#no.8 The Censorship wall
The Great Firewall of China (2010) <http://bit.ly/1qHv0nP>.
If we hopped on a plane and went overseas we would naturally expect to connect with friends and family as we always have in Australia. Due to the censorship in China, most of its citizens do not use the online platforms that dominate social media today including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
'The Great China Firewall' can be described as the barrier placed between the people of China and the sites which are accessible to them. Chinese consumers spend most of their time on 'Qzone' (Chiu et al. 2012).
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have restrictions placed on them in China. Although this may seem unfair, these restrictions on social media and foreign websites have resulted in Chinese properties thriving.
"YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are blocked in China, yet their Chinese equivalents are continuously expanding" (Crampton 2011).
Let's just imagine for a moment that instead of Australians spending most of their time on online social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, we instead spent more of our time on Australian founded platforms and social networking sites. What would our future look like?? Would Australian made sites gain same level of popularity??
The population of China is the greatest in the world, and this tells us a lot as to why Chinese online platforms generate such a high level of users. Even though these barriers may prevent most of the individuals living in China from accessing the universally dominating social media platforms, the censorship encourages people to grow their own business and branch away from the commercial trends which may boost their level of authenticity and credibility.
We are all so accustomed to the popularity of the sites which we use, and that is the very reason why we use them, we like feeling a sense of control and purpose. The more that people know of us, the more we feel that we are part of the world. Perhaps others may feel differently as they believe that the online world is not the real world. China may not allow its citizens access to particular social media platforms, yet the presence of online users remains high.
Whether or not we are censored when it comes to online platforms, most people will find a way to stay engaged and co exist in the ever growing technological era we now live in.
Chiu, C, Lin, D & Silverman, A 2012, China's social-media boom, McKinsey & Company, viewed 3 August 2016, <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/chinas_social-media_boom>.
Crampton, T 2011, 'Social media in China: The same, but different’, China Business Review, Vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 28-31, viewed 3 August 2016, <http://www.thomascrampton.com/china/social-media-china-business-review/>.
'The Great Firewall of China' [image] 2010, Scoolbell, Wordpress, viewed 3 August 2016, <http://scoolbell.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/behind-the-great-firewall-of-china/>.