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WeChat and Distant Family Intergenerational Communication in China: A Study of Online Content Sharing on WeChat

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New Media and Chinese Society

Part of the book series: Communication, Culture and Change in Asia ((CCCA,volume 5))

Abstract

Ever since mid-1990s, Internet in China has undergone a rapid growth. According to “the 37th China Internet Development Statistical Report” released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) by the end of June, 2016, the Internet penetration rate in China is 51.7%, which means more than half of the Chinese get access to the Internet; the population of mobile Internet users reaches 656 million resulting in the percentage of accessing Internet via mobile phones goes from 90.1% in 2015 to 92.5% (CNNIC in 2016 China Teenagers’ Online Behavioral Research Report, 2016a, CNNIC in The 38th China Internet Development Statistical Report, 2016b). The rise of mobile Internet brings a large number of mobile apps to the public’s attention, including WeChat, the instant messaging (IM) app launched by Tencent in 2011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Journalism, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Baohua Zhou & Shihui Gui

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  1. Baohua Zhou
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  2. Shihui Gui
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Correspondence to Baohua Zhou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chinese Enterprises Development, Antai College of Economic & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Ke Xue

  2. Antai College of Economic & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Mingyang Yu

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Zhou, B., Gui, S. (2017). WeChat and Distant Family Intergenerational Communication in China: A Study of Online Content Sharing on WeChat. In: Xue, K., Yu, M. (eds) New Media and Chinese Society. Communication, Culture and Change in Asia, vol 5. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6710-5_11

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