With tensions continuing to brew between the United States and China over Internet access, it's worth looking at the take-up of the Net in that part of the world. Indeed, there's every sign that the Internet could transform Chinese society.
According to consulting firm McKinsey, China's Internet obsession will have a seismic effect on Chinese society. McKinsey reports: "In January, China Internet Network Information Center, the country's official domain registry and research organization, reported that by the end of 2009, the number of Internet users in China had touched 384 million, more than the entire population of the United States. That's an increase of around 50 percent over 2008. Moreover, 233 million Chinese-twice as many as in the previous year-accessed the Net on handheld devices, partly because China's cellular providers started offering 3G services widely last year. The Chinese are obsessed with the Internet. People in the 60 largest cities in China spend around 70 percent of their leisure time on the Internet, according to a survey we conducted in 2009. In smaller towns, the corresponding number is 50 percent. The PC is fast replacing the TV set as an entertainment hub, and emotions run high over who gets to log on and for how long."
McKinsey researchers say this will have a massive impact on Chinese consumer society. But you would have to say it goes a lot further than that. Potentially, this could have an impact on the political landscape, which explains why the Chinese government is now taking such a hard line on Internet censorship.
But that position is not sustainable. Is China's love affair with the Internet another sign that the ground is shifting?
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