuserskeptgrowingvigorously.
Anesti-mated51millionnewChineseusersaccessedtheInternetin2012,bringingthenumberofon-lineusersto564million(anincreaseof10percent).
Thecountry'spenetrationratehasreached42.
1percent(raisedby3.
8percentagepoints)sincetheendof2011.
CNNIC(2013)4ChinaInternetNetworkInformationCenter:StatisticalReportonInternetDevelopmentinChina(January2013).
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchMobileusehascontinuedtoincrease:Thenumberofthosewhogoonlineviatablets,smartphonesandwirelessnetworksincreasedby18.
1percent(64,4millionusers),bringingthewirelessmobilepopulationto420million.
Theruralpenetrationis27.
6percent(156million).
Asaresult,theformerpopularInternetcafeshavebeguntolosetheirattractivity.
Desktopcomputerusealsofellbynearlythreepercentagepointsin2012andlaptopusedroppedto45.
9percentofusers.
Mobileaccesshasleaptfrom69.
3percentto74.
5percent.
Oneofthetrendsstressedbythereport,istheincreaseofmicrobloggingbysixpercentagepoints,amountingto309millionusers.
OthersourcessaythatChinahasatleast597millionactivesocialmediausers.
5OftheInternetusers,microblogusersaccountedfor54.
7%,upby6%overtheendoflastyear.
Aconsiderablenumberofusersaccessedmicroblogsandpublishedmicropostsviamobilephones.
Bytheendof2012,themobilephonemicroblogusershashit202million,namely65.
6%ofmicroblogusersusedtheirmobilephonestoaccessmicroblogs.
Onlineshoppingandgroupshoppingkeptgrowingatahighrate:BytheendofDecember2012,Chinahadatotalof242milliononlineshoppers,andtheutilizationratioofonlineshoppingroseto42.
9%.
Usingmobiletechnologytobuyitemsonlinehasincreasedby6.
6percentagepointscomparedto2011.
Reactingtothistrend,microbloggingcompaniesstarttocatertoonlineshoppers.
InJune2012,SinaWeibo'mobileappaddedsupportforonlineshoppingandintegrateda"nearbygoods"featureintoits"Discover"taballowingtobrowsenearbye-commerceitemsandthenpurchaseanyofthemfromwithintheapp.
5Wearesocial:http://de.
slideshare.
net/wearesocialsg/we-are-socials-guide-to-social-digital-and-mobile-in-china-2nd-edition-jan-2013.

swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearch2.
ChineseSocialMediaWhilethemajorWesternsocialmediaplatformsareblockedinChina(Twitter,Facebook,Youtube,vimeo,GoogleDocs–mostofthemshutdowninJuly2009,followingriotsinthewesternprovinceofXinjiang),avibrantdomesticlandscapeofsimilarplatformshasemergedandtakentheirplace.
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchTheblockingofWesternsocialmediaandthepoliticalsituationinChinacreatedasituationwheretheInternetisdividedintotwoInternets,asMichaelAntiputsit:theglobalInternetandswissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchthe"Chinanet":"Duringthepast15years,theChinesegovernmenthasplayedanunconventionalcat-and-mousegamewiththecountry's500millionInternetusers–thebiggestpopulationofnetizensinthewholeworld.
WhiletheglobalInternetiscensoredinChina,theparallelChinanethasboomed.
TheChinesegovernmenthasblockedeveryWeb2.
0siteandatthesametimeallowedthecreationofaseriesofsimulacrumwebsites.
(.
.
.
)Butthis'smartcensorship'hasn'tstoppedtheChinanetfromdevelopingintoagenuinepublicsphere–a'battlefield'forpublicopinion.
"6Ononehand,ChinesesocialmediaarechangingthewaypeopleinChinathink,informthemselves,communicateandlive.
Ontheotherhand,socialmediahaveenabledtheChinesegovernmenttoovercomeanage-oldproblemofpoorfeedbackofgroundproblemstothecenterbecauseoftoomanylayersinbetween,riskingexplosionsduetoover-suppression.
SocialmediabringssuchproblemstotheattentionofChina'sleaders.
7That'swhyChinesesocialmedia,especiallymicro-bloggingplatforms,aresometimesseenasaforcefosteringgradualtransformationofthesociety8orasademocratizingforce.
2.
1.
SomeCharacteristicsoftheSocialMediausageinChinaThesocialmediasceneinChinainmanywaysresemblestheoneofothercountries,butitalsohasitsuniquefeatures,duetoChinesecultureandthecharacteristicsoftheChinesesociety.
ThislandscapeprovidestheChineseuserwithamuchgreatervarietyandchoiceofplatforms(seethediagramSocialMediaLandscape"above),gearedtospecificusergroupsandneedsandishighlyfragmented.
Asaresult,thechoiceoftherightplatform(orplatforms)iscrucialforthesuccessofthepresenceofinstitutionsandcompanies.
Sofar,thereareonlyfewaccessiblestudiesoftheusageofsocialmediaservicesinChina,andreliableempiricalmaterialisstilldifficulttoobtain,andsomefindingsseemtocontradicteachother.
6MichaelAnti,TheChinanetandsmartcensorship,in:China3.
0(edMarkLeonhard),pp100-105,20137http://www.
csmonitor.
com/Commentary/Global-Viewpoint/2012/0123/Rise-of-the-dragon-China-isn-t-censoring-the-Internet.
-It-s-making-it-work/(page)/28HuYong,"DreiTrendsimchinesischenInternet2011",http://yingeli.
net/2012/01/hu-yong-drei-trends-im-chinesischen-Internet-2011/.
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchTheengagementofChineseusersishigher9,andusersarereadytocreateandsharecontent(40%oftheusersarecontributingcontent,comparedto20%inUS),andaunique(linguistic)cultureisbeingcreatedontheInternet.
10ChinesetendtolivemuchmoreintheInternetthenWesterners,perceivingtheiron-linelifeasmorerealthanthereallife,asLiShanyou,theCEOofku6.
com(oneoftheleadingInternettelevisioncompanies)putsit:"ForWesterners,theInternetisalibrary,itisforinformationretrieval.
ForChinese,theInternetisaplayground,itisforcommunication.
ForWesterners,theInternetisaboutabetterlife.
ForChinese,theInternetisforescapinglife-itstandsforfreedom.
"11Chinese,theyplaygames,storefiles,winbadges,socializewithfriends,andsellstuffthroughusingSNS.
TheymanagetouseSNStofulfilltheirmultipledemands,evenmovealloftheirlifeandrelationshipfromtheofflinetotheon-lineplatform.
"12CreditSuisseChinahasconductedasurveyonsocialmediausagein2011andfinds:"(1)theaverageactiveSNSaccountsforeachuserperdayis4.
18inChina,asSNSusersneeddifferentSNStoconnectwithdifferentfriendcirclesandgathermoreinformation;(2)26%oftheuserspreferregisteringSNSwithrealnames,whereas45%optforpseudonyms;and(3)SNSusersonaveragesharecontent2.
12times.
But,50.
4%oftherespondentshavenotsharedanyinformationandcontentinthepastmonth.
.
.
Theagegroupabove55hassharedcontent5.
8timesinthelastmonth.
…51%havenotsharedanyinformationandcontent.
"13A"SurveyonSituationofChineseCollegeStudentsChoosingToUseSocialNetworking"14showsthat"studentspreferredtounilaterally'enjoy'socialnetworkingservices,butnotwanttotaketheinitiativetocreate,participate,constructandshare.
"Themainusageisentertainment,makingfriendsandmultimedialeisure.
9ItisdifficulttofindcomparablefiguresforEurope,buthttp://www.
b2bsocialmediaguide.
com/2011/04/04/social-media-usage-statistics-3/findsthatthereis36%socialnetworkpenetrationinWesternEurope,69%ofEuropeansocialmediausersareclassifiedasspectators",thatispassiveuserswhoreadotherpostsbutdon'posttheirown,and43%ofsocialmediausershave100friendsorfollowers.
10CIC(2011)AnOverviewoftheEvolutionofChineseSocialMedia,p.
4.
11LiShanyouattheconference"L2TheSocialGraphChina",October14,2011,CEIBS,SinopecAuditorium,Shanghai12Wu,JiayuandFu,Zhiyong(2011)StudyingontheUsagepatternsofChineseSNSPlatforms,RDURP'11,September18,2011,BeijingChina,p.
39.
13CreditSuisseChina,SinaCorporation,May17,201114Li,Y.
(2011).
SurveyonsituationofChinesecollegestudentschoosingtousesocialnetworking.
PaperpresentedattheComputerResearchandDevelopment(ICCRD).
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchResearchonthecultivationofrelationshipsbetweencompaniesandusersshow,thatinsuchaculture,thepublic"isverymuchrelyingonextendedsocialnetworksforemotionalexchange,andtheyvaluetrustandtherelationshipwiththecompanymorethanexplicitproductinformation"15,andChinesecompaniesareinengaginginconversationsthatwerenotproductrelated,behavinglikeafriend,whichmeansthatthereismoreproduct-relatededucationalinformation,entertainmentstufforinformationnotrelatedatalltotheproduct(greetings,jokes,generalintereststoriesetc).
Chinesecompaniesrespondtousers'postsmorefrequentlythanAmericancompanies".
Complaintsandcriticismseemtoberelativelyinfrequent,reflectingaculturalemphasisongroupharmony".
16SomeofthedifferencesinthebehaviorbetweenWesternandChineseuserscanatleastpartlybeexplainedbythefactthatChinaisahigh-contextculture".
"Ahighcontext(HC)communicationormessageisoneinwhichmostoftheinformationisalreadyintheperson,whileverylittleisinthecoded,explicit,transmittedpartofthemessage.
Alowcontext(LC)communicationisjusttheopposite;i.
e.
,themassoftheinformationisvestedintheexplicitcode.
Twinswhohavegrownuptogethercananddocommunicatemoreeconomically(HC)thantwolawyersinacourtroomduringatrial(LC),amathematicianprogrammingacomputer,twopoliticiansdraftinglegislation,twoadministratorswritingaregulation[.
.
.
.
]Asaresult,forthemostnormaltransactionsindailylifetheydonotrequire,nordotheyexpect,muchin-depthbackgroundinformation.
Thisisbecauseitistheirnaturetokeepthemselvesinformedabouteverythinghavingtodowithpeoplewhoimportantintheirlives.
Low-contextpeopleincludetheAmericansandtheGermans,Swiss,Scandinavians,andothernorthernEuropeans.
"17.
2.
2.
DifferentTypesofSocialMediapopularinChinaBloggingPlatformspersonaljournalism:wordpress.
com,blogger.
com,posterous.
com/blog.
sina.
com.
cn,15Ibid.
16Ibid.
17http://www.
internationalforum.
com/Articles/hidden_differences%20by%20Hall.
htm.
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchblog.
sohu.
com,hi.
baidu.
comTheeraofblogginginChinastartedin2005,bytheendof2012,thereweremorethan372millionsusersblogging(comparedto300millionsbytheendof2011),withalevelofusageof66,1%(CNNIC).
Bloggerscomefromvariousareas,hierarchies,socialstatus(e.
g.
,celebrities,students,writers,critics,researchers,business,averageuser).
Someblogshaveahugefan-baseandcanhaveenormousimpactonthediscussionsonsocialdevelopments.
Arecentexampleisfamousyoungwriter'sHanHanwhoinDecember2011publishedthreearticlesondemocracy,freedomandrevolutiononhisblog(http://blog.
sina.
com.
cn/twocold)whichwerewidelydiscussedinmainstreammediaandbyacademics.
BBS-BulletinBoardSystemInterestgroups:fido.
net,webrings/mop.
com,bbs.
sina.
com.
cn,tianya.
cn,bbs.
qq.
com,club.
sohu.
comIncontrasttomanycountries,theBulletinBoardSystem(BBS)oronlineforumremainsextremelypopularinChina.
TheChinesenetizensuseBBStogetcommentsaboutproductsandserviceslikethatofclothes,cosmeticsandcars.
ThefirstBBS(ShugangBBSattheNationalResearchCenterforintelligentcomputing)wascreatedin1994.
ThisearlyintroductionofBBStotheChineseInternetmadeBBSoneofthemostusedInternetapplicationinChina.
TthepopularityofBBSinChinawaslargelyduetotheanonymityofpostings.
BBSaremainlyinterestgroups,whereuserstrytofindsolutionstoproblems,shareinformation(esp.
aboutproducts),andsharelifeexperiences.
BBSuserstendtobeolderthantheusersofothersocialmediaplatforms(20-40age)andtocomefromvariousprofessionalbackgrounds"BBSsitesandothersmakecomments,withwhichBBSusersshareandexchangetheirthoughts.
ABBSprovidesaspaceforpublicdiscussionorchatting,whiletheBlogworksmoreasapersonalpublisher.
"…"TheBBSisahighlydensevirtualcommunitythatcouldcontainthousandsofdiscussionboards(alsocalledsub-forums).
UsersusuallydonotsticktooneswissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchparticularboardbutsurfaroundtomanypopularsub-forums.
"18SocialNetworksFriends,family:Facebook,LinkedIn/kaixin001.
com,renren.
com;douban.
comSocialnetworksarecharacterizedbyatwo-wayrelationshipbetweenusers,basedonamutualagreementonfriendshipandcommunication;whereasmicroblogsrepresentone-wayrelationshipswhereonefollowsapersonwhodoesnotfollowyouback.
RenRen(launched2005)hasstartedasasocialnetworkingplatformforuniversitystudents.
Althoughitisnowopentothepublic,theusersaremainlyuniversitystudents.
137millionusersbytheendof2011.
Kaixin(launched2008),opentothegeneralpublic,targetingurbanyoungpeople.
Itallowstouploadphotos,writeblogsandintegratesapps.
116millionusersbytheendof2011.
18Jin,Liwen(2005),"ChineseOnlineBBSSphere:WhatBBSHasBroughttoChina,"Masterdissertation,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,availableathttp://cms.
mit.
edu/research/theses/LiwenJin2008.
pdf.
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchDouban.
comDouban(launchedin2005)isasocialnetworkdedicatedtoculturaltopics,whichhasattractedsomeofthetopChineseintellectuals,geeks,andurbanhipsters.
Ithasafocusoncritiquesforbooks,musicandfilms,interestgroups,aradiostation,avirtualcity,anebookreaderandstartingMarch2012anon-linebookshopforusergeneratedcontent.
Organizersandinstitutionsintheculturalfieldusedoubantoannouncetheireventsviaitsplatform.
InNovember2011,Doubanhad46,850,000users(Alexa,globalranking:119).
Micro-bloggingServicesnewschannels,friends:Twitter/weibo.
com,digu.
com,t.
sohu.
com,t.
qq.
comThehistoryofmicro-bloggingcanbetracedbacktoMay2007,whenthesiteFanfou.
com("haveyoualreadyeaten")wasfoundedbyWangXing(hewasthefirsttousethetermswissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearch"weibo"),asacopyofTwitter.
OtherplatformswereJiwai.
de,Zuosa.
comandTencent'sTaoTao.
Fanfou.
com,Jiwai.
deandDigu.
comwereclosedinJuly2009(mostprobablyduetotheirroleinspreadinginformationaboutriotsinXinjiangintheNorthwestofChina).
WhileFanfou.
comwasclosed,themicrobloggingserviceofSinaCorp.
(theleadingon-linemediacompanyinChina,seebelow)filledthevoid,beingabletocapturethewell-educatedurbanaudienceandcelebrities(aswellasthedomain"weibo.
com"),withTencentasitsrival.
ThereareadozenofWeiboproviders,withSinaWeibo(www.
weibo.
com)astheleader,withroughly250millionsregistereduserasbytheendof2011.
Fanfou.
comreopenedonNovember11,2011,butisnolongerakeyplayerinthefield.
Currentlythemicrobloggingmarketisdividedbetweenroughly20establishedplayers.
Sincelate2009,micro-blogsiteshaveseenexplosivegrowthinChinaintermsoftotalusers,uniquevisitorsandeffectiveaccesstime,andtheyhavebeentakingshareagainsttraditionalon-linenetworkingproductssuchasblogsites,forum/BBS(e.
g.
mop.
comandTianya.
cn),SNSsites(e.
g.
Renren.
comandKaixin001.
com).
Oneofthemostpowerfulsocialmediaformatis"Weibo".
WeiboistheChinesetermfor"micro-blogging".
Userscanshare140Chinesecharactersinoneweibo,whichduetothecharacteristicsoftheChineselanguagecancarrymuchmoreinformationthancan140charactersinaWesternlanguage(140charactersinChineseareroughly500lettersinEnglishor650inGerman).
Itisforexampleperfectlypossibletoconduct"Weibointerviews"ortoengageinamoreprofoundconversationthanonTwitter.
SinaWeiboforexamplehasaspecialcolumn-"WeiboInterviews"(http://talk.
weibo.
com)-,startedin2010,wherepersonalitiesfromfieldsrankingfromsportstoliteratureareinvitedtoengageinaninterviewwiththeusers.
Viaaspecialform,institutionsanduserscanapplytoconductaninterview(http://talk.
weibo.
com/open/apply_talk).
Anarchiveofsuchinterviewsisaccessibleaswell.
AsimilarfunctionalityisavailableonTencentWeibo.
TheearthquakeinSichuanin2008isbelievedtobetheyearwhenmicro-blogginggainedsocialimpact,asmillionsofuserusedthisformattogetinformationaboutwhatwasswissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchhappening.
Anothermilestonewasthehigh-speedtrainaccidentin2011:ThenewsabouttheincidentfirstspreadonSinaWeibo(andnotonthestate-ownednewsagency!
).
Thehandlingoftheaccidentbythegovernment(itwantedtoburythewagonswithoutanyfurtherinvestigation)causedahugeupstiramongsttheChineseInternetusersputtingpressureonthegovernment.
Theseanduncounted"socialincidents"whichcannotlongerbehiddentothebiggerpublicthankstoWeiboplatforms,forcedthegovernmenttousemicro-bloggingitself:alotofindividualpoliticians,citygovernmentsandotherofficialinstitutionsetchavetheirownWeiboaccounts,engaginginadialoguewiththecitizens,knowingthatthepowerofWeiboplatformscannotbestopped.
Some50,000governmentagencies,Communistpartydepartmentsandindividualofficialshaveevenopenedtheirownaccounts,accordingtotheChineseAcademyofGovernance.
19ButthegovernmenttriestoregulatetheuseofWeibothroughnewregulationslikereal-nameregistration,fightingagainstrumorsandenhancingamore"responsible"attitude(seebelow).
Themajormicro-bloggingprovidershavesofarmanagedtohandlethetensionbetweenallowinguserstoexpresstheiropinionson-linewhilecomplyingwiththerulesoftheGovernmentbyimplementingmechanismstofightrumors,bydeletingpostscontainingsensitivewords,byself-censorshipmechanisms.
SinaWeibo(launched2009)SinaWeiboisthemicro-bloggingplatformofSinaCorp.
,theleadingon-linemediacompanyinChina,providingcontentthroughwww.
sina.
com,mobilecontentthroughSinaMobile,andsocialnetworkingthroughSinaWeibo.
SinaWeiboisthemostpopularandmostinfluentialmicro-bloggingplatform,launchedafterthefirstChinesemicro-bloggingservice,Fanfou,aswellasTwitterhavebeenshutdownbythegovernment.
19http://www.
telegraph.
co.
uk/technology/news/9147767/China-moves-to-control-Sina-Weibo-social-network.
html(accessedMarch19,2012).
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchScreenshot:commentfunctiononSinaWeiboSinaWeibowhoseusersaremostlylivinginChina'swealthiestcities(tieroneandtwoareas,fromBeijingtoWuhan,ShanghaitoHangzhou),hasmanagedtoengagesomeofthemostfamousstarsfromfilmtosports,aswellasintellectuals,andbreakingnews(forexamplethehighspeedtrainaccidentin2011)havebeenfirstpublishedonSinaWeibo.
Itisanindividualon-linebroadcastingstationwhereuserscanproduceandredistributecontent,followcelebritiesandfriends,andexpresstheiropinion.
SinaWeiboisahybridofTwitterandFacebook:OnTwitteruserscanposttweetsconsistingoftextandlinks,SinaWeibouserscanpostmessagescontainingtext,pictures,videos,voice,musicandlinks,formingandpostingtogroups,andbyprovidingacomment"function,itispossibletofollowthehierarchicaldevelopmentofaconversationaroundatopic.
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchSinaWeiboispublishingnewapplicationsandfeaturesonaregularbasis.
InJune2011,EnterpriseWeibohasbeenlaunched,allowingcompaniestoadvertisetheirproductsandservicestotheirfollowers.
Ithasrolledoutpromotedfeedadvertisements,"WeiboTuiguang".
Theadsappearinuserfeedsandaredifferentiatedfromuserpostsbyagreylineandanoticeindicatingthatit'sasponsoredpost.
(Universityaccountsarealsopartofthissection.
)SinaWeibohasalsodevelopedaspecialsectionforpublicinterestandcharitygroups:theGongyiplatform.
Visitorscandonatemoneyorspecificitems,volunteer,participateincharityauctionsorretweetmessagesfromNGOsandothernonprofitstohelpgenerateattentionandpotentiallymoredonationsintheprocess.
Theregistrationisavailableonlytoverifiedusers.
SinaWeibohasdevelopedagamingplatformWei-GameinJuly2011,andistestingavirtualcurrencypaymentsystem.
InNovember2102,itstarteditsownprofessionalnetworkforWeiboUsersthatissettochallengeLinkedIninChina(WeiRenmai).
SinaWeiboisalsostartingtorolloutanEnglishversionoftheinterface,afactthathadbeenwidelyreportedintheWesternpress,asitisperceivedasapotentialthreattoTwitter,givenitsricherfunctionalities.
(ByMarch2013,thisfunctionalityisnotyetavailableinEurope.
)SinaWeibohasdevelopedmobileapplicationsforiPhone/iPad,Android,Blackberry.
Asrevealedinitsfinancialreportforthefourthquarterof2012,SinaWeibohasnow500millionregisteredusers.
Outofthose500million,46.
3millionaredailyactiveusers.
75percentofitsdailyactiveusersuseWeibothroughtheirmobiledevicesatsomepointintime.
Overthecourseofayear,nineto10percentofusersareactive.
20Thislowrateofactiveusersraisesthethequestionabouttheauthenticityoftheregisteredaccounts:Therearespeculationsthataverybigproportionoftheregisteredaccountsareactually"zombie"accounts,runbyindividualswhotakemoneyinexchangeforthesenew"fans".
Togetafeelingfortheconcretedimensionsofusage:729,571messagesperminutehavebeensentoutonDecember31,2012(Bycomparison,Twitterrecentlywitnessedarecordof327,000tweetsperminutewhenUSPresidentBarackObamawasre-elected.
NewYearcelebrationson20http://www.
techinasia.
com/sina-weibo-500-million-users-but-not-monetizing-mobile/swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchTwitterhitapeakof33,388tweetspersecondwhentheclockturnedoverintheTokyo/Seoultimezone.
)21ChineseusersuseSinaWeibotokeepintouchwithclosefriendsaswellastohandletheirmoregeneralsociallife,followingcelebrities,mediaetc.
IncontrasttoTwitter,trend-settersonSinaWeiboarenotmediaorganizations,butunverifiedaccountsactingasdiscussionforumsandaplatformforuserstosharefunnypictures,jokes,andstories.
Thisrepresentsanimportantcontrastintheuseofthesemedia,withChineseusersbeingmoreinclinedtoshareandpropagatetrivialcontentthantheTwitterusers.
"22Itwillbeinterestingtoseeifandhwothereal-nameregistrationsystempassedbytheChineselegislationinDecember2012willaffecttheusageofmicro-bloggingplatforms.
IncontrasttoTencentWeibo,SinaWeiboismorepopularwithwell-educatedChineseinthefirsttiercities(Beijing,Shanghai;Guangzhou,Shenzhen)andwhite-collarworkers.
Sinamicro-blogisrankedinthetopthreeinallthreeyoungeragegroups,i.
e.
under18,18-25and26-35,buthasarelativelylowerpenetrationamongoldergroups(exceptforadominantmarketshareintheagegroupabove55).
Regardingeducationalbackground,Sinamicro-blogisamongthetop-threeplayersinthe"highschool","university"and"master"categories,andisrelativelyevenlydistributedamongallcategoriescomparedwithotherplayers.
Theuniversitycategory,exceptformastersandPhDcategories,isthemostcompetitivesegmentasthegapamongthetop-fourplayersisnarrow.
23TencentWeibo(launched2009)TencentWeiboisthebiggestmicro-bloggingserviceinChina,with540millionusersbytheendof2012and277millionactiveusers.
Butdespitetheimpressivefigures,TencentWeibodidnotmanagetobecomesociallyinfluential,asitcouldnotattract(asSinaWeibodid)celebrities,bigbrandsandtheintellectualelite.
21http://thenextweb.
com/asia/2013/01/02/sina-weibo-users-ring-in-the-new-year-with-new-peak-volume-record-of-729571-messages-per-minute/22Asur,Sitaram,Yu,LouisandHuberman,BernardoA.
,WhatTrendsinChineseSocialMedia(July18,2011).
AvailableatSSRN:http://ssrn.
com/abstract=1888779orhttp://dx.
doi.
org/10.
2139/ssrn.
1888779.
23CreditSuisse(2011)SinaCorporation.
EquityResearch,NewMedia(Internet).
17May.
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchThislandscapeoftheChinesesocialmediaecosystemshowsthatChinaisleadingtheinternationalsocialmediasceneinseveralways:inusernumbers,indiversity(noothercountryhasaequallydiversifiedsocialmediascene),offeringthepossibilityofchoicetotheuser,andinsocietalimpact:SocialmediainChinaareastrongforcedrivingsocialchange.
2.
3.
TheChinesegovernmentandsocialmediaSocialmediaandtheir"wemedia"characterarechallengingChinesegovernmentanditsofficialsasthegovernmenthaslostitsmonopolyonnews,asofficialchannelsareslowerinpublishingnewsthanInternetusersare(seetheWenzhoutraincrash).
Micro-bloggingplatformsarealsousedtoexposeillegalconductsbyofficialsandtocriticizethegovernment'swayofhandlingaffairs,callingformoreaccountability,protectinganindividual'srights,suchcreatingahugeimpact,leadingtoanewconceptionof"governance"atdifferentlevels.
The2012SinaGovernmentWeiboReport,releasedbythePeopleOnlinePublicMonitoringOfficeisreflectingthedimensionsoftheinfluenceofmicro-bloggingplatforms:UntilOctober2012,allprovincialgovernmentshaveopenedaSinaWeiboaccount,themassofweiboshasalsoreachedanewpeak:TheofficialaccountoftheJiangsugovernmenthaspublished6.
222weibosandranksno.
1.
ThenumberofgovernmentalaccountsonWeibohasskyrocketedto60,064.
20governmentministries,forexample,havesofaropenedatotalof46microblogaccounts.
Theoveralltoptengovernmentmicro-blogaccountsinChinain2012arethus:Danwei.
comswissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchAnimportantaspectofmicrobloggingisthegrassrootsandemergencygovernmentmicroblogging.
ThereareexamplesofindividualofficialsusingSinaWeiboinverycreativeways.
@王于京forexampleistheWeiboaccount(nowapproachingamillionfollowers)ofapoliceofficerinZhejiangprovincewhousesWeibotoprovideusefulinformationasaservicetolocalpeople.
Orasanotherexamplethereis@罗崇敏,whichistheaccount(witharound780,000followers)ofLuoChongmin,amemberoftheCollegeWorkCommitteeoftheYunnanProvincialPartyCommitteeandholderofanEconomicsdoctoratedegree.
LuouseshisWeiboaccounttodiscussallkindsofgrassrootseducationalissuesrelatedtohiswork,alsotouchingonvariousdebatessuchacollegeentranceexamsandeducationreforminChina.
AnothernewtrendistheuseofWeibobygovernmentagenciestodealwithemergencysituations.
TheBeijingfloodsthatoccurredinJulythisyearwasaverynotablecaseinpoint.
ThedirectoroftheinformationofficeattheBeijinggovernment;WangHui,whohasbeeninstrumentalinbuildingaplatformsurSinaWeibodistributingmunicipalinformation,says24thatduringthiscrisis,thecadrescommunicateddirectlyviaWeibowiththecitizens.
Duringtheheavyrains,anumberofgovernmentaccountsinBeijingsuchas@北京发布,@北京消防and@平安北京postedthelatestinformationonWeibosuchasdangerousareasinthecity,trafficupdatesandweatherforecasts.
Althoughtheyhavebeencritizedandinsulted,theWeiboaccountofBeijinghasallowedthecitytoshowitspublicservice"imageandpreventsocialtroubles.
@平安北京isthesecondmostpopulargovernmentalaccountonSinaWeibo.
Thecommunicationisfollowingmorethan30regulationsdefiningthediffusionofmessagesintermsofcontent,format,timing,usageofemoticonsetc.
Inthemorningtheteamdecidesonthemessagestobepublished,mostly10to15perday.
Theyhavetobeapprovedbyhigherinstitutionallevel,accordingtotheirimportance.
Theaccountisactiv24hours.
In2012,theWeiboplatformdevelopedfromaunidirectionaltool,wherenetizensarediscussingcurrenteventsanddisplaytheirlifetoaancommunicationplatformwhereinteractionbetweenofficialsandcitizenstakesplaceandpublicserviceisdelivered.
Therewasatrendtowardsa24http://www.
infzm.
com/content/83649swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearch"clustereddevelopment":Governmentalinstitutionsindifferentareasclusteredtoopen"administrativekiosks",sothatoriginallyseparatedofficialaccountswerecoordinated,controlledeachotherandcreatesynergies.
3.
InternetCensorship–TheGreatFirewallofChinaIn2003,theChineseMinistryofPublicSecuritystartedthe"GoldenShieldproject",completedin2008.
Itattemptstopreventthesharingofinformationwhichcouldthreatenthenationalsecurityofthecountry(disclosureofstatesecrets,incitementtosubversion,damagethereputationofthegovernment,etc.
).
CensoringtheInternetisdoneondifferentlevels.
25Thegovernmentblockswebsiteandmonitorstheuseoftheindividualuserusingcutting-edgefilteringalgorithmsandsoftwarethatdetects"sensitivewords";thefactthatChineseInternetusersknowthattheyarewatched,leadsthemtoself-censorthecontenttheyarepublishingontheWeb;usingtheInternetproviderswhichemployinternalstafftoremovecontentwhichisseenaspoliticallysensitive,whichpartiallyisdonebyrelyingonlistswithbannedwords.
ButChinesenetizensareveryincircumventingcertainrestrictionsby"inventing"newwordsorusinghomophonouscharactersinsteadofthebannedoriginalcharacter.
(AprojectbyChinaDigitalTimes,"TheGrass-MudHorseLexicon",allowsaglimpseintothecreativenessofChineseInternetlanguage).
26Additionally,thereisthesocalled50centparty"oron-linecommentators,hiredbyofficialinstitutionstoinfluencepublicopiniononsocialnetworks,BBS,chatroomsetc.
inawaythatisfavorablefortheParty.
Theestimatednumberdifferswidely(30.
000to250.
000).
Thegovernmentisblockingforeign(news)websites,socialnetworks(themostimportantonesareTwitter,Facebook,Youtube,vimeo,GoogleDocs),bulletinboards(widelyusedbyChinesenetizens),searchengines(filteringthesearchresultsofcertaintermsonChineseandforeignsearchengines),socialmediawebsites(postingscontainingsensitivewordsareremoved,real25Forthetechnicalimplementationseehttp://en.
wikipedia.
org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China#cite_ref-12(accessedMarch25,2012).
26http://chinadigitaltimes.
net/space/Introduction_to_the_Grass-Mud_Horse_Lexicon.
swissnexChina22F,BuildingA,FarEastInternationalPlaza,319XianxiaRoad,Shanghai200051,Chinat:(+86)2162351889f:(+86)2162351365www.
swissnexchina.
orgAnnexoftheConsulateGeneralofSwitzerlandAnInitiativeoftheSwissStateSecretariatforEducationandResearchnamesystemisbeingimplementedtocurbthenumberofrumors"spreadviaSNS).
In2010,about1millionarticleswerecensoredeachdayinChina,in2010therewere40%websiteslessthanthepreviousyear.
27InMarch2011,GoogleaccusedtheChinesegovernmentofdisruptingitsGmailserviceinthecountryandmakingitappearasiftechnicalproblemsatGoogle—notgovernmentintervention—weretoblame.
Atthesametime,severalpopularvirtualprivate-networkservices,orV.
P.
N.
's,designedtoevadethegovernment'scomputerizedcensors,havebeencrippled.
V.
P.
N.
'sarepopularwithChina'shugeexpatriatecommunityandChineseentrepreneurs,researchersandscholarswhoexpecttousetheInternetfreely.
28ThereisalsoagrowingnumberofjournalistsandresearchersonTwitter(likethechiefeditorofGlobalTimes,hejoinedJan29,firstquestionbywesternmediarepresentativeinChinaonTwitterwas:whichVPNdoyouuse"3.
1.
GovernmentRegulationsforWeiboPlatformsAdditionallytothefactthattheChineseInternetasawholeisheavilycensored,therearespecialregulationsforWeibowhich.
essentiallyaredrivenbytheoverallgoalof"preservingsocialstability"(andtheParty).
Bymonitoringthepostingsonmicrobloggingplatforms,theChinesegovernmentcanblockandde-blocksensitivewordsasitfeelsnecessary,usethenetizensvoiceforitsownpurposes,and,withthehelpofpaidposters,"guidethepublicopinion".
Theseregulationsare"evolving"andupdatedonaregularbasis,especiallyaftermajor"massincidents"oresimilareventstakeplace.
RealNameRegistrationInDecember2011,theBeijinggovernmentannouncedasetofnewregulationsimposingtechnicalandcontentcontroltotheserviceproviders.
Themostcontroversialregulationisthe"realnameregistration":"Anyorganizationorindividualthatregistersamicro-blogaccountand27AsocialRevolution–China'sanswertosocialnetworking".
28http://topics.
nytimes.
com/topics/news/international/countriesandterritories/china/Internet_censorship/index.
html.