Media and Society in China
Although Chinese society expects media to play the essential role of strengthening unity, media also get criticized in legitimizing inequality through excluding marginalized voices while benefiting the wealthy class. Media and society connect because media reflects how a community works and things it composes. With technological advancement, different cultures experience extension in ideas and thoughts (Singh and Pandey 128). There are various forms of media in China, including newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, that continue with the provision of information, education, and entertainment in that society. As a result, investigative journalists of different media play a fundamental function in acting as watchdogs and strengthen accountability and justice by giving voice for marginalized groups within Chinese society (Repnikova 129). Therefore, it is vital to provide impacts of media, including inform, stimulate thought, and strengthen discrimination among the Chinese community and comparison of how Chinese media differ from other countries ranging from the unique media platforms, the high number of media access, and media restrictions.
Media Impacts to Chinese Society
Media are channels or drivers used to pass information, education, or promotion that impact society in different ways like stimulate thoughts and inform on current events. Media is any broadcasting medium like television, internet, newspapers, mails, and radio. They occupy a great proposition of human leisure time as people spend approximately 25 hours watching TV, listening to the radio, and reading magazines or newspapers (Mehraj, Bhat, and Mehraj 56). Since the early 1990s with the introduction of media commercialization, many media outlets, including radio, television, and newspapers, have been merging in China that encourage and entice participation of the audience. For instance, radio programs in China have set the trend in promoting the involvement of the audience in discussion followed by China Central Television (CCTV) and print media like Southern Metro Daily, which are also leading in the engaging audience (Wang 126). Hence, media availability enlightens the community on current happenings, stimulate their thoughts, and lead to an adverse effect like discrimination and psychological problem to Chinese society.
Chinese Society Stay Informed on Current Events
Currently, Chinese people need only to click different media platforms available on the internet to access information concerning current events. There are various media channels in China, including magazines, Televisions, and radios that provide information, education, and entertainment to this society (Luo 50). Notably, electronic platforms are the most used media in mass communication and have the primary function of spreading information across the country (Singh and Pandey 128). With the aid of television and radio, viewers and listeners not only receive the update but also develop an understanding of the current event within the society. Communications as an audio medium assist in disseminating information to every member of the Chinese community. Besides, radio plays an essential function in creating a channel for imagination accessed by both urban and rural people within China. Hence, with the aid of media channels, including electronic forms like radio and television, continue to provide and educate china community concerning current occurrence within the country.
On the other hand, television as the second most used media in china also allows Chinese society to access current information and their understandings. Audio and visuals combination help society to better understand and access current information. News from all parts of the country get reviewed and presented through television, which is the second most used medium of mass communication in china. Initially, TV had the central aim of educating society (Singh and Pandey 129). Currently, it has become an essential part of Chinese people’s regular lives because it involves programs including news, movies, and sport that people always access to get informed or entertained. For instance, the CCTV has a program known as the Spring Festival Gala that usually dominates the eve of New Year in China. The festival strengthens the moods of Chinese society as there are house celebrations characterize by people’s laughter and discussion while enjoying the performance (Luo 50). Thus, television as the second most used media in China have programs like news, movies and sports shows that inform and help the society to understand current occurrence across the country better.
Media Stimulate Thoughts
Media Channel, mainly social media, is becoming the most prevalent and accessed communication medium that stimulates thought of Chinese society. Social media brings different people on one platform that allows the sharing of ideas and information that change the perception of people. Social media platforms like WeChat, RenRen, and QQ enable Chinese people to share information on an individual level, which contains a range of topics that can impact thoughts by formulating a platform of showing likes, emotions, and comments (Qiao and Shih 50). These activities on social media remain in an individual mind and make people think about likes or comments received in their social networking account, which become addictive and influence thoughts, belief, and behaviors (Phoon 1). Therefore, media channel like social networking sites allows sharing of ideas through commenting and liking which becomes a significant part of Chinese people lives and make them spend more time engaging, learning, and receiving new information that impacts their thoughts.
Discrimination and Psychological Problem
Media publication of misleading headlines can lead to adverse effects on society through misperceptions and biased treatment.
For instance, in the case of NCP (novel coronavirus pneumonia), misleading media information that termed the pandemic as “the Chinese virus” before renaming the virus to NCP resulted in discrimination of Asian culture, particularly Chinese society (Wen 3). Tourists and other people returning from China often get quarantined and sprayed using antiseptic when they arrive at their destination of the journey. Although this measure may be logical, such inequality precautions resulted in racist practices. Learning institutions requested Chinese students not to join others in class programs (Wen 3). Besides, anti-Chinese xenophobia was in several countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, due to misleading media headlines concerning NCP (Wen 3). Hence, misleading media information concerning NCP resulted in discrimination of Chines citizens or people from China in major countries like the United States, Malaysia, and Australia that led to mental disorders like stress and anxiety among Chinse society.
Comparison of Media in China with other Countries
The Chinese media differ with those of other countries as demonstrate by limited freedom in journalism activities due to strict monitor by the Chinese government. The Chinese media culture is different from the rest of the nations because they use more advanced digital technology. As borders of China opened to other cultures from various counties in 1979, it is the country that has shown a high number of users of improved technology (Aljenaibi 54). China has different media, especially unique social networking mediums from the rest of the countries due to the plan of creating social particularities. Besides, there are no Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube platforms in China; instead, there are Qzone and RenRen that replace social networking sites used in other countries (Aljenaibi 55). Also, the state uses different media with unique regulations to attract fewer audiences like multinational telecommunication organizations that cannot easily access markets of China (Aljenaibi 54). Therefore, China’s media differ from those of the rest of the world in terms of unique social networking, the high number of users, and strict regulations.
Unique Media Platforms
Media culture in china, mainly social media platforms differ from those of other countries. Many countries like United States, United Kingdom, and others use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube that are not in China (Aljenaibi 54). China has particular media known as QQ that has approximately 808 000 000 users annually (Aljenaibi 54). Besides, there are unique search engines in China compared to other countries, including some like Baidu, SOSO, Sogou, and 360, which are not commonly present in many countries. The largest social media channel in China is Qzone, which has many users than Facebook. Other extensively used media platforms in china include We Chat, Kaixin, Tencent Weibo, RenRen, and Sina Weibo. According to Aljenaibi, the use of We Chat in China only, exceed the number of individual using WhatsApp in the entire world (55). Therefore the social network sites like We Chat, QQ, Sina Weibo used in china are different from those in the rest of the world, where most countries use YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
High Number of Digital Media Users
The population that uses digital media like social networking in China is high compared to users of social media in other countries. In China, the digital media market, especially social networking sites, is more massive compared to the rest of the world; the country has more than 500 million consumers (Aljenaibi 55). China is the country ranked top for internet access and users with approximately 641 601 070 million users, and about 24 021 070 growth annually (Aljenaibi 55). Many individuals in China use smartphones that allow them to access digital media platforms, especially youth who highly access We Chat. Besides, the unique media platforms in China enable the country to attain a high market. The international market uses media like Facebook and YouTube, which is different from China that uses entirely different media styles for its people. Hence, the forms of media in China differ from those of the international market that use Facebook and YouTube due to high access to digital gadgets and the large population that allow free access to the web leading to a massive demand for social networking.
Media Restrictions
China’s government has guidelines that create restrictions on Chinese media, unlike other countries. The Chinese government censored international media channels while making media within the country to be friendly to Chinese people. The Chinese government restricts its people from using YouTube because they do not allow citizens to use their norms or values like other countries publicly. The distinct culture of China resulted in the development of unique media landscapes. For instance, Youku used in the country make its media different from other countries that utilize YouTube because it allows distinct channels for video (Aljenaibi 55). The videos contain both government regulated short films and pure content that show Chinese culture that attracts Chines people. Hence, chines government understands the interest of international markets like social network sites in knowing to chinse culture, leading to restriction to access of media channels like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook and development of specific media tools only used by the Chinese population.
Media update on current events, stimulate thought, and strengthen discrimination are the impacts of media on Chinese society as provided without forgetting unique media channels, high population accessing media, and media restrictions as the comparisons of Chinese media with other countries. Radio and television, as the most used media channels in China, have programs that provide information and help this society to understand current occurrences across the country adequately. Media channels like social networking platforms connect people and allow sharing of ideas through engaging and learning new information that impacts their thoughts. Misleading information in media channels leads to discrimination against chines society, especially the information regarding the name of NCP. Chines media also differ from those of other countries in the world due to different media like We Chat and QQ that have higher users and strict regulations, unlike Facebook and Twitter in other countries such as the United States that have less and friendly restrictions. Due to the adverse impacts of media, the government should promote informed media use and consumption as well as consideration of how media information may affect a given society.