America is concerned about social media. China is, too

THERE SEEMS to be no end to official anxiety over social media in America. The idea that TikTok, a popular Chinese app, might be used as a tool of Communist Party propaganda has terrified politicians. On March 13th the House of Representatives passed a bill that would force the platform’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app or else face a ban in America. Five days later the Supreme Court heard a case over the Biden administration’s requests that social-media companies remove posts containing misinformation. Both stories speak to the power of these firms, which play an enormous role in disseminating news and guiding opinions.

That is no less true of social media in China. The party long ago banned American-owned sites such as Facebook, X and YouTube. But China’s own versions have filled the gap. Like their American counterparts, they have evolved into broad media platforms. A survey in 2022 found that 46% of Chinese get their news from short-video apps such as Douyin, the domestic form of TikTok which has about 740m active monthly users (China’s population is 1.4bn). Another third or so catch up while perusing platforms like Weibo, an X-like site owned by a company called Sina. Many also look to WeChat, a messaging app from Tencent which has 1.3bn users.