Chinese youth are increasingly turning to online media rather than traditional offline media in China. On social media and the internet, youth find a diversity of voices, influences, and cultural experiences that are restricted in offline media which is strictly controlled by the government. They use social media to learn, discuss social issues, find communities, and explore new styles and identities in ways that empower them to shape their own culture rather than just accept one version promoted by traditional media. While online connection is important, youth still desire bringing these online cultural experiences into real life offline gatherings and communities.

1. Chinese Youth and Digital Media:
ONLINE CHINA
vs.
OFFLINE CHINA
by Jay Mark Caplan
and Iris Bian photo by

2. In China, online channels are growing fast.
• 485 million users online
• Almost 277 million mobile Internet users
• Microblog platform Weibo launched January 2010
By October 2010, 50 million users
By May 2011, 140 million users
• E- commerce platform Taobao has 370 million active users

3. We all know online channels are important in China.
But what do these channels mean to Chinese youth?

4. In China, online media is not another channel.
Online media is another culture.
In this report, we give some examples
of how online China is different from offline China,
and how online China is where youth are finding themselves.

5. OFFLINE
China is harmonious
with one version of the truth

6. ONLINE
China is being created
by diverse voices

7. The Internet is restricted in China, but there is still plenty of room for youth to
share information, influences, and expression.
Social media introduces conflicting voices, and gives youth a voice of their
own to narrate the story of China as they see it. This has given them new
power to create change for themselves and their culture. These changes are
rarely reflected in traditional media, however, where there the story of China
is still controlled by one voice.
For many Chinese youth, Weibo microblogs now represents the most trusted
media, a digital public where they are free to figure things out for themselves.

8. 140 MILLION MICROBLOGS
SPREADING INFORMATION
(faster than it can be erased)

9. SOCIAL JUSTICE
Increasingly conscious of social welfare issues,
Chinese youth are engaging more in social
participation. The most popular way is to speak out
online, creating awareness to incite change.
On July 23 2011, a high speed train crash
occurred just outside Wenzhou. The provincial
government tried to pass legislation to keep the
families of victims from claiming compensation.
This sparked a heated debate online, many youth
expressing shock at the reaction.
26 million messages shared on Weibo
forced officials to back down.

10. “Nothing is reliable anymore. I feel like I can’t even believe the weather
forecast. Is there anything that we can still trust?”
- Weibo user commenting on
official response to July 2011
Wenzhou high speed rail crash

11. CULTURE EDUCATION
The freedom of the digital public
is not just about social justice.
Chinese youth use social media
to learn about all kinds of topics
mainstream society doesn’t
want to talk about, like sexuality.
In April 2010, 150000 Chinese
jumped China’s Great Firewall
because they found out Japanese
porn star Sola Aoi had started
an account on Twitter.

12. OFFLINE
Chinese pop culture
is for the whole family

13. ONLINE
Chinese pop culture
is young and daring

14. These days, when Chinese youth watch TV,
most of the time it’s with their parents.
Chinese TV, film, and music industries have to obey strict rules, and the result
is fun and fluffy content. Traditional media (and pop stars) are still really
popular, but rarely reflect the important tensions that this generation of
Chinese youth are going through.
To watch the shows they care about most, to find the media that defines their
generation, Chinese youth go online.
(There are a couple of important exceptions, but bear with us.)

15. MY GENERATION’S MEDIA
In 2010, the viral video news of the year
was a 40- minute film called ‘Old Boys.’
The story of regretful twenty- something
Chinese guys reclaiming their dream
touched on the core cultural tensions
Chinese youth are struggling with,
realities that mainstream TV and movies
have failed to express. The film attracted
over 36 million hits on Youku alone.
‘Old Boys’ was branded content,
part of an independent film project
sponsored by Chevrolet called
Bright Eleven.

16. “In China young people are fighting in
school, falling in love, a lot of things that
this country is not willing to let you say.
This has killed a lot of good work.
Our country may not allow people to
march, but now there are entire parades
online, we can march on the Internet.
For film it’s tremendous, we can go right
to the public. The Internet is a tool of
unprecedented change in this country.”
- Xiao Yang, director of Old Boys

17. Another short film from the Bright Eleven
project, Miss Puff’s Goldfish Bowl, has
now become a popular web series.
Miss Puff is a sexy young woman
smoking cigarettes and looking for love
in the consumer playground of Beijing.
Miss Puff represents the affluent
urban lifestyle many Chinese
youth yearn for.

18. What about mainstream idols?
Social media is changing what Chinese
youth expect from the stars they love too.
To the left is Yao Chen, a Chinese sitcom
star famous for being pretty and funny.

19. Yao Chen’s microblog has
11,412,977 followers, where
she comments on social
issues like forced relocation
and beggar children.
Today, Chinese youth want honesty
and guidance from their idols.
And they know if they want to
connect with the real person behind
the image, they have to go online.

20. WESTERN INFLUENCE
One of the most influential shows for
Chinese youth is the American sitcom
The Big Bang Theory.
For years, Chinese youth used social
media to share subtitled and high- res
episodes, and trade gossip on the cast.
Demand got so high, online video site
Sohu.com bought the rights to the show.
For Season 4, episodes of The Big Bang
Theory attract an average of 130,000
views on Sohu, and many more youth
download the episodes direct.

21. Grey’s Anatomy, Skin, and Gossip Girl
have all grown hugely popular in China,
all without traditional media presence.
So what kind of influence do these shows have?

22. Quote from SNS fan page:
“Geek means dirty glasses and
computers?? That’s out!
Now, SMART is the new sexy!
(My email below,
let’s all share TBBT)”

23. Online media is more than another
entertainment option.
It’s a flood of new cultural influences
helping Chinese youth find their own
values and lifestyles.
And when Chinese youth become
fans of a culture online...

24. ... they want to bring the culture
into their world and buy the style.

25. OFFLINE
Chinese style
is created by marketers

26. ONLINE
Chinese style
is chosen by Chinese youth

27. How many glossy fashion magazine ads does it take
to understand an entire culture?
Chinese youth are enthusiastic consumers of global style,
but they often aren’t clear what they are buying into. They lack the cultural
context to understand the meaning of styles and brands, and what they get
from advertising and marketing is not enough.
With social media, Chinese youth can learn much more to help them figure
out what styles mean: who wears it, what lifestyle is associated with it, and
how to put it all together for themselves.
Online, it’s not marketers creating meaning, it’s youth sharing and
discussing among themselves. And with the vast, fast, and cheap selection
of apparel available on China’s largest e- commerce platform Taobao,
Chinese youth are going right from social media stories to online purchase.

28. 800 MILLION PRODUCT LISTINGS
CREATING NEW CHOICES
AND NEW CULTURAL MEANING

29. The Tiny Chilis write a daily style blog
that influences millions of young
Chinese women, “the daily must- read
white-collar dressing bible.”
They are very detailed and instructive
about their outfits, and tell lots of stories
about the lifestyle that matches the look.
The Tiny Chilis are examples of the new
social media style icons providing
useful, relatable, and intimate guidance
Chinese youth are using to develop
their personal style.

30. It’s not just bloggers getting in on the act.
Tons of Chinese youth take photos of their outfits, or
just collect photo albums they find to share with
friends through SNS. Liu Shuai is a ‘sharing star’ on
popular social network site Renren. One day in
May 2011, he posted 240 photo albums about
clothing and makeup. He has had almost 93,000
visitors to his page.
These widely shared SNS photo albums often
connect directly to online stores, and many online
retailers are youth themselves selling stuff they like.
Online, customers and retailers are more
like friends sharing.

31. Sometimes SNS style influence even has
an impact on production.
Industrious Chinese fashionistas are using online
forums and e- commerce to connect with factories
and order counterfeit designer styles they want.
Just check out Hers.com, a popular fashion and
beauty forum with hundreds of threads devoted to
factory petitions, like this one for Freja Meha’s
Balenciaga biker jacket.
Youth are using social media to team up
and get what they want together!

32. OFFLINE
Chinese youth
rarely make new friends

33. ONLINE
Chinese youth
meet kindred spirits

34. Most Chinese youth are uncomfortable making new
friends at public events. For them it’s much easier to
meet people who share the same interests online.
Youth communities like Dourun Running Club use social
media network Douban to make their events more open
and accessible. Many Chinese youth head to Douban
specifically to find interest groups they can join, even
if it’s not their main SNS.

35. Of course, all that online
discovery and connection
is because youth really want
to get outside, get together,
and go for a great run!
No social media campaign
can replace that experience.

36. ONLINE
Youth are questioning the social status quo
and starting to take action
Youth are embracing diverse influences
and discovering new interests
Youth are exploring new choices
and searching for personal meaning

37. ONLINE
WAY MORE VOICES
WAY MORE CHOICES
AND YOUTH RELYING ON EACH OTHER
TO MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL

38. BUT
ONLINE
IS NOT
ENOUGH!

39. For Chinese youth the Internet is a space
with the freedom to explore, express themselves,
and find others who care about the same things they do.
The big dream is bringing that culture offline!
For brands, digital can help tell the story,
but more important is bringing culture and community
into the lives of Chinese youth.

40. IT’S ABOUT
CONNECTION

41. Thanks!
China Youthology
Brand-Youth Connection Consultancy
No. 23, Chaibang Hutong, Andingmennei Street,
Dong Cheng District, Beijing 23
email: jay.caplan@chinayouthology.com
www.chinayouthology.com
www.openyouthology.com