China’s Expanding Use of the Internet and Its Impact on Chinese Society

China is now second only to the U.S. in the number of people online, with over 103 million Internet users. China’s rapidly expanding online market has become a powerful magnet, attracting both foreign investment and a steady stream of IT professionals from all over the world. Chinese use of the Internet is also of great interest to policy-makers and scholars who monitor and examine the impact of change in mass communication and media, especially in the context of China’s
specific cultural and political traditions.

This Brookings Institution policy briefing, held in conjunction with the Markle Foundation, will feature Professor Guo Liang of Beijing’s Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who will share the most recent results from his in-depth, multi-year study of Internet use in China and its impact on Chinese society. During his presentation, Professor Guo will report on recent findings about Internet use in China, including: new data about who in China is online; why they go online; which kinds of content they seek; and which online information they trust. Professor Guo will also report on changing Chinese attitudes towards controlling Internet content, the relationship of Internet use to other media, the use of the Internet by government, and the prospects for Internet use in China in the near and long term.

A philosopher by training, Professor Guo is one the preeminent observers of the Internet in China and author of several books on its history and impact. He drew particular attention for escorting former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to Beijing’s Internet cafes during her trip to China in 2000. Professor Guo’s ongoing study of Internet use in China is supported by the Markle Foundation, a philanthropy based in New York, which focuses on information technology.
For more information, visit www.markle.org. A question and answer session will follow remarks.