Social media has grown rapidly in China, with weibo/microblog users increasing from 63 million in 2010 to 195 million by July 2011. This represents 40.2% of Chinese internet users and 34% of mobile internet users. China represents a huge market potential for e-commerce and online marketing with over 450 million internet users and a growing consumer class. However, the Chinese government tightly controls and censors media through its firewall and surveillance of internet service providers and telecommunications companies. While social media presents opportunities, political and economic barriers exist due to the government that must be understood and navigated carefully.

1. Social Media in China
Opportunities & Barriers
Mike Yao, PhD
Department of Media and Communication
City University of Hong Kong

2. Source: CNNIC, 2010

3. The Rise of Social Media in China

4. It is all about the “weibo”!
 Chinese weibo/microblog
users increased from 63.11
million in 2010 to 195 million
by July 2011 (CNNIC, 2011).
 40.2% Chinese Internet users
and 34.0% Chinese mobile
Internet users used
weibo/microblogs.

5. The Great China Expectations
 The biggest market for e-
commerce and online
marketing in the world
with 450+ net users
 The Increasing spending
power with a hunger for
consumption
 A very active and distinct
net generation, being
highly educated only-child
of the growing upper
middle class

6. The Great Firewall of China
“I call this  Government‟s control and censorship of media, both
„castrated old and new, is the tightest since the Great Cultural
writing‟ — I am Revolution.
a proactive
eunuch, I have  The Chinese government is becoming increasingly
already sophisticated in adopting different forms and
castrated
myself even methods for censorship.
before the  All ISPs and Telecommunication companies are
surgeon raises
his scalpel.” state-owned; and all digital information can be
centrally accessed and controlled.
--  There is no specific legal guidelines for what would
Murong be considered “sensitive” information. (e.g., User-
Xuecun, generated-content on the Internet can be seen as
Chinese writer
“states secret” if it suits the need of the
government.).

7. Q: What can we do to capture the
opportunities and break the
barriers?

8. Breaking the political barriers
 Understand the difference between the
politically-motivated economic barriers and the
economically-motivated political barriers.
 Understand the difference between those
barriers set by local/regional government and
those by the central government.
 Perspective-taking

9. Q: So what do these wonderful stats mean?
A1: We are
witnessing a great
social media
revolution!
Let‟s be
Cautiously
Optimistic!