First things first: this is my WeChat QR code:
If you’re like I was until recently, you’ve probably never heard of WeChat. And that is the AMAZING part – that you’ve never heard of it. Because it is the top social networking service in China, and it is used by around ONE BILLION PEOPLE!
In fact, as I travelled around the southern Chinese island of Hainan, I was impressed that just about every store, and every product in every store, sported a QR code.
This points to the real crux of the situation: a MASSIVE amount of IT in the West, and a MASSIVE amount of IT in the East, and yet despite all this, two huge universes with much little exchange between them than you might think.
I first learned about WeChat on a recent business trip to China. All my Chinese IT colleagues and IT business partners were eager that we connect. In fact, even in formal business meetings, instead of the initial round of swapping business cards, we spent the time scanning each other’s WeChat QR codes.
WeChat is a lot more than just instant messaging: it is online payment, email, and a host of other services rolled into one.
And . . . all content and communication with WeChat is strictly controlled by the Chinese government. All posts and chats are filtered, and any words or topics that do not meet government standards are filtered out.
Final thought: a fabulous website shows the statistics about the number of languages that comprise the Internet:
