Growing Internet Use in China Reflects Changing Society

Internet Use Explodes in China

Internet use in China is exploding. According to Kai-Fu Lee, President of Google, China, the growth of the Internet is 40 to 50 percent in the last two years. Today, the number of Chinese using the Internet is greater than the number of Internet users in the United States, and Kai-Fu Lee anticipates that by the end of the year, about a quarter of China’s 1.3 billion people will be online. However, Chinese Internet users tend to be much younger than their American counterparts. In China, the average user is 25 years old as compared to 45 years old in the United States. Some experts anticipated that greater access to information could prompt the Chinese to question their government, but the growing Internet usage seems to have done just the opposite. Many Chinese are now questioning what they perceive to be mistakes and representations by the Western press about events in China. After reports by the Western press about events in Tibet and the Olympic torch relay protests for example, many Chinese were angry and felt that their government was being unfairly criticized. Some actually used the Internet to coordinate anti-Western, pro-China demonstrations.

Most Chinese people appear to believe that the market reforms implemented in China have been very successful. They see their economy getting stronger, and more opportunities. Melinda Yu, president of the Foreign Correspondents Association of China, notes that in light of this economic success, many Chinese are uncomfortable with criticism of their government. She notes that in China disagreement and confrontation are not part of the culture. However, Wang Jianshuo, a blogger, disagrees pointing out that negative comments in the press are far ore common today than they were twenty years ago. Hung Huang, CEOo of iLook, claims that the Chinese press works within two sets of constraints, one published and one unpublished. Subjects that are simply not permitted include Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen Square. These constraints are in place even with the growing popularity of the Internet.

So, in the era of the Internet, the Chinese government has erected the so-called Great Firewall as a means of controlling access to certain information. According to Kai-Fu Lee, while the Chinese government does not acknowledge the existence of the Great Firewall, it is clearly in place. When Google wanted to enter the Chinese market, it was given two clear choices: filter information according to Chinese laws, or stay home. Google made the controversial decision that offering the Chinese people access to filtered information was better than not offering access to information at all, and so it made the decision to comply with the government’s request. So, for example, when “Tibet” is entered into Google search engine in China, access is denied. Wu Jianmin, Former Chinese Ambassador, says that China’s government, despite its openness to market reforms, is not yet ready for political debate. Wu Jianmin notes that during the Cultural Revolution the number of political parties in China created chaos. It was only after the reforms and more orderly modernization process that people felt more in control. Today, following the traditional Chinese approach, China’s government controls the way events are covered. The media is seen as a means of disseminating information which people then take as the truth without question. Hung Huang worries though, that this approach, which has been in place for centuries, could affect the future of China. According to Hung Huang, Chinese people have lost their ability to be introspective and learn from their mistakes. Free thinking is not part of the Chinese culture.

Question 1

China recently surpassed the United States in the number of Internet users. Reflect on China’s culture today. How has the Internet changed the country? How are Chinese Internet users different from their U.S. counterparts?

Question 2

Discuss the notion of an open, democratic society. Does it exist in China?

Question 3

What is the Great Firewall? What role does Google play in helping the Chinese government maintain the Great Firewall? In your opinion, did Google make the right decision when it agreed to comply with the Chinese government’s request to limit access to certain information? Why or why not?

Question 4

How does China’s culture influence the way information is disseminated within the country? What does this mean for China’s people?