Neither Twitter nor Facebook nor Google, how do the Chinese ride it on the Internet?

We live focused on our western society, but that can't make us forget what happens in other parts of the world .Many of us have accounts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.These networks are a fundamental form of relate to the world.Through them we are not only in touch with our friends, but their immediacy, for example, is a fabulously effective way to find out about news that happens anywhere, at any time.

China, a different technology

But its power and influence does not reach everyone.China, the great economic and social giant, lives far from that reality.Facebook has been banned since 2009.The Chinese cannot access Twitter, Snapchat or Pinterest They are restricted from using Google, so they cannot watch YouTube videos either...All this does not mean that China lives with its back to the digital world.Quite the opposite.

Chinese society has boarded the technology train and does not intend to get off.Kleiner Perkins data, published in March of this year, makes it quite clear.In 2016, almost 700 million Chinese people used and the Internet through his mobile phone , which meant a growth of 11% compared to 2015.When we talk about China, the figures are always bulky.Yes, last year, the time spent on the Internet through the mobile would accumulate more than 2.5 billion hours a day , which represents a growth of 30% compared to the previous year.In the Asian country, as anywhere in the world, the progress of social media is unstoppable, only that they use different tools than we do.What are they?

WeChat, the Chinese WhatsApp

One of the most powerful apps is WeChat, but not only in the Asian country, but many experts already talk about the influence of this giant globally.With more than 800 million users, it is one of the most used applications from around the world .It is available in 20 languages and even the soccer player Leo Messi was his commercial image to continue growing internationally.As for China, the tool, created in 2011, already supposed, in 2015, according to Statista data, 27.7% of mobile Internet traffic in the country.

We say the Chinese WhatsApp but, without a doubt, it is a generalization that falls short.WeChat is much more.Because it is not only used to send the classic messages, photos or videos, but it is a social network throughout the extension of the word.WeChat helps us to buy, request a medical appointment, have a network of maps, allow transfers , order food at home, see trials...It is, in short, a kind of mega-macro app that wants to cover all the technological, social, commercial needs...of its users.

Weibo, more than Twitter

Neither Twitter nor Facebook nor Google, how do the Chinese ride it on the Internet?

Following the analogies that allow us to understand who is who in the Chinese digital map, we can now refer to Weibo, an app that we could assimilate to Twitter.Its characteristics bring you closer to the microblogging network.Yes, we also have a maximum of 140 characters per message, the use of the @ to refer to a user or that of the # to convert a word or expression into a label.Even so, we also find fundamental differences such as those that make reference to freedom of expression.In 2012, the obligation for users to use their real names was established.Is Weibo successful? Well, right now, it already has more subscribers than Twitter itself, with 340 million active users per month.

Baidu, following the steps of Google

The time has come to talk about the search engine most used by the Chinese population.A tool like Google, which we use daily in each of our activities, has a very limited use in the Asian country.To overcome this barrier, in China they mostly use Baidu which, as with other tools, is going from being a simple "substitute" of a western site, to becoming a reference entity.Coming from Microsoft, the recent signing of Qi Lu has made him take the lead in the news related to the Artificial Intelligence , an unstoppable trend in 2017 that we still do not know how far it can go.Also, that the Chinese use different digital tools to the westerners does not mean that they are outside the successes in entertainment, for example.An agreement with Netflix to be able to broadcast series like 'Stranger Things' is the test.

QQMail, looking for Messenger success

Neither Twitter nor Facebook nor Google, how do the Chinese ride it on the Internet?

Now we are talking about another messaging app that simply destroys its number of users and all the traffic that it mobilizes on the Internet.That the Chinese have invented a whole ecosystem of apps and own tools could surprise some, but the millions and millions of users who add (in line with the millions and millions of inhabitants) show us that this bet makes sense.It is a service that has many functions apart from instant messaging, because through it you can play, listen to music, watch movies ...An interesting challenge that the company has recently launched is the QQ X project.Its purpose is to enlist 'Explorers of the Earth', citizens Chinese who travel all over the world and express their experiences in places like the Galapagos Islands or the Antarctic.

Taobao, the Chinese Aliexpress

Neither Twitter nor Facebook nor Google, how do the Chinese ride it on the Internet?

The digital man does not only chat or share photos.He also needs to consume products.Ecommerce is an activity that is more present in our lives, surpassing the initial fears of how it would be to enter our card data on the Internet.When they want to buy a thousand and one things, mostly, the Chinese use Taobao, a subsidiary of, how could it be otherwise, Alibaba, the great Asian giant that shadows Amazon itself.Does it look like Aliexpress? In fact, it is the Chinese Aliexpress, without a doubt, one of the culprits that Alibaba has had a year-on-year increase in its income of 56% .

Didi Chuxing, the steps of Uber

Neither Twitter nor Facebook nor Google, how do the Chinese ride it on the Internet?

And if Chinese citizens need to hire a transport to travel and move from one place to another, they have an app that has won the battle of the same Uber.This is Didi, a tool that has Apple support and which has just launched its English version (surely, thinking of the tourists that come to the country).But also, looking for an international expansion.with a research laboratory, no doubt, seeks to put more than one competitor against the ropes.

Image | Weibo, QQ, Didi, Taobao, Statista

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