Chinese Internet Culture: Censorship vs. Freedom Online

Introduction: China's Internet Dilemma

Decades after the reforms of Deng Xiaoping known as the "Four Modernizations" — "a focus on development of agriculture, industry, science and technology, and the military" (University, N.D.) — China in 2011 grapples with the multiple dilemmas of internet information access, personal freedom, and government control over content. The rise of digital media, web access, and information availability over the past two decades has spread around the globe, encompassing the world's second largest economy. As economic freedom continues to slowly evolve in China, so too does the call from its citizens for unfettered access to internet technology and content become more pervasive. The Chinese internet culture is particularly fascinating due to this inherent dichotomy between government control over content and individual demands for information access. How China's leadership confronts the challenges of information dissemination will be critical to the country's long-term economic, social, and political future.

March 2010 saw an interesting turn of events for China and internet access. "Google executives struck a blow for free speech in China when they announced they were moving their service to Hong Kong after a series of mounting conflicts with the government over the privacy of its users and the free flow of information" (Carr, D., March 28, 2010). To properly frame this development, it is first necessary to provide background on the existing internet culture in China.

China's Internet Population and Collective Intelligence

According to a 2010 report issued by the state China Internet Network Information Center, "China's population of Internet users jumped by nearly a third to 384 million at the end of last year. The survey, based on a count of residents who said they used the Internet in the past six months, establishes China's position as the world's largest online community, more than the entire population of the United States" (Reuters, January 15, 2010). The large number of Chinese users underscores the tremendous opportunity for information sharing, innovation, and the rise of what is known in economic parlance as collective intelligence — "the notion that what determines the inventiveness and rate of change of a population is the amount of interaction between individuals" (Ridley, M., May 22–23, 2010). The raw numbers also present an interesting corollary, as "only 29% of China's 1.3 billion people are now net users" (Reuters, January 15, 2010) — a portent of incredible opportunities to eventually expand access to a preponderance of Chinese residents.

The Great Firewall: Scope and Mechanics of Censorship

With increasing usage comes a greater emphasis on content control by the Chinese government. "Internet censorship in China is among the most stringent in the world." The government blocks websites that discuss the Dalai Lama, the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters, Falun Gong, and other sensitive topics (New York Times, July 9, 2010). How and why this censorship occurs is one of the more fascinating aspects of Chinese internet culture. "In the new networked China, censorship is a major growth industry, overseen — and fought over — by no fewer than 14 government ministries" (Wines, M., Lafraniere, S., & Ansfield, J., April 7, 2010). This widespread effort to curtail content has grown in response to technological advances and increased information flow.

The Chinese government defends the censorship of content ostensibly "to curb the harmful effects of illegal information on state security, public interests, and children." Laws and regulations clearly prohibit the spread of information that "contains content subverting state power, undermining national unity, or infringing upon national honour and interests." Websites, blogs, and information deemed sensitive by the Chinese government are routinely blocked using a range of technological tools, collectively dubbed the Great Firewall of China (Bristow, M., June 8, 2010). The increased tension between individuals seeking to tap into information resources and enhance personal, economic, and social freedom — and a government determined to maintain its power and control — will frame the internet debate in the coming years.

In the broad context of censorship, there is an articulated government vision of what content, mediums, and technology will be available to Chinese citizens. "Today, China censors everything from the traditional print press to domestic and foreign Internet sites; from cell phone text messages to social networking services; from online chat rooms to blogs, films, and e-mail. It even censors online games" (Wines, M. et al., April 7, 2010). Specific sites popular in the United States and other democracies — such as Twitter, YouTube, Google, and Facebook — are not accessible to Chinese residents. In their place, government-sponsored Chinese alternatives are offered, such as Baidu, Sina.com, and Sohu. These sites present only the information that censors deem appropriate, and "the government's strategy is not just to block unflattering messages, but to overwhelm them with its own positive spin and rebuttals" (Wines, M. et al., April 7, 2010).

Conclusion: Pragmatism, Change, and the Future of Chinese Internet Culture

The Chinese internet culture is a complex and ever-changing dynamic that will shape the country's economic, political, and social landscape for years to come. As an epilogue to the Google story: "In June 2010, ending months of tension, Google announced that the Beijing government had renewed its license to operate a website in mainland China. The license renewal is a sign that Google, while uncomfortable with operating in China and censoring its search results on Beijing's behalf, is determined to keep a foot in China" (New York Times, July 9, 2010). This outcome illustrates the dilemma facing technology companies seeking access to the Chinese market: how to balance fostering an open and free communication environment over time with the practical realities of participating in censorship.

Chinese citizens will continue to embrace internet language "not only to serve the purpose of information communication, but also, perhaps more importantly, to construct a modern identity" (Yang, C., N.D.). Google's decision is ultimately one of pragmatism and profit, grounded in the understanding that fundamental and lasting change will eventually come to China. As former President Richard Nixon, who opened the door to China in 1972, eloquently articulated: "I would say that as far as China is concerned, don't write that off, because what has happened today is that over 50% of the Chinese GNP is from private enterprise. And you cannot have private — or what I would call private freedom, or free markets — without having eventually political freedom. Freedom is indivisible" (CNN: Larry King Live, June 5, 2005).

References

Bristow, M. (June 8, 2010). China defends internet censorship. BBC News. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8727647.stm

Carr, D. (March 28, 2010). Not creating content, just protecting it. The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/business/media/29carr.html

CNN: Larry King Live. (June 5, 2005). Encore presentation: An interview with Richard Nixon. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0506/05/lkl.01.html

Kosyrev, D. (January 22, 2010). Can 400 million Chinese internet users be mistaken? Ria Novosti. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20100122/157652899.html

Lee, J. (January 13, 2010). Google threat a rare show of defiance in China. MSNBC. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from

The New York Times. (July 9, 2010). Internet censorship in China. The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/international/countriesandterritories/china/internet_censorship/index.html

Reuters. (January 15, 2010). China internet population hits 384 million. Reuters. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTOE60E06S20100115

Ridley, M. (May 22–23, 2010). Humans: Why they triumphed. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703691804575254533386933138.html

University. (N.D.). The Four Modernizations. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from

Wines, M., LaFraniere, S., & Ansfield, J. (April 7, 2010). China's censors tackle and trip over the internet. The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/world/asia/08censor.html

Xiang, F., & Yen, D. (August 2006). Demographics and behavior of internet users in China. Technology in Society, 28(3), 363–387.

Yang, C. (N.D.). Chinese internet language: A sociolinguistic analysis of adaptations of the Chinese writing system. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from