China top of the world for microblogs

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, October 2, 2012
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China top of the world for microblogs.[File photo]

China top of the world for microblogs.[File photo]

China has the world's largest number of microbloggers, according to the latest report on the country's new media development.

The annual report, published by the Social Sciences Academic Press, quoted the China Internet Network Information Center as saying that about 274 million Chinese people had microblog accounts as of June this year.

The number increased sharply from about 63 million in 2010, said the report issued by a team of social sciences experts headed by Yin Yungong, director of the Institute of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Microblogging has become an important channel for Chinese people to express themselves, particularly about public issues, it said.

It has also become an easy and low-cost communication channel between the government and citizens, the report said.

Social networks have begun to set the agenda of public opinion and affected public emotions in some incidents, such as the high-speed train crash near Wenzhou, in east China's Zhejiang Province, in July last year, the report said.

Governments have realized the influence of social networks and put more effort in working with them, it said.

Research by the report's authors from July to December last year showed that the authorities responded to about 71.9 percent of issues that were widely discussed by microbloggers and 50.4 percent were within 24 hours.

However, the report warned that legislation related to new media has lagged behind their development. There is still no law specializing on the Internet and many related articles in existing laws need revision, it added.

The number of Internet users in China rose 10.9 percent year on year to 538 million by the end of June, meaning that four out of 10 Chinese can access the Internet.

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