China and the Social Media Experience
Smartphone users usually have their home screens filled with a vast array of their favorite apps. However, in China our some of our most popular apps and websites are blocked by an incredibly complex system of filters and blocks. This restriction has paved the way for WeChat, a innovative Chinese app that amalgamates all the most popular social media, ride sharing, banking, and entertainment apps. By connecting people in new ways and creating endless opportunities for entrepreneurship, WeChat has become the most popular app in China with around 890 million users. With so many users, something that goes viral will spread like wildfire. This has given way to a new trend where graphic and rather confronting footage is shared on WeChat, which has prompted some users to respond with satirical takes on horrific incidents. This leaves questions as to whether digital age has desensitized us? Or have we always been like this? Think: Digital Futures producer Cheyne Anderson chats with Nic about this new frontier in the digital age.
