The Economist reports on China’s rapid Internet growth and the unique habits of Internet users there:
That such a big, increasingly wealthy and technologically adept country has embraced the internet is no surprise, but it has done so in a very different way from other countries. That is in large part the result of the government’s historically repressive approach towards information and entertainment. News is censored, television is controlled by the state, and bookshops and cinemas, shuttered during the Cultural Revolution, are still scarce.
…So what is the internet used for in China? Its most obvious use is to distribute free pirated films, television shows and music. Even though China’s censors do an excellent job of restricting access to content that might cause political problems, they are strangely unable to stem the flow of pirated foreign media.
…When it comes to making money online, the biggest market involves the delivery of mobile-internet content to mobile phones.
…Another big field is online multiplayer games, which have become so popular that the government has started to worry about their impact on adults’ productivity and children’s education. Import restrictions and fear of piracy mean that the big foreign console-makers—Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft—have not made much headway in China. Instead, a different model has emerged, based around PC games played online.
Although there are tight constraints on the provision of hard news, internet sites such as Sina and Sohu provide a steady supply of gossip, features, dabs of propaganda and slightly salacious stories and photos, and are constantly testing the boundaries of what is permissible.
…The most dynamic area, and the hardest for outsiders to understand, is that of online communities, many of which are run by a company named Tencent.
