Internet Broadcasting In China - Research Paper Example

Internet Broadcasting In China Topic 6 Internet broadcasting is a vital element of mass media and communication in China. The country has undergone huge transformation and adoption of internet based broadcasting platforms that pay a huge role in the political economy of China. The government has been a major player in regulating the use of internet particular social media as a way of creating order I the mass media business. Internet broadcasting in China accounts for a large portion of information flows thus being a major force in governance and the economic arena. Internet broadcasting influences how the public understands the political and economic matters by passing information on relevant areas that affect the Chinese people. Government regulations and policies put in place affects the political and business field both positively and negatively. This paper discusses the political economy, the transformation and the government policies on the use of internet broadcasting in China as well as the impacts of such policies and regulations. The Political Economy Aspect of Internet Broadcasting In China Political economy of the mass media and the internet broadcasting in China entails the strength of the internet firms and the mass media in their profits, public influence, capital outreach, and their ability to access and influence the political state of the country. Democracy in China is heavily reliant on the information flow particularly the internet and this makes the government take a personal role of manning the flow of either economic or political content on the internet. The internet has revolutionized the banking system in China as well as enlightening the public on the political matters thus becoming a credible political economy tool in China. Internet broadcasting in China has penetrated almost all levels of the economy and political framework of the country thus being a great influence on the people and the government. This form of mass media has been associated with a strong force that creates class politics in China. The internet broadcasting is also a great influence on the interest of monopoly thus being a factor in the political economy of China. The Chinese people have extensively relied on the use of the internet to pass information and share ideas on current issues (Lei, 2011). Chinese people have used the internet broadcasting channel to share ideas on the political and economic state of their country. Being a global power, the internet broadcasting in China also influences the state of world politics and economy. Internet broadcasting mainly occurs through social media and this makes it a great tool of communication and information flow in China. The Chinese political setup is directly related to the way the country conducts is local and global economic affairs. The government is the supreme organ entitled to control the flow of information relating to economic matters particularly those touching on the international community. Local business people are expected to operate online business in line with the country’s laws and policies that regulate access and sharing information through the mass media. Accessibility of information on the internet has enabled the Chinese citizens to keep track fog their country’s state of economy and politics. Such information influences the people’s perception of the government particularly in the manner in which it handles the economy (Sima, 2011). Politics and the economy are closely tied in China and a change in one influences the other. Internet broadcasting enhances information flow thus allowing people to participate in the country’s political-economic affairs. The Chinese political economy mainly relies on the internet as most business people engage in the online platforms for business growth. Advertisement is a vital aspect of the Chinese online business that also impacts on the economic state of the nation. The government’s control over the use of the internet enables it to manage the economy thus having a stronger force that shapes the China’s politics. The broad and overgrowing internet broadcasting is being boosted by the Chinese venture into information technology. The country has made tremendous steps towards the realization of a civilized society through technology and accessibility to the internet. Although under heavy scrutiny, the flow of information through such platforms enables the Chinese people to share significant amounts of information (Qiang, 2011). The internet offers the Chinese people a channel for communication that accommodates numerous forms of data ranging from business, political, and education. The government has invested heavily and funded the IT structure and institutions in China thus boosting literacy growth. The young people can conduct online studies and this boost the country’s literacy development. Government Policies on Internet Broadcasting The Chinese government undertakes massive Internet usage surveillance that is backed up by its strict policies on the mass media. The Chinese government has laid down various policies aimed at streamlining gather mass media and more so the use of the internet. The policies are aimed at restricting the public from using the internet and the social media in passing information that could influence the public negatively. The issue of censorship and media control are common as the major aspect of the Chinese government in communication control. The use of the internet is kept under close watch by the Chinese government to ensure that the mass media delivers only the relevant and helpful information to the public (Yang, 2012). The massively growing use of social media in China also threatens the government’s ability to control the flow of information within and outside the country. The government fears that the public may leak vital information that may end up in wrong hands that destabilizing the country’s economic and political pillars. The government puts such policies to help minimize the manipulation of vital information that could destabilize the country. The Chinese government remains a close and huge force that influences the internet broadcasting and this impacts the political and economic life of the country. Major policies put by the government tend to shift the control of Internet broadcasting from the individual groups and citizens to the government. The government has put strict measures that are regulated by licensing to help regulate the use of internet broadcasting. The policies are meant to influence news coverage through the internet and the social media and this gives rise to the issue of censorship and propaganda. China ranks high in the global curtail on the mass media and journalism that is contributed by the government’s policies on the use of the internet. The Chinese people and journalists have limited freedom of speech and this goes even for the use of the internet thus influencing internet broadcasting (Meng, 2011). Ione of the policies in China was drafted and passé by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to strengthen the government’s ability to curb illegal use of the internet in the country. The 28th December legislation was passé by the National People’s Congress to enable the government conduct extensive anti-democratic internet censorship. The internet use censorship laws were passed and legislated under the Chines legal frameworks putting more pressure on the internet broadcasting. The policy was also meant to curtail the irresponsible use of the social media particularly among the young people. The legislation was mainly aimed at preventing the internet users from accessing “illegal” information. The policy also helped the government from uncontrolled leakage of information to the public. The laws tied every internet platforms across China, and it made it illegal for the members of the public to access and share information without assessing the viability of the sources of the information (Qiang, 2011). The policy also ensured that the social media platforms remained within the law provisions on matters of content publishing and flow through the internet. Another policy was developed to help the government have a more refined control and follow-up of the individuals and groups using the internet. Every internet user in China is expected to register his or her device or websites to ensure that they are under central control by the government. The policy was drafted and passed by the National Congress in 2009, and it ties every blog, websites, and social pages to an individual or a group. The law allows the government to conduct mandatory surveillance on any suspicious website or blog or even the individuals (Meng, 2011). Those caught with illegal content or using the internet in prohibited ways are punished under the provisions of the Chinese media laws. Internet broadcasting is, therefore, closely monitored by the government with the policies agreed upon and signed by the national congress. Impacts of the Government’s Policies The government’s policies on the use of the internet have had its negative impact that mainly hurts the business people. The strict laws that hinder the Chinese people from accessing popular sites limit the business people from using the efficient online platform in advertising their product and services. The internet use activities have hampered the use of social media that could benefit the business people greatly in advertisement operations. The Chinese laws and policies on the internet are a great hindrance to effective business and expansion of the local economy. The online business in China lags behind compared to other global economic powers due to the prohibited access to social sites. Besides the local businesses, investors from Europe and the United States are finding it hard to carry out business in China due to the strict policies on the use of the internet and social media (Lei, 2011). Putting pressure on the use of social media means that the investors have limited outlets to carry out online advertisements or to engage in e-commerce. Consequently, the country continues to block huge economic potential that could be realized through a more open and freedom to access the internet. The drive behind the passing of the various policies by the Chinese government has mainly been triggered by the need to install order and security in the country. The Internet is a global tool that connects people of all races across the world. The Chinese-governed recognizes that the Internet can expose and sell out the country to ill-intended individuals particularly in foreign countries. The country has pit strict rules that govern the use social media platforms like Facebook to ensure order in the mass media and the flow of information in China (Sima, 2011). It ensures that the government has a clear control over the media and this maintains a coordinated internet communication. The cyber-related policies adopted by Chinese government also affect the education system that heavily relies on external sources of information particularly on the internet. Learners and the teachers must make reference to the internet and the social sites to access additional information. The policies set by the government tend to discourage online education since the learners can hardly access vital sites or even share ideas with other students in other countries (Qiang, 2011). Education continues to become global since learners can access and share information on social sites across countries. However, students in Chinese find it hard to access this vital information or even share with their colleagues in other countries due to the strict policies that have even blocked access to social site sites Facebook and Twitter. The government makes it hard for teachers to share information through blogs as it continues to tighten its measures and follow-up on website owners in China. The policies laid down by the Chinese government have curtailed the growth of internet broadcasting and companies like Twitter, Facebook and Google’s mail cloud suffer greatly as they cannot launch fast growth in the country. The public has been restricted from making frequent access to these sites and this means a slow growth of the companies owning these sites in China. Multinational companies like Apple, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Microsoft are also victims of the strict government policies in China (Yang, 2012). The companies find it to advertise their operations to the public through social media. The government’s tight grip on cyber use and access to social sites has limited the public’s access to online information thus preventing such firms from making significant gains in the e-commerce business. The issue of government filtering activities and follow up on Internet users has resulted in information jams and slow in internet speeds in China. The slow internet has negatively affected information flow and the growth of internet broadcasting. Advertising firms also find it hard to share information as the country faces numerous data jams on the internet due to the government’s scrutiny operations (Lei, 2011). Large companies and multinationals operating in China are the worst hit by the government’s policies on the use of the internet as they face hardships in sharing data. Large corporations have been affected by the current issues of internet regulations in China and this hampers their ability to store and retrieve vital data as well as sharing it across their numerous branches. Conclusion In conclusion, China ranks high in the growth of technology and this has boosted the country’s economic growth. Internet use in China faces strict scrutiny by the government and this impedes media freedom particularly the growth of internet broadcasting. The Chinese government is in direct control over the kind of information channeled through the internet and this is made possible through the strict government policies. The extensive China’s Great Firewall conducts massive surveillance that acts as a content control system as one of the policies aimed at curbing irrelevant use of the internet. The tightening of the cyber grip by China continues to affect businesses as they can hardly access information that could help them better their operations. The strict laws have pushed investors away as they find it hard to stick to the policies and this restricts vigorous business expansion in the country. Strict laws and policies passed by the National Congress on the media have continued to put China on the global match for freedom of speech and expression. References Lei, Y. W. (2011). The political consequences of the rise of the Internet: Political beliefs and practices of Chinese citizens. Political Communication, 28(3), 291-322. Meng, B. (2011). From steamed bun to grass mud horse: E Gao as alternative political discourse on the Chinese Internet. Global Media and Communication, 7(1), 33-51. Qiang, X. (2011). The battle for the Chinese Internet. Journal of Democracy, 22(2), 47-61. Sima, Y. (2011). Grassroots environmental activism and the Internet: Constructing a green public sphere in China. Asian Studies Review, 35(4), 477-497. Yang, B. (2012). Npos in China: Some Issues Concerning Internet Communication. In New Connectivity in China (pp. 3-11). Springer Netherlands. Read More