December 29th, 2008
The Similarities and Differences Between Indian and Chinese Social Media Users
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I was recently asked to comment on the similarities and differences between Indian and Chinese social media users. Here are some quick thoughts.
Out of the next billion Internet users (and the next billion mobile users), a substantial number will come from emerging economies like India and China, which are also the two most populous countries in the world. Therefore, to understand the future of new media, it’s important to understand how new media is being used in India and China.
China and India are similar in several ways. In both countries, Internet penetration is low and Internet access is often shared. In both countries, mobile penetration is much deeper than Internet penetration and mobile phones are the only personal communications device for most people. Neither country has led the world in Internet or mobile innovation, but both countries have been quick to adopt international innovations into local clones. Internet users in both India and China have large social circles both online and offline and are heavy users of social media, possibly because of a strong early adopter bias. Both countries have vibrant blogging communities which have played a leading role in covering natural disasters, like the 2004 South East Asia Tsunami, the 2008 China earthquake and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack. Both the Chinese and the Indian Internet communities have flirted with online activism but struggled to use social media for social change in any meaningful way.
However, China and India also have several importance differences related to Internet and mobile use. China has already reached the critical mass of Internet users to become an force to reckon with internationally, while India is still a marginal (but growing) presence on the Internet. China has one of the most repressive regimes and the most sophisticated Internet censorship infrastructure in the entire world whereas India has a vibrant democracy and the Indian Internet is mostly uncensored. Most of the content on the Chinese Internet is in Mandarin whereas the Internet in Indian is dominated by English language content. Helped by the language advantage and the Chinese government’s protectionist policies, Chinese Internet and web 2.0 companies have dominated their international counterparts, whereas most Indian Internet and web 2.0 companies suffer from a severe case of identity crisis.
I’m interested in understanding these similarities and differences between Internet and mobile use in India and China, in order to understand what they can individually learn from each other and the rest of the world, and what they collectively mean for the future of communications technology.
I’m also interested in identifying specific case studies of how social media and mobile tools are being used in India and China to transform media, education, business, development and government. Such applications are still rare in both countries, but documenting them can give us valuable insights into how communications technology can be harnessed to improve the lives of billions of new users in Asia and Africa.
Finally, I’m specifically interested in exploring the interplay between legacy media and participatory media in India and China and the role of new media in citizen journalism and citizen activism in these countries.
There will be more on all three topics soon.
