China View: Censorship and the Media
jpa1999
The advancement of technology has brought significant changes in the Chinese information-spreading domain. It has been, incredibly difficult for society to keep up with the development of technology, and countries like the People’s Republic of China have reportedly tightened their supervision of mass media. While over the past decades the media has demonstrated that it can bring positive changes and improve people’s lives, the backlashes it may have on societal behavior are often equally impactful. This is a challenge that the government of the People’s Republic of China has recently undertaken because it is aware that information-spreading among over a billion people can become dangerous.
There are two ways one could read the People’s Republic of China's policy on media and censorship. On one side, censorship exists to eliminate issues like pornography, images of child abuse, and other disturbing content. This is a way for the Chinese government to indirectly influence societal behavior by deeming certain topics unacceptable or labeling taboos. For this reason, most of the television and online media content concerning Chinese politics, its economy, and society is mainly state-run or state-monitored. Among the most important and renowned, CCTV, Xinhua news, CGTN, People’s Daily, and the South China Morning Post.
Compared to the 20th century, however, the media no longer operates through the PRC and is no longer required to strictly follow the guidelines set by the Chinese government. However, mass media platforms are required to be mindful of how information is delivered and how topics being discussed may influence views on the Chinese political system and its governance. It is essential to highlight that this does not mean that articles in magazines cannot challenge or bring up questions on policy matters. The China Global Television Network (CGTN) is an example of television and journalistic media to also provide opinion columns and channels where experts challenge and discuss topics, including events occurring in China and around the world.
Most of the preconceptions that accuse censorship by the Chinese government come from the fact that, for instance, the Chinese Internet is isolated from the rest of the world’s internet network. The Chinese “firewall” does not allow access to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other similar foreign media to operate or even establish firms on Chinese soil. But, methods to access these media in China exist and are legal. Foreigners as well as Chinese in China often use VPNs to access the foreign Internet and, therefore, Google and many other search engines and apps.
While the providers of free VPNs may face problems with the Chinese legal system as they are not regularly registered, the most expensive and reliable VPNs mostly follow Chinese laws and are accepted by authorities. Contrary to prejudices, Chinese authorities are not concerned with netizens using foreign media for their own individual purposes or for work-related purposes, what concerns them is rather how these are used.
The main reason for the exclusion of foreign social media from Chinese networks is to prioritize firms within China. As shown from the image below, netizens are able to find any kind of functional networks, from blogs, to document sharing, to social gaming, social search, social commentary, rating apps, review apps, online travel apps, business and enterprise social networks, photo-sharing social media, TV, Video, Music, and many others. The good command of the Mandarin Chinese language could be an important factor to change foreign prejudices, as netizens would better understand the Chinese media, often only provided in Mandarin Chinese, and find that the social media landscape is indeed extensively developed in China.
While Apple Pay and other systems have only started to be used in the West, it is been years since the average Chinese Internet user has had the possibility to pay for goods without cash or card. Everything in China is done via the Internet and apps, from paying to validating transport tickets on the bus. QR codes have become a means of virtual voyages allowing to meet people, reach a destination, or order any type of goods to one’s home.
“Media Networks in China.” (CREDIT: MARKETINGTOCHINA)
“China’s Ranking in 2020 Press Freedom Index.” (CREDIT: Reporters Without Borders)
What this means for foreign companies, especially US tech and media leaders, is that such an attractive market becomes inaccessible to them. It is true that the Chinese mass media network, in a way, isolates China, as netizens are not directly interconnected with the world and can only share outside connections through media like LinkedIn, for job-related means. This is one of the reasons why most preconceptions coming from other countries are shaped around the idea of the Chinese media being an unknown concept that cannot be understood. According to the Press Freedom Index, however, China ranks among the least information-free countries. A video by DW below shows that censorship in Chinese mass media can also lead to self-censorship, as people are indirectly compelled not to discuss topics that are considered too sensitive, therefore society risks remaining tied to a certain stage of social development as censorship and self-censorship does, to an extent, limit its progress.
Overall, therefore, there are multiple sides from which to interpret the issue. The Chinese media in general is becoming more accepting of public opinion, but if parts of society do feel restrained or silenced, then this means the Chinese system of censorship should be revisited to allow socioeconomic growth.
At the same time, some argue that China should not necessarily be targeted as a dangerous or threatening state, as the state of media censorship it is undergoing at the moment only replicates stages other societies have undergone in the past. Both the way mass media is administered and perceived in China will eventually change as multi-level development is inevitable in a fast-growing country like China. It will be the responsibility of the government and the people together to shape best this path.
