China has more than 300 million registered microbloggers

Image via Wikipedia

China has more than 300 million registered microbloggers, one of its fastest growing
groups of internet users that the government has vowed to
control.

The country has the most internet users in the world, at 485 million, the
official Xinhua news agency said, citing Zhang Xinsheng, an official with the
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

It also has the world’s largest “internet infrastructure,” Zhang said. The
statistics were released during an internet conference in China’s central Hubei
province.

But authorities are facing challenges in creating a “civilized online
environment,” on social media platforms such as the country’s most popular
Twitter-like microblogging site Sina Corp‘s Weibo, the deputy head of the State
Council Information Office, Qian Xiaoqian, said.

Beijing has repeatedly criticized microblogs for irresponsibly spreading what
it calls unfounded rumors.

Microblogs allow users to issue bursts of opinion — a maximum of 140 Chinese
characters — that can course through chains of followers who instantly receive
messages, challenging censors who have a hard time monitoring the tens of
millions of messages sent every day.

Sina has faced increasing regulatory scrutiny, with government officials
pressuring the company to better police Weibo, which has become a powerful
medium to spread news and opinions and vent frustration against government
policies.

China’s ruling Communist Party has vowed to intensify control over online
social media and instant messaging tools. But analysts say it is unlikely to
shut down what has become an important valve for monitoring and easing social
pressures.

Related articles

• Importance of microblogs in China shown as Weibos pass 550 million users (thenextweb.com)
• Chinese microbloggers rally to pay artist’s tax bill: $830k raised in just 3 days (thenextweb.com)