24 February 2015 Last updated at 05:56 ET
File image of a man using the Sina Weibo microblogging site in Shanghai on 29 May 2012
A study found that almost 60% of accounts on Weibo had never posted a message
China’s internet watchdogs have threatened to enforce real-name registration before. But this time, they’re adamant all Chinese citizens must provide their real names and identification numbers before using social media sites starting on 1 March.
Nicknames can be used on the sites, but only after users hand over their personal details to the government.
The new rule will stifle one of the few venues for free speech in China, many fear. Specifically, real-name registration could hasten the slow death of Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.
Once the only place to find vibrant sources of debate on the Chinese internet, Weibo is quickly losing momentum.
Fifty-six million people in China stopped using Weibo accounts last year, according to China’s state internet regulator, registering a drop from 331 million accounts to 275 million accounts. Several internet companies operate Weibo services in China, though all function in a similar manner.
Those with Weibo accounts don’t seem to be using them very much. Ninety-four per cent of the messages on Weibo are generated by just 5% of its users, or 10 million people, according to one study published last April by the University of Hong Kong’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre. The same study found that almost 60% of accounts had never posted a message.
Scare campaign
Part of that decline can be attributed to the rise of WeChat, a mobile messaging platform that allows users to send messages privately to their friends. WeChat’s flashy graphics and constantly-evolving menu of services makes Weibo forums seem clunky and dated.
This photo illustration taken on March 12, 2014 shows the logo of Chinese instant messaging platform called WeChat on a mobile device which has taken the country by storm in just three years.
WeChat’s invitation-only format must also give government censors some relief: if Weibo can be viewed as a concert stadium, allowing any government critic to be heard in front of a large audience, WeChat is like a series of private karaoke rooms, where conversation is limited to a select few. It is much more difficult to gain a following on WeChat than Weibo.
By extension, many attribute Weibo’s demise to a scare campaign orchestrated by the Chinese authorities.
In 2012, the government issued a long list of rules banning Weibo posts that “threatened national security, reputation or interests”. The Weibo accounts of prominent government critics were also closed, igniting a campaign to clamp down on Weibo’s most prominent users, known as the “Big Vs”.
Big V users are verified account holders, usually popular actors, writers or columnists, who attract millions of followers. At one time, it was a badge of honour to hold a Big V account. Now, the Big Vs must watch what they say.
