Taking a look at Rape Culture

What is more harmful to the victim than a crime itself? The answer is the public’s negative attitude to crime.

Criticism and blame of a crime victim cause a second but more serious harm to victim. It is neither easy nor fair for victims who finally came out of the shadow of crime.

It may sound like too cruel to believe, but victim blaming is not unusual in this world.

Especially in the crime of rape, where victims are often blamed for drinking too much and wearing too little. This, say experts, is how rape culture formed.

Rape culture is just like an attitude. It is hard to hide your real feeling of how you perceive a rape crime while you react to news of it. Even for Poppy Harlow, a professional reporter from CNN, failed to control her victim-blaming attitude in front of the camera.

In 2013, while reporting that two high school football players from Ohio were found guilty of raping a high school girl, Ms Harlow not only repeated that the two rapists are good students and promising football players, but also tried to shift blame on the victim girl for drinking too much. She even ironically called her “a career destroyer”.

A row broke after Ms Harlow made these comments during reporting. Within two days, CNN received a petition with over 250 thousand signatures on it, requesting CNN and Poppy Harlow make an apology for sympathizing with rapists.

It also caused a sensation both in America and abroad. Yang Fu, a human and social science expert from China stated, “the thought of ‘male superiority to female’ is the root of rape culture, and victim blaming is the typical showing of this unsavory culture. ”

When Dr Yang, was asked about how to measure a rape culture, he explained, “there is no one standard criteria to measure rape culture, it can be reflected from different behaviors.”

Mingzhu Yan, a female Chinese student currently studying at Ohio State University, USA, got really pissed off about what Poppy Harlow said in that reporting. She also took part in the petition requesting CNN and Ms Harlow apologize.

Mingzhu said, “I am very angry and upset about it, I even wrote a letter to Poppy Harlow about how disappointed I was about her. I think being drunk even being rakish is not a reason for a female to be sexual assaulted.”

The reason why it is so hard to measure a rape culture is because of its complexity. Apart from harsh victim blaming, self-protection advice from the public is also an aspect of rape culture.

After this rape crime was exposed, a voice of how should females protect them from being sexual assaulted came out. Many people suggested females should drink less, wear more and go home early.

In August 2012, two Ohio high school football players were charged with rape a minor female student. After months of investigation, two rapists were found guilty and eventually sentenced

Social Media Best Practice for Public Relation Industry

1.0 Introduction

Social media has experienced a dramatic growth since it first had been created. According to statistics from comScore, American people spend a quarter of their online time on social media (comScore 2012). Not only in America, the wave of social media spreads over the whole world. The widespread use of social media has fundamentally changed how people communicate and share information (Qualman 2013). Consequently, virtually almost every industry starts to explore ways to get themselves engage in the social media. Not surprisingly, Public relations also take advantage of social media to manage more effective communications between organizations and customers. There is no doubt that social media is going to play a big role in public relations. So, this report intends to provide best social media practice recommendations to public relations. The report mainly contains three sections, first of all, section one gives a brief overview of social media. Secondly, the key characteristics and affordances of social media are explained based on three social media platforms. Following, the third section provides the best social media practice for public relations.

2.0 Body

2.1 Overview of Social Media

Social media are generated and widespread used based on Internet. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein (Kaplan & Haenlein 2010, p.61) defines social media as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content”. In simple terms, social media is virtual communities and networks, in which people can create, make comments and change ideas and information. Social media utilize mobile-based and web-based information technologies to create highly interactive platforms (Wang 2011). With these social media platforms, individuals and organizations are able to engage in and interact with each other. Interactivity is the most essential feature of social media.

Besides interactivity, there are some other general features of social media, including accessibility, immediacy and permanence (Wang 2011). Interactivity refers social media is a two-way communication, it enables audiences to interact with them, such as making comments, audiences are able to highly interact with social media. Regarding to accessibility, general public can access social media easily, for instance, ordinary people can post their ideas and perspectives on social media (Borrino, Furini & Roccetti 2009). About immediacy, social media has capacity to make immediate reaction. In terms of permanence, social media is able to easily alter published production by re-editing or comments.

Because of these advantages, social media enables to help public relations to remove the gap between customers and them (Wright & Hinson 2008). However, social media is a double-edged sword, it also brings challenges to public relations industry. Following part is based on three real social media platforms to discuss and explain some specific characteristics and disadvantages of social media from public relations perspective.

2.2 Analysis of Social Media Affordances (based on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube)

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube shares two same advantages for public relations. First of all, the platforms provide by Twitter, Facebook and YouTube is free. It is one of the most favorable reasons why public relations use them as a new public relations tool (Wright & Hinson 2008). Secondly, all of them obtain grand scope users, which public relations can take huge advantage of. Twitter has over 519 million registered users across the world and 340 million posts every single day till 2013; over one billion users visit YouTube every month; and Facebook has more than a billion active users so far (TechCrunch 2013). Large number of users enables public relations to reach and connect with new audiences.

Beyond that, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook has own characteristics that can be used in public relations.

2.2.1 Twitter

Twitter was created as an online social media networks for users to post and read mini text contents. It has gained global popularity since it was first launched in 2006. Twitter now is no longer just a place for users to post or follow worthless information, it now has been used as a vital public relations tool.

•    Conversational Marketing

Twitter creates platforms for public relations practitioners to continuously interact with their customers in a casual way. They show their clients’ real face and voice to customers. The relaxed atmosphere that Twitter builds enables to effectively shorten distance between PR and customers. Conversational marketing is one of the most attractive characteristics of Twitter.

• Effective Feedback Channel

Compared with filling a feedback form, it is much easier and more comfortable for customers to give 140 characters feedback with Twitter. Public relations can receive the direct responses in time. So that allows public relations to figure out what are their customers really want.

• Case

An American cosmetic company makes great use of Twitter. It creates own brand channel on Twitter, so that their brand customers can get together. It is easy for company to release and promote new productions. Also, their customers in Twitter group can interact with each other, for instance, making production reviews and sharing some personal experiences. Customers’ good reviews are more effective than advertising (Zhi 2012). It is useful to maintain existed customers. On the other hand, Twitter’s immediacy and shareability spreads their productions’ information to other groups that with similar theme. It is useful to gain new customers.

• Challenges of Twitter

In Twitter’s world, bad news always travels faster than good news (Zhi 2012), which means the public relations’ mistake will be magnified and spreaded at lightning speed. Twitter makes public relations seem stupid more than ever.

2.2.2 YouTube

You Tube is the biggest video-sharing website, which publishes over 100 hours of videos in every single minute. It is a stage for ordinary people showcase their passionate about life. As YouTube is booming, it is has been leveraged by an increasing number of public relations to launch varieties of campaigns.

• Dynamic Video Content

Dynamic is a unique characteristic of YouTube compared with other two social media platforms-Twitter and Facebook. YouTube enables public relations to express “live” information. Dynamic video content is more eye-catching than word, also it helps audiences understand better of information with voice tone, gesture and music used in it. For instance, if a company intends to launch a social game campaign, it is much easier and more effective to explain the game flow and rules through a YouTube video. Furthermore, video content enables to show more sincerity. Hence, many public relations leverage YouTube to complete crisis management.

• Viral Effect

Because YouTube videos are easy to share, they can go viral just in a short time. That enables public relations to reach extensive audiences and increase the influence as well while they launch campaign.

• Case

A big global chain of fast food had received some questions and bad reviews about their food. In order to control this situation before it becomes a crisis, the public relations practitioner of this company made a series of videos to answer and explain some representative questions, and put them on YouTube. Millions of people viewed those videos within only a few days. The public relations of that company not only reply customers’ complaints, more importantly, they protect the company’s image with YouTube.

• Challenges of YouTube

YouTube allows anyone to leave subscribers under videos. It is hard to control what audiences think about the videos. If public relations post a video on YouTube, which audiences do no like, so they make negative comments. It may leads a crisis. Even worse, that may damages brand image.

Random advertisements before video is another challenge, public relations are not capable to control them. As a result, audiences may lose patient or interest to watch the video.

2.2.3 Facebook

Facebook is a social networking site with the largest number of users across the world (Brown 2008). Facebook creates a mature connecting network between person and person, organizations and person, organizations and organizations. The potential of Facebook for public relations is undeniable.

• Closer Relationship

Public relations are all about relationships, not only the relationships between organizations and customers, but also the relationships between public relations practitioners and media. Facebook is a good medium for public relations practitioners to build good relationships with media professions. For instance, linked with Facebook, PR practitioners can figure out what topics and angles that interest key journalists and bloggers. That will increase the PR practitioners’ opportunity to interact with these journalists and bloggers.

• Case

A current founder and president of a public relations firm shares some her experiences in her former life. When she was a practitioner of another PR firm, she built a close relationship with some editors and journalists by linking to their Facebook. She found out that it enables to remind journalists and editors of her, by constantly “like” the things done by them (Skerik 2011).

• Challenges

Public relations practitioners may feel chained to Facebook once they use it as a tool to keep in touch with key journalists and editors. They may check the information and respond to them all the time. It will be hard for PR practitioners to keep their work and personal life separate.

2.3 Best Practice Recommendations

• Always effectively use social media to turn a public relations crisis into an opportunity. It is unavoidable for a company to get negative feedback and complaint, even rumors. Public relations can easily reply complaint and counter rumors by explaining in an honest manner through social media. For instance, seriously clarifying why the things that customers complained happened and what measures you are going to take to rectify this situation. Customers will be moved by your sincerity. So your customers spread the positive reviews to their followers and friends, such as how your company value customers. As a result, your company will obtain public recognition as well as economic benefits. This is an accomplishment that any paid adverts could never reach. So social media can be used as a customer satisfaction management tool to protect brand and reputation from damaging.
• A significant recommendation to public relations practitioner, leveraging social media as a medium to keep interact with media professions, such as journalists, editors and producers. According to the recent data from PR Newswire Study, approximately 79% of all journalists use Facebook to search out potential stories in the first place. In addition, 64% percent and 58% percent of journalists like to collect stories’ resources respectly from Twitter and LinkedIn (PR Newswire 2010). Furthermore, the percentage of journalists using social media to write story is still growing. So the social media is going to be the latest trend for public relations practitioners to interact with media professions.
• Public relations practitioners should comprehensively research and analyze their target audiences before using social media. More specifically, PR practitioners have the responsibility to choose the appropriate social media platforms through classifying market. For example, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have been banned in China. So if their clients intend to launch a campaign to target Chinese customers. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube would be the wrong platforms, which are not able to reach Chinese customers effectively. Instead, PR practitioners are supposed to utilize the social media platforms that Chinese customers use, such as Weibo (a Chinese’s version of Twitter).
• Always keep an eye on information and contents that related to your clients on social media. Public relations practitioners should make some time to search of key words associated with their clients’ brand everyday. For example, if a public relations practitioner search for a cosmetic brand with “makeup” and “TV” on Twitter, he may find out a famous TV host is already a follower of his client on Twitter. So it will increase the possibility for his cosmetic client to cooperate with this celebrity.

3.0 Conclusion

As a conclusion, the characteristics and advantages of social media allow public relations practitioners to use it as an effective tool in public relations. Even though social media platforms exist different kinds of limitations, social media is able to minimize the limitations and generally provide better and more opportunities for PR practitioners to increase the brand awareness as well as maintain image of their clients. In a word, social media is going to be the latest trend in public relations industry.

 

 

 

Reference List

Borrino, R, Furini, M & Roccetti, M 2009, “Augmenting social media accessibility”, Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility, accessed 28^th March 2014 from <http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1535666>

Brown, R 2008, Public Relations and Social Web, e-book, accessed 28^th March 2014, <http://books.google.com.au/books >

comScore 2012, America, accessed 24^th March 2014, <http://www.comscore.com/Industries/Media>

Kaplan, A & Haenlein, M 2010, “Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media”, Business Horizons, vol.50, no.1, p.61

PR Newswire 2010, USA, United Kingdom, Canada, accessed 29^th March 2014, <http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/online-public-relations/&gt;

Qualman, E 2013, Socialnomics: how social media transforms the way we live and do business, e-book, accessed 24^th March 2014, <http://books.google.com.au/books>

Skeik, S 2011, Using Facebook for Public Relations, World Press, accessed 28^th March 2014,<http://blog.prnewswire.com/2011/08/09/facebook-for-public-relations/>

TechCrunch 2013, “Twitter passed 500M users in June 2013”, San Francisco, USA, accessed in 28^th March 2014, <www.techcrunch.com>

Wang, H 2011, “New Era of Social Media” Journal of Science and Technology, vol.37, no.2, pp.25-31 (in Chinese Language)

Wright, D & Hinson, D 2008, “How Blogs and Social Media Changing the Public Relations and the Way it Practice”, Public Relations Journal, vol.2, no.2, pp.42-63

Zhi, Z 2012, “How Twitter should be used in Public Relations”, Journal of Public Relations, vol.41, no.2, pp.45-52 (in Chinese Language)

End Rape Culture

This is an opinion piece to Miranda Devine, the Opinion Column editor of The Daily Telegraph.

After had a wonderful night out, 29-year old woman Jill Meagher walked home around the corner at 1.41 in the midnight. On the way home, she might thought back to the joyful moments she had just spent with her friends, or she might looked forward to snuggling up with her husband who was expecting her. But she will never expect that it would be the last night in her short life. Her body was found raped and murdered in the inner Melbourne six days later. While I read these news details, I felt so indignant and sympathy for victim, and I kept asking myself, why didn’t she ask her friends for a ride? Why didn’t she get her husband to pick her up? Why did she hang out with friend so late? All of a sudden, I felt ashamed of thinking so.

I found myself was in a rape cultural thinking process, which is blaming victim’s behavior but not criminal’s. Victim blaming is a typical aspect of rape culture. Rape culture is a feminist term, it refers to the public perceives rape and sexual assault as a common and prevalent issue with tolerate attitude. This unsavory culture normalizes the rape and sexual violence. Rape culture may increase the public’s tolerance of rape and other sexual violence, and indirectly leads a growth of rape crime eventually. So I think we should stop perpetuating rape culture.

Australia, and many other countries, people commonly blame rape victims for dressing inappropriately, drinking too much or walking in the dark. It is not unusual to hear people say, “It was partly her fault” in a rape crime. Even the police in Toronto half jokingly “reminds” women not to dress like a slut in order to not to be raped. How ridiculous is that? What the rapists are? Beast? A human being should know and have the capability to control his sexual desire. What female wear and how much they drink is absolutely not a reason for them to be raped.

Even worse, some rape victims become the target of public criticism in turn. Two American youth football players were charged with raping two teenager girls. Instead of concerning about the physical and mental health of two victims, Poppy Harlow, a reporter from CNN called the two victims career destroyers. Just because he believed that these two promising athletes are going to make difference of the world. But talented is not a reason of raping and escaping from justice. The individuals and media should stop excusing for any rapist in any way.

The myth of preventing rape is another aspect “contributes” to rape culture. Compared with victim blaming, myth of preventing rape is more like a result of long term subtle influencing. I as a girl was growing with mother’s nagging like, do not go out alone at night, if you have to, walk on more used paths. I dare say that no girl is unfamiliar with these nagging. People always tell female how should they wear, where should they go and whom should they associate with. So female should be alert and watch their back all the time. If they fail to follow the rules and been raped, it is all their fault. It is just so unfair to women, rapists are the one who are supposed to be taught how to control their sexual desire and respect women.

More ridiculously, now there are some anti-rape products come out to prevent women from sexual assaulting. The major function of these products is decreasing women’s sexually attractive. It is like saying rape or other sexual violence is nothing wrong if women did not protect themselves by reducing sexually attractive.

I think incomplete justice system of rape makes rape a small enough crime, so it is also considered as an aspect of rape culture that encourages rape and other sexual assault. According to the data from RAINN Network, only 3 rapists out of 100 will spend even a single day in prison, the rest 97 rapists will just walk free.

The UNSW Women Collective aware that the rape culture brings more injury than rape itself does. The public’s negative attitudes and “tolerant” law hurt the rape victims mentally. The UNSW Women Collective makes efforts to raise public awareness of rape culture. Even though the UNSW Women Collective is not able to cease the rape culture right way, but they are on their way to end it and they never stop.

Ending rape culture won’t be quick and easy, it cannot be accomplished overnight. But once it accomplished, I believe it will effectively decrease the rate of rape crime and change the public attitude to victims. It would be a great progress of human’s civilization.

“Homowives” tragedy in China

That Chinese woman is Xiao Yao, she is pretty but seems to lack confident, she sat beside her ex-husband and burst into tears in front of the camera when she recalled her 6-year unhappy marriage.

Both of Yao and her husband was raised in educated families in China, they were good-looking, they were all having a decent job when their friends tried to set them up in 1999, all their families and friends thought it is a perfect match between them, so did Yao herself. Even though she actually felt the man was not passionate on her, she has mistaken it as shy and nervous. However, there was nothing got better after they married in 2002, her husband was thoughtful and considerate for her, but she could not feel being loved because her husband was not willing to touch her, let alone had sexual life. She tried hard to be a perfect wife and couldn’t stop doubting her ability to attract men until she found her husband is a gay. Yao said she got into affliction to death when she saw her husband nudely chat online with a man secretly in the middle night, ‘it is like someone suddenly immerses my head in the water’. After got divorced, tears bathed her cheeks all day long, she could not figure it out and lost the confidence and courage to live. Till last two years, society and medias started to focus on the women married to gay men and defined them as ‘homowives’. Yao realized she is not the only woman who has suffered from homowives tragedy.

‘Homowives’ phenomenon is a phenomenon unique to China, homowives refer straight women married to gay men. ‘Homowives’ is a concealed but large group, according to the estimate of sexologist and gay rights supporter – professor Zhang Beichuan, there is over 20 million male homosexual in China and 80% of them would marry women, so there is over 16 million homowives exist in China. These women are trapped in loveless marriages, they waste their affections and time on homosexual husband in their best years. Can you imagine how pathetic of these women? Because I think they were supposed to be loved and cared just like our mother and every loved woman in happy family. But have you ever thought about what causes ‘homowives’ tragedy?

The origin of existing ‘homowives’ phenomenon is the discrimination and prejudice against homosexual in China’s society. Even though Chinese people have a more tolerant attitude towards homosexuality, it is still a taboo subject in China. As a result of relatively low openness degree of Chinese society and traditional habits, homosexual orientation are seen as a sexual orientation that seriously departure from traditional morals. Especially for old generation, homosexuality is unacceptable. Discrimination and prejudice against homosexuality comes from the ignorance and misunderstanding, but it is because these discriminations and prejudice, an overwhelming majority of male homosexual choose stay in the closet, marry women and live a so-called ‘normal’ life. In some way, wives are only their tools to cover their real identity. Under that circumstance, eliminating discrimination and prejudice against homosexuality is the only way to solve ‘homowives’ issue, argues Hu Zhijun, executive director of the China chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

Yao now is running a “homowives’ family” non-profit website with some other homowives, they aim to gather power to help more ‘homowives’ victims. The website intends to let more people know and understand homowives group through rational publicizing homosexual and homowives’ knowledge, also provides psychological consultation and legal aid to homowives, eventually assist these women to escape the ‘homowives’ shadow. Yao said there is nothing to do with social responsibility, she just hopes everything she is doing now can avoid the repeat of ‘homowives’ tragedy.

It is tough being celebrity

A radio host has slammed media reporting of celebrities as ‘pathetic’, saying that their experiences are similar to those of ordinary people and that they deserve some privacy.

On the 28th March 2014, a famous Chinese actor, Wen Zhang was exposed as having an affair with his co-star Yao Di on the Chinese TV drama Naked Marriage.

Because Wen Zhang has always presented an image of a good family man to audiences, the public found it is difficult to accept his extramarital affair.

Two days later, Wen Zhang posted a letter on his Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) to apologize to his wife and the general public.

The apology letter received 2.5 million comments within ten hours and it generated heated discussions.

A variety of entertainment media stationed their paparazzi to spy and take photos of Wen Zhang and his wife.

Some journalists even tried to get current information about Wen Zhang’s wife from her father.

Xu Xiaoli, an entertainment radio host from China, explains why media are so obsessed with revealing celebrities’ private lives.

“It is all about audiences, and media live to serve audiences. The publics’ morbid curiosity drives paparazzi to pry into the depth of celebrities’ private life,” she said.

After the affair had been exposed, the newspapers and websites are full of different versions of stories and speculations about this affair, and some of them are really harsh.

The story has been followed closely among overseas Chinese.

“I think Wen’s wife deserve some privacy at this moment, it is hard for her. Wen Zhang needs some spaces as well, even though he did something he is not proud of, he needs space to clear his mind.” Liang Zhe, a student from ABS of UNSW said.

While everyone is guessing how things will go, Wen Zhang’s wife responded in her Weibo, “Being in love is easy, being married is not, cherish what you have at the moment”.

STOP PHUBBING

Wake up, Phubbers. See what you have missed.

Phubbing is a new invented word stands for “phone and snubbing”, slang for snubbing others in social setting while engrossed in a phone. Phubbing is “not uncommon”. On the contrary, it becomes a social phenomenon as mobile phone and network developing. According to Gerard’s research, mobile phone subscription has experienced a dramatic development all over the world, for instance, the number of mobile phone subscription in China increased from 3.6 million to over 895 million in 15 years from 1995 to 2010 (Goggin, 2013). In addition, the convenience switch between wireless network and fixed broadband emerged in 1990s and grows rapidly afterward (Goggin, 2013). Moreover, widely used of wireless network enriches the enjoyment of mobile phone, especially the smart phone. Therefore, mobile phone and network development laid the foundation of emergence of phubbing.

Are you a phubber? Or have you ever been phubbed by your phubber friends? People feel being phubbed in the following situations.

l   Friends keep checking phone while you are talking or your friends start to reply text and email in your mid-conversation.

l   Friends perfunctorily respond you “Oh, really? That’s interesting. Oh, really?” and then back to their phone while you are hanging out.

l   Kids drown themselves in their phones when families celebrate happy time together.

l   Friends prefer make comment on your Facebook post rather than talk to you face to face even though you are in the same room.

People are easily been irritated by phubbers, but they did not realize they also play phubber role sometimes. Phubbing is a symptom of our increasing reliance on mobile phone and it can hurt the relations between friends as well as increase the interpersonal distance. Under that circumstance, in 2013, Britain launched a “STOP PHUBBING” campaign in Australia aims to draw people attention on phubbing phenomenon in society and tries to clear that phenomenon eventually. Before the campaign launched, campaign creator began with an in-depth investigation of phubbing situation in Britain and then released the research results. According to the research, “A third of Britons polled by YouGov have admitted to being phubbers”, 3% of respondents spend more than five hours of a day on looking at their phones (Ellicott, 2013). The survey also shows that 27% of them would answer the phone or reply the text in the face-to-face conversation, a third respondents admit they would answer the phone in the restaurant and most of them do not mind use phones while being served (Ellicott, 2013).

Given this discord, “STOP PHUBBING” campaign group develop a series of measures and relevant posters and encourage people to download the posters, support the Stop Phubbing movement. For people who own a restaurant or pub or customer service company, Stop Phubbing campaign group hope you can encourage your customers to switch off the phone, enjoy the amazing food and service, make the real connection with people surround you.

For people who would like phubbers know they are not welcome come, Stop Phubbing campaign group design the decal for them.

Stop Phubbing campaign group even create the “stop phubbing ”wedding card for brides and grooms to stop phubbers checking their own status on other people’s big day.

This is really an innovative campaign, and it will successfully forbid mobile phone replace the normal social interaction if everyone supports.

I am in, I refuse to be a phubber and I promise stop phubbing from this moment on.

Reference List

Goggin, G 2013, “Changing Media with Mobiles”, A Companion to New Media Dynamics London, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pp.193-208

Ellicott, C 2013, “Are you a phubber? Campaign launched to stop smartphone addicts snubbing others by checking their mobiles”, viewed 16^th September 2013,

<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2384397/Are-phubber-Campaign-launched-stop-smartphone-addicts-snubbing-checking-mobiles.html?ito=feeds-newsxml&gt;

Who should I trust?

I am not blogging around Samsung product commercial, I put this funny clip on the top of this blog is just because it is precisely expressing my personal feeling about today’s online media, which is you can never know the authentic thing behind the information provided online, it is irresponsible and trustless. In other word, it is difficult for online audiences to tell which information and story merits their trust. And I attribute this phenomenon on excessive development of online media. Online media changes the traditional information dissemination model and also sets a stage for ordinary people to share and spread their own thoughts and information. However, as the saying goes, every coin has two sides, this is also applies to online media. With the rapid development of online media, an increasing number of celebrities, professional people and even ordinary people participate in online media. For instance, some parenting specialist teach primary parenting techniques online through their blogs, and some beauty experts create particular sites to pass their beauty experience to their audiences. I have to say these free online information are convenient for audiences, but how reliable and useful those information are, because no one can verify their authenticity.

I used to believe all or most of the information I saw from online media, the reason why I started to question its reliability is because I have personally experienced the sufferings brought by fake information that online media provided.

The first one is a tragedy happened on myself. I used to enjoy trying the online health and beauty tips that been widely reposted. Once, I saw a thousands-reposted blog telling how to use salt-contained water to clean your intestine. It provided very detailed procedures and some practical experience as well, it looks so effective. So I decided to clean my intestine according to that method. The primary procedure of that method is drinking four liters water that contains salt in two hours. I was supposed to eliminate the stool during drinking salt-contained water, but I did not, so I did not stop drinking until I felt dizzy and nausea. I felt regret about I did not drink them all and I insisted that results intestine method ineffective. I did not realize that intestine clean method is harmful until a doctor told me that drinking large amounts salt-contained water in short time would easily cause toxic reaction. I was really angry because of original blogger’s irresponsible behavior, also, I worried about the audiences who have tried this method. This experience was not only hurt my body, but also collapsed the online credibility that I always believed.

The second unreliable online information I have seen is about one of my closest friend. He was a normal university student with ordinary background, but his life was influenced badly over a period of time because of a fake entertainment online news. That breaking news intended to uncover the son of a famous actor in China, but my friend’s photos have been attached by mistake due to my friend has the same name with that actor’s son. After that, a large number of my friend’s photos have been published, almost are stolen from his social network. After I saw what my friend had suffered, I started to doubt that how many news I saw online was real, because I cannot see the truth behind the news just like the other audiences would never know that my friend had been exposed wrongly.

From an ethical perspective, ensuring the information’s authenticity is a great responsibility that each online information provider should carry out (Hayes, Singer & Ceppos, 2007). But there are still some online information providers ignore the ethic, because they do not care what effect they will bring to audiences and people involved in published materials. That is an extremely irresponsible behavior. It even caused a crisis of confidence about online media. According to a recent survey from American various local and national media, less than 30% of the respondents believed all or most of what it reported, and over 18% of respondents believed nothing (Pew Research Center, 2006b). The respondents and me have the same confusion about online media, anything I can trust? Who should I trust?

I think it is a high time to strictly regulate the online media as well as information providers, and regain the trust from audiences.

Reference List

Hayes, AS, Singer, JB and Ceppos, J 2007, ‘Shifting Roles, Enduring Values: The Credible Journalist in the Digital Age’, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, vol.22, no.4, pp.262-79

Pew Research Center for the People and Press 2006, Online papers modestly newspaper readership: No outlet stands out as most reliable, viewed 13rd August 2013, <http://people-press.org/reports/display.phy3?PageID&gt;

Comparison Study of Online Media Users’ Participative Activity between China and USA

According to Meikel states in News 2.0, Internet consumers’ participation becomes one of the key characteristics of online media development, which means online media allows users to participate in the news process, for instance, some online medias offer modest opportunities for audiences to publish their own ideas (Meikel, 2009). Especially, the online social media like Facebook provides users with more extensive space to take part in online media (Meikel, 2009).

Today, I am going to compare the online media participative activity of Chinese Internet consumers with American Internet consumers according to American Netpop Research. (Data and charts are from Netpop Research)

First of all, I will illustrate the overall Internet background of both countries. Compared with USA, China obtains larger number and younger Internet users group, which also have relatively higher education and participative activity. Moreover, there are approximately 411 million broadband users over age 13 in China and only 169 million broadband users over age 13 in USA.

Micro blog experiences a dramatic growth both in two countries since 2009, for instance, Twitter in USA becomes a dominant online social network. But, a large number of online social networks emerge and develop rapidly in China. Under that circumstance, two out of every five Internet users in China contribute content for online media constantly, but only one out of every ten USA Internet users do the same thing. However, the evaluating feedback of main social sites in USA received from American social sites users is generally higher than the evaluation of Chinese social sites from Chinese Internet users (except Twitter).

Facebook is currently one of the most popular online social sites in USA, but in China, a video sharing website called Youku.com with most active users’ participation has been rated in the number on the top 10 social site in China. Additionally, video sharing site occupies both first and second place in Chinese top 10 online social sites.

Furthermore, “content contributors” in Chinese online social media is three times as many as participators involved in USA online social media. More specifically, over 90% of Chinese Internet users have contributed content to online media, includes blogging, upload video or actively participate in other ways. However, there is only 73% of USA Internet consumers have participated in online media.

Regarding of brand advertising, the number of Chinese Internet users who voluntarily reach brand advertising through online social sites is triple than USA Internet consumers who would like to reach the brand advertising by social sites.

Overall, Chinese Internet users have higher participative activity in online social networks than USA Internet users. There are two main reasons can explain this situation.

First reason is the consumers’ psychology. USA Internet users would like to utilize online social media for conducting business, increasing reputation and hunting jobs. Oppositely, Chinese online social sites consumers more like to spend spare time through online entertainments.

Secondly, Chinese online content contributors have less online privacy conception than USA online consumers do. According to the Netpop Research, USA online users start to pay attention on online privacy vulnerability from 25 years old, but Chinese Internet users would not pay attention on online privacy vulnerability until 35.

Less online privacy conception and more leisure online time leads to a relatively higher consumers’ participation of online media in China than USA.

Reference List

http://www.netpopresearch.com/custom-research

Tencent QQ – An Emotional Sustenance

I read an article about social network sites written by Boyd and Ellison. The authors elaborated the definition, history and scholarship of social network sites through analyzing some particular social network site, such as SixDegree, Friendster and Facebook. Social network sites (SNS) grow dramatically since Internet developing and users’ demands increasing, as a result, Social network sites become a big part of daily life today because of its accessibility and interest (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). It reminds me of the development of Tencent QQ, which is the most popular social network site with the largest number of users in China Mainland (McLeod, 2006). Tencent QQ is definitely a user-oriented social network site, it combines almost attractive features of social network into one site. I do not judge the copy complains that Tencent QQ received from its opponents, the purpose of blog is letting you know how Tencent QQ survived in competitive social network industry and becomes one of the most successful social network sites in China.

Tencent QQ was inspired by ICQ (I seek you) and firstly launched in China Mainland in 1998. The logo of Tencent is an overweight but rather cute penguin wearing red scarf. It was promoted as a free instant messenger, users can search people according to QQ account and chat with each other through client side. Tencent QQ attracted approximately one million users at the very start because it provided people a totally new online chat model with low limitation and high accessibility (Tencent Enterprise Archives, 2013). However, an increasing number of early Tencent QQ adopters quit from 1999 due to they found nothing to do but chat. Tencent QQ suffered a heavy loss. It is similar with the failure of SixDegree, which mentioned in Boyd and Ellison’s book. The blankness of early-stage social network site killed the SixDegree, because its users complained there was very little thing to do after add new friends (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Thus it can be seen that attractiveness is essential to a social network site. Under that circumstance, Tencent QQ started to develop additional entertainment applications based on original version. From 2001 to 2005, it successively launched QQ Game, QQ space, QQ music and some other entertainment applications. Tencent QQ users are able to experience diversity of recreations in just one social network site. In addition, Tencent QQ paid attention on some really detailed things that may fascinate users. For instance, it designed various of personalized avatars for users, it is easy for users to tell friends’ online status by different status of avatars. Except that, Tencent QQ server will always retain the added friends while users changing devices. Also, it created the QQ space for users to share photos, journals and mood with friends. More importantly, the additional face to face talking function of Tencent QQ provides users a chance to talk with friends and families from distantly. As an oversea student, Tencent QQ makes me feel close to my family while I am thousands of miles away. Consequently, these efforts assisted Tencent QQ in attracting over 300 million users and increasing business growth approximately 1398% from 2001 to 2005 (Tencent Enterprise Archives, 2013). Up to this day, there is no detailed data shows the accurate number of Tencent QQ users, but to almost of the Chinese Internet users, logging on Tencent QQ is the first thing after starting the computer.   Tencent QQ believes that users’ demands are like the essence of life: subtle, dull but need intensive care.

The development history of Tencent QQ likes a fairy tale, gains great success after hitting the bottom. However, the success of Tencent QQ is not an accident, expect its unyielding spirit, Tencent QQ pays close attention on users. It changes itself into an emotional sustenance rather than a profitable social network provider and takes care of users subtly, which is the key reason that why Tencent QQ obtians the solid users foundation and gains success eventually.

Reference List

Boyd, D. & Ellison, N. 2007, “Social network sites: Definition, history and scholarship”, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol.13, pp.210-230

McLeod, D. 2006, “QQ Attracting eyeballs”, Financial Mail, p.36, Retrieved July 30, 2007 from LexisNexis

Tencent Enterprise Archives, viewed 1^st August 2013, < http://app.tech.ifeng.com&gt;