This document discusses trends in social media use in Hong Kong from 2010. It outlines how platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter grew in popularity and were used for both civic and business purposes. While the government began using social media after some high-profile incidents, their approach generally lacked strategy and control. Key trends included a shift to mobile apps, social media's role in civil society activism, and its growing importance relative to China's own restricted social platforms.

1. Trends in Social Media
in Hong Kong
PNC 2010
Charles Mok
Internet Society Hong Kong
December 1 2010

2. Topics

An overview

Popular services

Use in business

Use in civil society

Use by government

Conclusions and key trends

3. Social Media

Realization of Web 2.0

Interactive

Sharing

Free

User created/
generated content

4. YouTube

Pre-Facebook era

巴士阿叔 (2006)

福佳始終有你 (2007)

Video over text?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H20dhY01Xjk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j3vh55SSVw

5. Where are the blogs?

Behind other Chinese language markets

Language proficiency issues?

Xanga phenomenon

6. Forums: discuss

7. Forum: HKGolden

8. Facebook

>3.5M accounts?

9. Twitter

10. Sina Weibo

11. Mobile Smartphones

Leveraging on good
local infrastructure

iPhone dominance?

iPad

Android

Others: RIM, MS
Windows 7, Nokia,
etc.

Shift to Apps

12. Examples of Popular Apps

Open Rice

HK Junkcalls

Informational: e.g. MTR

Press: e.g. Apple Daily

Social media: e.g.
Facebook, Twitter,
Google (Gmail, Maps etc)

13. Social Media in Business

Emphasis in Facebook

Lack of understanding of key metrics

Lack measurement

Just counting likes?

From Facebook to iPhone apps

How to leverage on future opportunities in
building word-of-mouth influence, crisis
management, etc.?

14. Social Media Marketing

15. Social Media Marketing

Integration with other
social media apps and
real world activities

16. Social Media in Business

How to leverage on future opportunities beyond
marketing and promotion:

Building word-of-mouth influence

Corporate online identity

Crisis management, etc?

Overlook the key benefit of social media:

Community building

Relationship

...the more intangible benefits

17. Social Media in Civil Society

Citizen journalism: e.g. InMedia

Wikipedia

Facebook groups

Show of opinions

Measurement by numbers

18. Facebook Activism

19. Anti-XRL

20. 蘋果日報蘋果日報 10-01-0910-01-09
東方日報東方日報 10-01-0710-01-07

21. Anti-XRL Stats on New Media

500 Facebook groups concerning the railway
construction, and one has 2,000 users

122 posts on Inmedia with 170,000 views

680 videos opposing the rail link posted on
YouTube

First use of hashtag on Twitter for a social
action call #stopxrl

Role of social media in Legislative Council
filibuster

22. Politicians on Social Media

23. Social Media by Government

Post XRL Facebook disaster

24. Act Now Campaign

Chief Executive begins to focus on Facebook

25. Philippines Hostage Incident

Facebook page – 深切哀悼菲律賓遇害港人

26. Chief Executive in Social Media
上亞厘畢道 Upper Albert Road

28. Government on Weibo

香港政府新聞網

29. Social Media Trends of Government

Concern about real-time and direct nature of
social media

Wish to use the Internet for e-engagement

But worry about negative comments and backfiring

Feel lack of control

Lacking guidelines to operate

Only the Chief Executive can do

Lack strategy to build community and
relationship with people

30. Keys to e-engagement

如何在社交媒體實踐電子公民參與？（胡俊明，
傳媒透視， 2010/11 ） :

Up-to-date 實時

Transparency 透明度

Patience 忍耐

31. Key Trends

Lack local creativity

Focus on outside platforms

Shift to mobile

Civil society usage

'Free'

Call to actions

Accumulated experience and enhanced
sophistication

Communities formed

32. Key Trends

Hong Kong's role in relation to China's social
media

First outpost outside the Great Firewall

Going back inside the GFW: e.g. increased
presence in Weibo

A 'role model'

Threats

Global trend of more controls

Local laws: IP, obscenity, security, privacy etc.
− Conflicting priorities

33. 莫乃光 Charles Mok
mok@hknet.com
http://www.charlesmok.hk
http://www.isoc.hk