Last Blog Post!!!!!
As somebody who has never travelled overseas, I imagine I am a bit sheltered in terms of social media content and issues in other countries. While I knew a little bit about Chinese social media restrictions before this week, just from conversations with other people, I never really understood the extent in which it is different from Australia. I find this to be quite interesting and avant-garde in the way that this streamlining is taking pace. I was quite surprised that they had this âFirewallâ, as my understanding was that there was no social media at all within China, so lucky I found this out! For a country that has the highest percentage of social media users in the world according to the McKinsey reading, the fact that none of them use Facebook or Twitter is astonishing! I see these two sites to be the crux of social media in this country, and their use to me is more than just personal â this is how I find out current event news, keep up with sports and keep in touch with friends from wherever they are around the world. Now as China have their own insular social media systems, most of what I mentioned above could not actually occur! Anything outside of the country could almost be deemed irrelevant in the eyes of the important few in China, with the setup of the âFirewallâ creating this type of divide between China and the rest of the world. Now the point of China leading the way in terms of a social media revolution is a very contentious issue. What are the indicators of being a world leader? Does conforming to the majority mean that you are in the leading group, or does uniqueness count for something? The vast population of China gives them a âleg upâ so to speak in terms of social media, but I donât see their system as being world leading. To be the world leader, I feel that your model is one that must be followed around the world. Whilst this system is massive in China, and even though the vast majority of their population uses these platforms, the rest of the world will not adapt to this model. Chinese social media is designed to be an insular and non-sensationalized medium so the government doesnât have to deal with any major issues. This kind of reminds me of âThe Social Networkâ that depicted the rise of Facebook. If Facebook had stayed within the confines of American Universities, then it would not be the same important social media tool that we all use today. It is the dissemination of this platform across the globe that has made it an integral person-to-person Internet site that allows contact from all over the world. For China to become a world leader in this field, then I feel that their platforms must be used all around the world with the same popularity that they hold within China. And that draws the semester to a close!! My first blogging experience has been a positive one, and is something I would contemplate doing again in the future! Thanks to anybody who took the time to read these posts, until next time TS


















