From today’s New York Times comes a story about China’s attempt to control the explosion of blogs in the country:
Although Mr. Anti — who is also an employee of the Beijing bureau of The New York Times — had his site closed, any Chinese Web surfer can choose from scores of other online commentators who are equally provocative, and more are coming online all the time.
Microsoft alone carries an estimated 3.3 million blogs in China. Add to that the estimated 10 million blogs on other Internet services, and it becomes clear what a censor’s nightmare China has become. What is more, not a single blog existed in China a little more than three years ago, and thousands upon thousands are being born every day — some run by people whose previous blogs had been banned and merely change their name or switch Internet providers. New technologies, like podcasts, are making things even harder to control.
“The Internet is open technology, based on packet switching and open systems, and it is totally different from traditional media, like radio or TV or newspapers,” said Guo Liang, an Internet specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “At first, people might have thought it would be as easy to control as traditional media, but now they realize that’s not the case.”
Hmmm. This story feels like it could be about some other entity trying to keep the hammer down on content. Can’t quite put my finger on it…
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My question is what’s going to happen in China? I can’t imagine trying to control a billion plus people’s access to knowledge. I think we are talking about a Tipping Point here. There will come a time when the masses stand up and say ‘no more’ it won’t be about the blogs or the Internet, it will be about freedom. You look at a city like Shanghai which looks and feels more and more like New York every day. The lifestyle, the choices, the way things work and you look at the Chinese man riding his bike from the country into town to sell his vegetables being passed by BMWs and other nice cars you just have to ask yourself. How long will people be passed by BMWs until they decide they want one for their own? I think it’s coming with the next generation. They see the rest of the world and they want it, China wants it, and at some point that is going to translate into wanting freedom of choice from the TV you watch to the Internet site you read. There is a sign that I pass everyday on my way home that reads.
“In the 21st Century all eyes are on Shanghai” How true that sign is.
Jeff