Ex 2

b. What other perspectives might you include?

c. How do you distinguish your views from the other views you summarize?

d. Do you use clear voice-signaling phrases?

e. What options are available to you for clarifying who is saying what?

f. Which of these options are best suited for this particular text?

If you find that you do not include multiple views or clearly distinguish between others’ view and your own, revise your text to do so.

Chinese Internet: Censorship and E-commerce

Although Chinese government has often been criticized for its intense control over the lives of its citizens through censorship and other means, it has nonetheless established a vast and successful nation. As China leaps into the 21st century with the rest of the world, new developments in the internet bring entirely new challenges and benefits to the nation. Despite the continued censorship of western ideas in China, the modern development of the internet has caused an e-commerce boom and has allowed more Chinese people to connect than ever.

The development of the internet in the late 20th century revolutionized the world. Before the internet, most of the existing information was only available to those with access to libraries or those undergoing education and even then, it took substantial effort to retrieve. The introduction of the internet made huge databases of information available to anyone who could use a computer and details about any topic were more easily accessed than ever. However, this huge increase in freedom of information is not experienced in China. Akin to their efforts in the past, the Party has found ways isolate its citizens from foreign ideals by preventing its citizens from accessing parts of internet deemed harmful through an electronic barrier that many call “The Great Chinese Firewall” (Pong, 174).

According to Encyclopedia of Modern China, “there were, as of February 2008, 220 million Internet users in China, against 15,000 in 1995, and the number has been growing by an average of 5 million per month” (Pong, 365). Despite the huge increase in the number of internet users, Chinese government seem to put even stricter censorship rule in order to regulate internet use. “In 2000 alone, six regulations were issued to reduce the degree of freedom previously enjoyed by Internet content providers, electronic bulletin-board systems, and chatroom services” (Pong, 174). Stephanie, an UCSC international student from China said that the internet censorship actually brought a lot of trouble for them when they are back in China for winter break or summer break. “We can not get on Google and since Gmail is also blocked in China, I can’t even access my emails. In addition, common social apps like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook is also blocked. The only way to get around is to purchase VPNs, however, it is getting harder and harder today since the government starts to block VPNs and criminalize them.”

In addition to filtering anti-Party dissent and harmful media through various regulations, the CPC is now able to shape public opinion by injecting its own views into the collective mass of comments on the Internet. Through a practice known as “astroturfing”, the Party fabricates comments on blogs, news articles, and other forms of media and masks them in such a way as to make them appear as if they were written by grassroots participants. While the Great Firewall uses sensors to delete provoking content that suggests actions or dissent against the Party’s intentions, astroturfing generates opinions in favor of the Party. As Mary Gallagher and Blake Miller from the Washington Post write, “These ‘positive energy’ comments… may discourage those with anti government opinions from voicing their complaints.” To get an idea of how many comments are fabricated by the CPC, Harvard researchers Gary King, Jennifer Pan and Margaret Roberts “estimate that the government fabricates and posts about 448 million social media comments a year”.

Although Chinese citizens may not be able to access comprehensive information on the internet due to censorship, the e-commerce does boost the Chinese economy significantly. “I would shop on Taobao everytime I go back to China. Sometimes I would still shop on Taobao even when I am in the United States. Taobao is the Chinese version of Amazon, but I think it is much better than Amazon. And one thing that I have to say about is the digital payment in China, we don’t need to carry cash in China, everything could be paid by phone as long as you have internet connection” said Yu, a Chinese international student here at UCSC. She also points out that social platforms could serve as e-commerce platforms in China. As China is in the midst of a digital revolution, social media has become a powerful channel for initiating online purchases. Social media usage in China doesn’t compare to other countries - it has a greater influence on consumers’ purchasing decisions than for those anywhere else in the world. Chinese consumers are more likely to consider buying a product if they see it discussed on their feed or if it has been recommended by a friend. Integrating digital payments and social networking features in the growing network of e-commerce platforms has presented vast opportunities for people to connect and drive economic opportunity. Platforms such as WeChat and Alipay has unlocked social and economic opportunities for hundreds of millions of users in both the countryside and urban areas.

With this social media boom and positive effects of digital payments, Chinese people have been able to connect and socialize with each other in an innovative way. Benefits of financial inclusion can be reached when robust digital payment ecosystems are developed around social networks and e-commerce platforms. As China’s experiences illustrate, being able to access vital financial services in an easy and convenient way increases the likelihood of their use. Platforms like Taobao can be a powerful catalyst to accelerate digitization. It has shown to bridge the gap between cities and countryside and the rich and poor. The China social landscape is fast-changing and the overlapping platforms and ecosystems have and will continue to change the mobile internet for everyone.

In conclusion, while the government continues to exert relentless control over the internet

relating to freedom of speech and political matters, E-commerce in China is a new, yet powerful

industry in Chinese economy. Internet in China does undergo a lot of filtering and censorship, but it also helps to create an unique yet effective e-commerce system.

Works Cited