A brief history about the Internet in China.
posted October 15, 2009 - 12:55pm
The Internet in China is a very interesting topic to write about simply because it has grown so fast in such a short period of time. It was introduced in the early 1990’s and its growth was slow. The main reasons
that the Internet was not popular in China was the scarcity of the Chinese language content on the Internet (Conrad, Rayburn, 2004). According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 75% of American adults are online and China’s penetration is only at 16%.
The CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center) said that online penetration grew 53% in 2007(Jesandun, 2008). That puts Chinese users at 210 million strong projected to pass the United States users in 2008. Computers are to expensive for the average income earner in China, how do so many people get online? The answer is cyber cafes in the beginning. Cafes like a coffee shop with computers that allow internet usage for a fee. Over one -third of users accessed the Internet through cyber cafes according to Xinhua. Pew found that 93% of U.S. users had a computer or some kind of access at Home (Jesdanun, 2008). Today cell phones can do it all, yes even access the internet. Cell phones are a large reason why China has so many new users and growing at a fast rate. They provide access from anywhere offering China “a distinct opportunity to shape the Internet” (Jesdanun, 2008).
With the popularity of the Internet and ability to share information virtually anywhere and anytime Chinese content on the internet is second only to America. We find that to be significant because they are about fifteen years behind the U.S. according to Pew “the point Americans were at in the 1990’s”. By the end of 2008 we should see a large growth spurt in numbers that will pass the United States in users from 210 million to 300 million users, this growth will make it the largest online community in the world(Conrad, Rayburn, 2004). Imagine what the Internet has done for the economy in the United States, we think it is pretty self explanatory. However, the Chinese government is exerting far more control over the internet than in the U.S. Although China is known to be a poor country we believe the internet will begin to create wealth and prosper for a long time. There are around 210 million users today, projected 300 million by the end of 2008 and over one billion people in China. If our math is correct China has a long way to go before they reach market saturation. With technology growing at a fast pace, and China’s economy booming more citizens should be able to afford home computers.
The infrastructure is in place; in 1993 fiber optic grids were laid running both north-south, and east-west. In 1990 there were fewer than 10 million telephone lines in China (Conrad, Rayburn, 2004). Today there are over 125 million and being installed at a rate of 2 million a month. The foundation is being laid and the people will be waiting to use the technology. Although the Chinese government has made the Internet available, they do have a system in place to control it. It is a 4 tier system that is made up of a gatekeeper, governmental Internet service providers, private sector Internet service providers, and legal persons or organizations (Conrad, Rayburn, 2004). All serve a purpose and that purpose is to police the Internet and monitor access outside of China.
This is part of a research paper I wrote for a college class back in 2008.
For more of my articles see this page:
Jesdanun, A. (2008, January 19). Associated Press: China sees large increase in number. Deseret News, p. A09. Retrieved January 19, 2008, from ProQuest Newsstand database.
Rayburn, M., & Conrad, C. (2004). China's Internet Structure: Problems and Control Measures. International Journal of Management, 21(4), 471-480. Retrieved January 19, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 804348731).
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