Current Events #7: Can China Hold Back the Tide?

You have not converted a man because you have silenced him. --John Morley

I found an interesting article in The Guardian this week about how the government in China, worried about political crises in the Middle East and the Occupy movement in North America, is stepping up censorship of social media.

To provide some background regarding the rising popularity of social networking in China, here is a short video about Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter:



The Chinese government's negative reaction to the power of social media provides stark contrast to our own approach.

Considering the rising education levels of the people in China, I wonder: Can the Chinese government hold back the tide?

References

Branigan, Tania. (2011, October 26). China to step up social media censorship. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/26/china-social-media-censorship

TheCorpCont. (2011, July 21). Charles in charge (of China's social media)-- the Mark Zuckerberg of China [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo5_px2m8qk