Description
My need is to help me change and improve my thesis, especially in structure and content, I will provide all the information needed, thank you very much for your help!
Unformatted Attachment Preview
1
Hedy Chen
Writing 2
Korey Bell
28 November 2023
Negative Effects of China’s Rapid Internet Development
Statista, an online platform for data collection and visualization, one piece of data shows
that, “Currently, China has more than 1 billion online users compared to only 311 million
Americans(Statista 2). Misiek Piskorski, a PhD from Harvard University and an expert in platform
strategy, according to Piskoski, 650 million Chinese only used the Internet in 2015. In her article
“How internet connectivity has changed people’s lives in China”, Mengqi Xu, a strategic
correspondent for CGTN’s website platform, mentions that 854 million individuals were using the
Internet, with up to 99% of them using mobile devices to access services since 2019 (Mengqi X
2019). According to the claims made by Piskoski and Mengqi, the Chinese people adore the
Internet due to the crucial changes it has brought to their commercial landscape. Since most of
the country’s population is connected to the Internet, numerous businesses have found it much
easier to reach their target demographic. Besides, the Internet allows people to stay connected
through social media platforms. Interestingly, the Internet has enabled impoverished rural
communities to tackle languishing poverty because they can sell their wares in larger and more
profitable markets (Piskorski, 2015). The proliferation and success of enterprises in China’s
transportation and financial sectors can be directly attributed to the Internet’s presence in China.
Therefore, my primary concentration for this task will be the positive impact of increased internet
consumption in China. In addition, I want to demonstrate the negative impact of China’s rapidly
expanding internet infrastructure. Internet usage is profitable when used for the proper purposes.
2
It could be very destructive if misused, leading to detrimental outcomes not only to individuals but
also to society at large.
Why the Chinese Love the Internet
According to Piskorski (2015), there are nine main reasons why people in China enjoy
using the Internet. First, the Internet allows businesses to expand their consumer base since it
removes obstacles, such as the need for costly advertising in offline media, which in most cases is
regulated by the government, hence making it costly. Also, the Internet has emerged as the most
important source of information since a substantial portion of the Chinese population now spends
more time online than in front of the television. Further, a significant portion of the Chinese
populace that uses the Internet adores it because of the opportunities it presents for producing
content and disseminating that information to a big audience. Some of the opportunities offered
by the Internet include access to knowledge, which has helped the Chinese to access higher-paying
jobs, become effective in the digital workforce, and develop new skills. Notably, the Internet has
made information easily updated and accessed quickly. Unlike printed materials, the Internet has
allowed information to reach a wider audience.
Mengqi (2019) asserts that the Chinese people admire the Internet for the positive changes
it has brought about in society. By 2019, most individuals living in China’s major cities and towns
had embraced the new technology and digital payment methods. This was one notable effect of
the Internet. People and organizations shifted their reliance away from cash and toward mobile
payment applications to conduct numerous transactions quickly. In addition, the Internet made it
possible for large numbers of people to escape poverty by expanding the market reach of
enterprises located in rural areas. Tao Kong, an expert from the Institute of Digital Finance at
Peking University’s Institute for Social Science Research, writes in her article “Digitally Down to
3
the Countryside: Fintech and Rural Development in China”, states that in 2016, for instance,
Chinese mobile payments surpassed $US 790 billion thanks to the capacity of rural enterprises to
offer financial services cheaply and virtually (Kong, 3). The explosive growth was 11 times more
than that of the US. Evidently, the Internet allowed delivery service providers to solve most of the
transportation issues experienced by businesses in villages. Also, the pervasiveness of the Internet
allowed the Chinese public to view products within remote areas as inhabitants made goods that
suited the desires of the city dwellers. This resulted in a financial bonanza as people discovered
the unique things they could buy from the content creators, who benefited financially due to the
increased demand for their goods.
The growth and spread of the Internet in China have been of great benefit to both the nation
as a whole and its citizens. It has facilitated the tremendous growth of enterprises and services,
leading to new markets and massive employment, thus bettering their financial situations. The
Internet is an essential tool for the Chinese government to eradicate poverty. In addition, the
Internet has widened the communication space, enabling individuals to circumvent the local media
business and voice their ideas through several online content types, such as web articles and videos.
However, despite the benefits of internet usage in China, several issues have been linked to its use,
as discussed in the section below.
Internet Addiction
High internet usage as a result of rapid internet infrastructure development in China has
been linked to increased internet addiction that has caused adverse effects on individuals and
businesses as well. Yang-Yang Li MD, PhD, an expert from the National Institute of Drug
Dependence at Peking University, mentioned that, also, the lengthy lockdowns in China during
the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Chinese people (Li, 2). Because most individuals were
4
confined to their homes, an increase in internet addiction occurred because the Internet was the
only means of interaction and source of information from around the world. The government’s
policy to contain the pandemic restricted people’s movement, thus forcing them to spend much of
their time on the Internet. The sudden change left people lonely, and the majority were left with
no other choice but to interact with digital devices for a longer time than usual, hence increasing
the risk of internet addiction. As a result, high internet usage in China has led to a shift in the
structure of society, which impacts how people connect with their families and one another.
Moreover, recent research has indicated that the majority of people living in China need to
spend a significant amount of time online in order to improve their social lives. Yongqiang Sun
from the School of Economics, Beijing University for Nationalities, in his article “The impact of
internet use on residents’ happiness in China” emphasized that as well as their mental health and
their potential for happiness (Sun, 42). In addition, the research underlined the necessity for people
who use the Internet to learn how to use it effectively for work, education, and social relationships
by limiting the amount of time they spend on their electronic devices and social networking
websites. It brought to light the necessity of cultivating offline social capital while simultaneously
expanding an online network that can improve one’s social and economic standing.
Online Fraud
As internet penetration and growth increased in China, vices like online and telecom fraud
increased. As a result, the Chinese government enacted a telecom and online fraud law in 2022
after establishing an agency to assist in comprehending and preventing new crimes. This law is
intended to combat the rise of vices like online and telecom fraud. Chinese cybercriminals have
millions of potential targets available to them, thanks to the size and scope of the online community
in China. In addition, the Internet in China improved business-to-business and business-to-
5
consumer communications, facilitating well-organized financial crimes. Huang Li from the
Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine, writes in the
article “Crime and crisis in China’s P2P online lending market: a comparative analysis of Fraud”
notes that informal connection networks contribute to 80% of bank-related frauds in the Asian
country (Huang, 2). When small business owners in China use the Internet to collect funds from
the general public, some engage in one of China’s most popular types of fraud operations. In his
article “Internet Fianace and its Potencial Risks: The Case of China”, Dr. Zhongkai Tian, a Doctor
of Philosophy from Universiti Putra Malaysia, states that, after they have obtained a sufficient
amount of capital, they would declare that the firm was unsuccessful so that they can keep the
money they have unlawfully gained (Zhongkai, 3). As a result, honest business owners need help
to raise enough profit or capital on the Internet at lower costs. Rapid growth and penetration of the
Internet may have had some positive consequences, but it also made it possible for large-scale
fraudulent schemes to be carried out online.
Poor Academic Performance
A discernible drop in academic performance has been reported in China as a direct result
of internet addiction among children and adolescents who are enrolled in educational programs.
There is a correlation between the amount of time spent on leisure activities and a reduction in
academic achievement. Qiaolei Jiang, PhD, from the School of Journalism and Communication at
Tsinghua University, emphasizes in her article “Internet addiction among young people in China
Internet connectedness, online gaming, and academic performance decrement” that “Internet
addiction has become a major problem in China. performance decrement” emphasizes that young
people spend significant time participating in online gaming, which hurts their academic
performance(Jiang 5). Most students spend most of their time on interactive platforms or online
6
games. The worrying part is that most of these young people are less interested in academics, and
they spend most of their time interacting with Internet-based devices, thus resulting in increased
chances of becoming addicted. As a direct result, China has enacted restrictions preventing
children under 18 from playing online games for more than 1.5 hours on school days and 3 hours
on weekends and holidays. These regulations are intended to enhance both social integration and
academic achievement.
Conclusion
The positive effects of rapid development and internet penetration in China outweigh the
disadvantages. From the discussion above, a bigger percentage of the country’s population is
connected to the Internet thanks to the proliferation of cheaper digital devices. Increased internet
connectivity has made it easier for businesses to reach their targeted demographic groups. Also,
the Internet has made it easier for people to interact and keep in touch through social media
platforms. The Internet allows marginalized communities to market their products in larger
markets, reducing society’s poverty. Despite the benefits of the Internet, there are adverse effects
attached to internet usage in China. These disadvantages include poor academic performance,
increased fraud, and addiction. To resolve the issue, researchers have underlined the need for
people to learn how to use the Internet effectively for work, education, and social relationships.
One efficient way of dealing with addiction is to limit the amount of time spent on electronic
devices and social networking websites.
Works Cited
7
How Internet Connectivity Has Changed People’s Lives in China, news.cgtn.com/news/2019-1022/How-internet-connectivity-has-changed-people-s-lives-in-ChinaKZR0tk5tra/index.html. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
Huang, Li, and Henry N. Pontell. “Crime and crisis in China’s P2P online lending market: A
comparative analysis of fraud.” Crime, Law and Social Change, vol. 79, no. 4, 2022, pp.
369–393, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-022-10053-y.
Jiang, Qiaolei. “Internet addiction among young people in China.” Internet Research, vol. 24, no.
1, 2014, pp. 2–20, https://doi.org/10.1108/intr-01-2013-0004.
Kong, Sherry Tao, and Nicholas Loubere. “Digitally down to the countryside: Fintech and Rural
Development in China.” The Journal of Development Studies, vol. 57, no. 10, 2021, pp.
1739–1754, https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2021.1919631.
Li, Yang‐Yang, et al. “Internet addiction increases in the general population during
COVID‐19: Evidence from China.” The American Journal on Addictions, vol. 30, no. 4,
2021, pp. 389–397, https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.13156.
Piskorski, Mikolaj Jan. “9 Reasons Why China Loves the Internet.” IMD Business School for
Management and Leadership Courses, 8 Aug. 2023, www.imd.org/researchknowledge/china/articles/9-reasons-why-china-loves-the-internet/.
Sun, Yongqiang, et al. “The impact of internet use on residents’ happiness in China.” Frontiers
in Public Health, vol. 11, 2023, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1188259.
8
International Journal of Business and Finance Management Research, vol. 7, no. 1, 2019,
https://doi.org/10.33500/ijbfmr.2019.07.001.
Essay Promopt:
Context
Now that you have adequately defined your issue, and discussed the
characteristics and causal events related to your topic, you must now address
what other scholars have said about your topic. Realize that you are not the
first—and certainly not the last—person to discuss your topic. Therefore, you
must address what scholars have said, and, in doing so, what has influenced
your stance on the issue. You should also realize that the paper or argument
that fails to address other postulations is not only tendentious and incredulous
but also intellectually irresponsible and lacks intellectual integrity. Also, it is
advantageous not to think of this as an argument where one “exposes” or
“shame” their opponent as that only imbues the interlocutors with emotional
animus that is hard to extirpate from heated discussions. Rather, consider the
“Irenic” method wherein opponents are not opponents but interlocutors who are
trying to reason their way to a gainful and mutual understanding. Said
understanding not only benefits both parties involved, but also the field in which
their work resides.
Assignment
In this essay, you are to locate an argument—whether contained in a single
source or upheld by multiple, variegated sources—with which you disagree.
The claim should be the central claim to the argument and not an ancillary
postulation or a byproduct of what your opponents posit. In order to do this, you
must first accurately and fairly reiterate your opponent’s central claim in your
own words. Doing this illustrates to your readers that you fully comprehend the
argument with which you disagree. This is a vital step as it ensures all parties
involved that you are honest and responsible. Second, you must explicate the
flaws in said claim with accurate and relevant research. Your refutation should
focus on either one or several secondary sources that uphold the claim with
which you disagree. Third, you must present research that corroborates a
rebuttal that you believe is correct—or at least more viable than the refuted
central claim.
Format and Guidelines(MLA)
Your essay should be a minimum of five pages and should include a minimum
of four sources. Your sources can be books or online. While you have the
option to cite both scholarly and popular sources, if you choose to cite a popular
source, then you need to make sure that said source is a relevant and reliable
voice in the field. This does not necessarily mean that the writer or their ideas
need to be housed within the ivory walls of academia.
Chen 1
Hedy Chen
Writing 2
Korey Bell
28 October 2023
History of the Internet in China
The late 2010s and early 2020s were a bottleneck in China’s Internet development
as more innovations and connections were enhanced in China. China has the largest Internetconnected population in the world, with more than 1 billion Chinese citizens accessing the
Internet. According to the article on the Internet by Cloudflare, there are “only about 7,000
U.S.-based companies operate in China, and foreign-invested firms account for less than 2
percent of companies registered in China.” (Cloudflare, 2015, p. 6) Technological barriers in
some regions of China’s Internet society at the time could be an obstacle to Internet
development. Obstacles have particularly emerged in artificial intelligence, big data, and block
chain. Further, the lack of technical talent and advanced technology may constrain the
development of related industries.
From mid-2010 to the present, there has been a significant change in the perception
of the Internet in China. An article on the Statista website about Chinese Internet user data
shows that “China has the world’s largest digital community, with an estimated 1.08 billion
Internet users by 2022” (Statista, 2022, p1). Such a vast achievement has led to the rise of
mobile applications that have changed how people live. China’s mobile payment systems, such
as Alipay and WeChat Pay, have become the world’s leading digital payment tools. An article
on China’s mobile payments on the CTMfile website states, “WeChat Pay is a pioneer in a new
payment technology that uses QR codes.” (Mehta, 2023, p. 5)
Chen 2
The history and growth of the Internet in China date back to the late 1990s. In his
article on the history of the Internet in China, Graham Webster of Harvard University notes
that the Chinese government has continuously expanded Internet access for the Chinese people,
and more citizens are now connected to digital and Internet-related resources (Webster, 2019,
p. 2) An article on China’s Internet breakthrough on the CNN website mentions, “In March
1993, geeks at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
established the first cable connection to the World Wide Web.” (CNN, 2014, p. 5). These
breakthroughs have led to the current state of China’s Internet industry, where convenient
communication tools, online entertainment and culture, and democracy and freedom are widely
popular among young people.
In the mid-2000s, mainland China became the world’s second most populous
internet nation. This significant step in China’s Internet history still significantly impacts people
today. Sina Weibo has become one of the most popular social media platforms in China, and
more and more large-scale and innovative social platforms have been introduced through the
Internet, guided by the development of the Internet, which was the most influential and
groundbreaking innovation in the early years of China’s Internet development. The second
phase in the history of Internet development in China took place between 1999 and 2000. 1999
was the peak of the global Internet wave. In that year, more than 200 technology companies
went public. (China Internet Museum, 2004, p. 3.) China experienced the golden age of the
Internet in the early 20th century. Shen Ruofan’s article on the history of Internet e-commerce
development in China of the University of Washington notes, “In July 1999, China officially
listed and traded on the NASDAQ. (Shen, 2016, p3)Several Internet companies, such as
Alibaba, Baidu, SNDA, and Tianya, were founded almost the same year.
The subsequent evolution of high-speed communication technology in China has
demonstrated impressive technological and market achievements, with China Mobile being the
Chen 3
first to launch a commercial 4G network in 2013, followed by China Telecom and China
Unicom, which have continued to expand networked globalization cooperation through the
Internet to promote the development of the digital economy. An article on China’s
communication technology on the spglobal website noted that “by the end of 2015, China
Mobile led the market with 179.4 million 3G users and 322.3 million 4G/LTE users,
respectively.” (Zhao, 2016, p2). The construction and competition of China’s 4G network has
been fast and furious, and the user experience has been gradually improved, with the number
of 4G users surpassing the 1 billion mark in 2017, reaching a milestone in China’s high-speed
communication technology breakthrough. Subsequently, in the further development of the
Internet, in terms of 5G, China launched commercialization in 2019, becoming the first country
in the world to realize 5G commercialization. With the commercialization of 5G networks in
several cities, the number of 5G users in China is increasing, and 5G mobile phones are
becoming famous.
Further, WeChat was launched in October 2010 as a messaging application project of
Tencent’s Guangzhou Research and Project Center. Dataspring website noted in its article “The
Rise of Social Media in China” that “WeChat has created a self-sufficient ecosystem and a kind
of Internet.”(Dataspring, 2014, p6) WeChat began rolling out new features for payments and
e-commerce in 2013. Around this time, the issue of online regulatory loopholes hurting young
people emerged. The launch of the international version of WeChat took it out of China and
into the global market. WeChat has become one of the most popular and prominent social
networks in Asian countries and has become critical in reaching a potential target. WeChat was
just a messenger during its development but has now evolved to become a foundation for all
Chinese internet usage. The platform is a complete ecosystem for corporates, mini-games,
mini-programmes, online stores, developers, and media.
Chen 4
Despite the many security measures in place, mobile payment systems remain
vulnerable to the threat of fraud and hacking. Unscrupulous individuals can steal users’ personal
information and funds through phishing, malware, and social engineering, leading to financial
losses. In 2016, just as mobile payments took off, some unscrupulous individuals tricked
consumers into purchasing items from fake online stores that never shipped the goods. These
incidents sparked media coverage and reminded people to be cautious when shopping online.
At the same time, these cybersecurity issues illustrate the financial management challenges of
relying on mobile payments. Young people and average consumers, in particular, can easily
fall into the trap of overspending as the payment process becomes so convenient that the
importance of financial management and savings is overlooked.
One of the significant problems caused by the development of the Internet in China is
the difference between the operating conditions and investment capital. Various backbone
networks in China substantially differ in actual status, business traffic, bandwidth capacity,
subscriber size, and network coverage. Since 2008, the country has witnessed a significant
restructuring of assets affiliated with telecommunications, and there is an expansion of gaps in
the allocation of resources. Currently, the northern region is majorly controlled by China
Unicom, while China Telecom dominates the southern part. Because of the Chinese regional
monopoly structure, non-equivalent interconnection between the large and small backbone
networks is rampant (Li, n.p). As a result, the network not connecting for the small backbone
users is on the rise. These users experience high usage costs and slow connection speed.
Unfortunately, China Unicom and China Telecom have failed to boost interconnection quality
with medium- and small-sized networks. This has seriously impacted the backbone network’s
market efficiency.
Besides, China Unicom and China Telecom plan to develop a partnership to decrease
the interconnection quality between the two players. These will impact the downstream
Chen 5
operators in terms of Internet Content Providers (ICPs), Internet Data Centers (IDCs), and
Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This implies that these operators must regularly access the
networks associated with these two dominant providers to enable them to operate with full
network accessibility. Unfortunately, such a move will further decrease the overall
effectiveness of the internet. Additionally, China Unicom and China Telecom have a more
significant advantage regarding increased IP address. They will likely apply their monopolistic
advantages, especially if they interconnect with medium-sized and small backbone networks.
The eastern coastal areas have numerous internet backbone nodes due to uneven
population distribution and increased economic development. Because of this, users in the
western and central regions experience user circumventing phenomena and low
communication quality. Applying the “Rising of Central China” and the “Western
Development” has constantly increased the proportion of users in the Western and Central
regions (Li, n.p.). Despite the increasing proportion, the interconnection framework needs to
adjust and be timely correspondingly.
The interconnection between backbone networks in China is highly controlled. Transit
services are forbidden in the country, and the backbone networks are not allowed to apply them.
This means that the only interconnection for the backbone networks is through network access
points (NAP) and peering since international peering is highly restricted. With this in mind, the
medium-sized and small backbone networks must pay for peering services to China Unicom
or China Telecom (Li, n.p.).. The NAPs are also limited, with three of them located in
Guangdong, Shanghai, and Beijing, meaning that all the national flows go to these three points,
thus leading to increased traffic at the public interconnection point. As a result, the network
transmission could be more effective in terms of stability, but it is expensive.
Chen 6
The original intention of insisting on bringing significant changes and opportunities
to society and the economy through the development of China’s Internet has gradually shifted.
Maintaining a balance between cybersecurity, data privacy, and freedom of information while
encouraging innovation and competition will be an essential issue in the future development of
China’s Internet.
Works Cited
Chen 7
.“.” International Directory of Company Histories. . Encyclopedia.Com. 18 Oct. 2023 .”
Encyclopedia.Com,
Encyclopedia.com,
29
Oct.
2023,
www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/sina -corporation.
“A Brief History of the Chinese Internet.” Logic(s) Magazine, 14 Mar. 2021,
logicmag.io/china/a-brief-history-of-the-chinese-internet/.
“China
Wireless:
On
the
Road
to
4G.”
S&P
Global
Homepage,
www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/articles/china-wireless-onthe-road-to-4g.
Accessed 28 Oct. 2023
“TheNET: Navigating China’s Internet Infrastructure.” Cloudflare, ww w.cloudflare.com/zhcn/the-net/customer-experience-china/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
China Internet Museum, en.internet.cn/history/history2.html. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Editors, dataSpring. “A Quick Look at WeChat, China’s Biggest Social Media Platform: Eye
on Asia.” dataSpring Inc., www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/a-quick-look-at-wechatchinas-b biggest-social-media-platform. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
FlorCruz, Jaime A., and Lucrezia Seu. “From Snail Mail to 4G, China Celebrates 20 Years of
Internet
Connectivity.”
CNN,
Cable
News
Network,
24
Apr.
2014,
www.cnn.com/2014/04/23/world/asia/china-internet-20th-anniversa ry/index.html.
History of Alibaba: Timeline and Facts – Thestreet, www.thestreet.com/world/history-ofalibaba-15145103. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.
Li, Meijuan, and Yajie Zhu. “Research on the problems of interconnection in China’s Internet
backbone network.” Procedia computer science 131 (2018): 148-152.
Chen 8
Shen, Ruofan. “The Comparative History and Development of E-Commerce in China and the
United
States.”
SCIRP,
Scientific
Research
Publishing,
11
Aug.
2020,
www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=102545.
Thomala,
Lai
Lin.
“Topic:
Internet
Usage
in
China.”
Statista,
www.statista.com/topics/1179/internet-usage-in-china/#topicOvervie w. Accessed 28
Oct. 2023.
Writer, Pushpendra Mehta Executive. “China’s Global Digital Payments Dominance: Catalysts
and Future Prospects.” CTMfile, ctmfile.com/story/chinas-global-digital-paymentsdominance-cataly
prospects#:~:text=China’s%20digital%20payments%
sts-and-futureChen
10
20primarily%20include,and%20Samsung%20Pay)%20and%20digital. Accessed 28
Oct. 2023.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
