China’s Facebook and other social media platform alternatives

It is the age of technology. The digital world as transcended all boundaries. People sitting in the opposite corners of the globe can now interact with each other thanks to the numerous social media websites to which we have access these days. However, people in China still don’t have access to these facilities. The restrictive censorship laws have infringed upon the personal lives of the citizens, and they have started looking or alternatives to popular social media networks. This article will have a look at the Chinese facebook alternative or other equivalent options to the most popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Youtube WhatsApp and more that we all use today –

Here, are the Chineses alternative for Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube and more…

1. QQ and WeChat

After the imposition of ban on Facebook in China, WeChat grew at a phenomenal pace. Wechat is the Chineses Whatsapp alternative. Its growth rate which expanded by leaps and bounds encompassed all the potential users of Facebook and thus evolved the most significant social media platform of China. It is so comprehensive that it is not just a “social media platform anywhere”. It has the best of everything. Right from the features of Facebook messenger to the utility of Venmo and PayPal, WeChat has it all. WeChat has safely made its place in the daily lives of Chinese people. They depend on it for every big and small thing right from booking a taxi to sharing memorable moments with their loved ones to the “Moments” wall of WeChat. It even has public accounts of companies and famous personalities for promotional purposes. Teenagers and kids mostly used the QQ while WeChat is mainly in to family and social based communicating Apps, which is more formal and commercial.

 

2. Renren

Renren.com can be safely called the Chinese version of Facebook. This China Facebook alternative was launched in 2005. This social media platform gained unprecedented popularity all over China. Renren has adopted so many features from Facebook including the colour style, logos and design that many people cannot even decide whether there is any affiliation between Renren and Facebook or not. However, the recent years have seen a massive slump in the growth rate of Renren’s coverage. One reason could be the failure of the organisation to recognise the swift change of the preferences of the people to mobile phones. Renren is now humorously called the “failed Chinese Facebook”. A majority of the users of this social media platform have now shifted successfully to WeChat or Weibo.

3. Weibo

Twitter is also banned in China. However, Chinese people just like others all across the globe do want to share their thoughts, opinions and perceptions by snippets. Thus, Weibo as Chinese Twitter alternative was born. Since its launch, Weibo is the hottest blogging platform for Chinese users. Just like Renren was adopted from Facebook, Weibo is majorly taken from twitter. However, the difference in Chinese and English have led to some differences in the development of the website. In Twitter, the length of 140 characters restricts expression. Whereas, when it comes to Weibo, the situation is entirely different. The range of 140 characters in Mandarin is much longer, and thus people do not face much difficulty when it comes to the shortage of characters for conveying their emotions appropriately. Moreover, in China companies also prefer Weibo as it allows them to share content and communicate with their consumers in a much more effective manner than Twitter. This site even will enable individuals to pursue microblogging because of the length of the characters.

 

4. Youku Tudou

Youku Tudou has many similarities with YouTube. Just like the English platform, the videos are created for users by users. However, there is a fundamental difference between the two. You can call it Chinese Youtube alternative. Unlike YouTube, Youku Tudou has less content that is produced for the entertainment of self and more content that is created for professional purposes. However, this site remains a popular medium for Chinese people to stream or download movies and TV shows. Ironically, the film or TV shows featured on this Chinese platform are mostly from foreign sources right from American film to the Japanese TV shows. They are made easily understandable for the general Chinese population by providing subtitles in Mandarin.

 

5. Dianping

On this list featuring the Chinese version of the most popular social media platforms in the contemporary, now comes the “Yelp” of China – Dianping. This site is known for crowdsourcing resources on established businesses. At general, it allows customers to rank services at a comprehensive level. However, its expertise lies in going to the depth of everything. For instance, when it comes to restaurants, not only will Dianping ask consumers to give their take on their overall experience in the restaurant but also a review of their favorite dish. This service gains particular significance in a country like China. In China, if you come across the menu of any restaurant, it is not uncommon to have a plethora of 100 odd dishes in front of you with no idea what to go for.

Another useful feature that adds to the credibility of Dianping is its ability to prepare ranks for various services in the city based on popularity. You can also have a look at the haunts of the population of a town. All you need to do is select the name of the city that you will be visiting soon from a list of all the cities in China.
If you are tight on budget and are planning to throw a party for your loved ones, this 4 billion dollar business venture will have your back. You can trust Dianping when it comes to assuring that you get the best “group deals” when it comes to utilizing the services of a restaurant or a local business in a vast group.

 

6. Douban

Douban has no western equivalent to the variety of services provided by it. Have you ever dreamed of operating a platform which has the best features of IMDb, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Myspace? Douban is an all-encompassing website. You can pursue a vast variety of activities right from discussing books, movies, and events to booking tickets for the latest movie shows. If you get bored, you can even download e-books through their interface. Moreover, by shared interests, you can also form a group and thus expand your social circle.

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