The Chinese Splinternet

We think of the Internet as one large network. Technically, that is true since the Internet literally means the connected network of computer systems. The software that runs on it (websites, apps etc) is called the web. In reality, most people mean websites and apps when they use the term “Internet”.

 

In his book on the Chinese app named WeChat, The First Superapp, Kevin Shimota says it might be more accurate to define the Internet as the consolidation of services and information that are made accessible through a digital device (PC, phone, tablet). This, in fact, is how most of think of it today.

 

Initially, the Internet was almost entirely in English, he says. But as it began to spread, its diversity increased. Which brings us to the term, “splinternet” – a part of the Internet formed by splintering from the global Internet.

 

In China’s case, he says most of the content is in Chinese. Most Chinese don’t know English, and so don’t bother to access the rest of the Internet. Further, China has always been isolated historically from most of the world, and isolating themselves even with the Internet was almost, er, natural.

 

The above-mentioned factors apply for many countries across the world, but China has one more factor – its enormous size. By population, economy and geography. Thus, there was more than enough content, consumers and money for the Chinese splinternet to grow and be self-sustaining. And lastly, China’s history of interactions with outsiders had almost ended badly, be it with the Mongols, the West (Opium wars, loss of Hong Kong) or Japan (World War II atrocities), which means most Chinese don’t look positively at the rest of the world.

“This protectionist attitude contributes directly to China’s digital segregation.”

 

During the early days of the Internet, by 1998, China had created the “Golden Shield Project” to block and censor content it deemed illegal. It later came to be called the “Great Firewall of China” by the outside world. Domestic and foreign companies operating in China have to block and delete content deemed offensive. Many Western companies were put off by such measures, and left. Others wanted to stay but struggled to adjust to Chinese legal requirements. Such gaps created opportunities for Chinese companies to fill; and the government actively supported domestic efforts.

 

Thus, the splinternet has resulted in Chinese behemoths in the tech industry tailored for China. It also meant that just as foreign digital companies struggled to adjust to China, Chinese tech companies struggle when they try to expand outside China, Tik Tok being the lone exception…