Social Media has become so prevelant in the United States, it's no wonder that other countries are following in our footsteps. China, with their mass political and social reform, have become dependent on social media, like Twitter and Facebook, themselves. However, the next generation of Chinese leaders does question if social media is harmful of helpful. The social media being used now by leaders has proven to be helpful; Facebbok is updated constantly of social issues, as well as spreading China's communist message to the people. In a country with over a billion people, how else can you get the news to diffuse to everyone? While their new dependency on social media seems like a step forward,some people fear that, instead, may be a step in the wrong direction. Social media began to present problems when limits were placed to prevent rumor mongering. Anyone who signed in on these sites were required to subscribe using their first names, which did arouse controversy. These laws were never really strictly enforced, but China's small understanding of social media is where the real problem lies. While developing and evolving rapidly into a more modern country like the United States, there is so much that a country of this size needs to learn, in order to avoid conflict between the government and the people.
I think that the question of whether or not social media is a positive or negative thing is a question for all countries who take advantage of these such sites. America and China are just two countries who utilize these social media possibilities. I think each country should take the time to look at whether social media really is benefitting to people or not. I know many people will have different opinions on this however it is such a huge part of life today that I think looking further into it would be a good idea.
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