INTERNET USE AND BLOGGING IN CHINA: BEGINNINGS AND STATISTICS

The Internet came to China in 1994, and the Chinese leadership realised it had to allow its entrance “for the sake of China’s global economic competitiveness” (33).

"As of early 2006, only 8% of all Chinese were counted as Internet users" (44).

According to a study helf by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in 2005, "a typical Internet user in China most likely is young, male, holding a job as a teacher or a white-collar worker with a high income, or a student” (Guo et al. 2005, p. v)” (44).

MacKinnon says that for blogs to become an effective vehicle for democratic discourse, many more people must be brought online; more voices must be represented (44).

This same study concluded that by allowing the Internet entrance into China, the Chinese government may be asserting its own legitimacy; 62.8% of those surveyed said that “People will have better knowledge of politics” because of the Internet, and 54.2% said “People have more opportunities to criticize government policies” (44).

“A 2005 study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) concluded that the majority of Chinese Internet users seek out entertainment online, not hard news or serious political discussion (Guo et al. 2005)” (33).

MacKinnon, Rebecca. “Flatter world and thicker walls? Blogs, censorship and civic discourse in China.” Public Choice 134.1 (2008): 31-46.