Despite different political systems, the US and Chinese internets have converged because power is highly centralized. Whether it's a government controlling platforms like Weibo or tech oligarchs like Elon Musk controlling X, the result is a small group dictating the digital public square's rules.
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As the global internet splinters into nationally-regulated zones, many world leaders look with jealousy at China's ability to control its digital "town square." Despite public criticism, the Chinese model of a managed internet appeals to governments seeking greater control over online discourse, even in democracies.
Social media platform Weibo outcompeted rivals not with better features, but by being more effective at censoring content during political unrest in 2009. While other platforms were shut down by the government, Weibo's adeptness at content moderation ensured its survival and subsequent market dominance.
The fastest path to generating immense wealth is shifting from pure innovation to achieving regulatory capture via proximity to the president. This strategy is designed to influence policy, secure government contracts, or even acquire state-seized assets like TikTok at a steep discount, representing a new form of crony capitalism.
The creation of a US-controlled joint venture for TikTok mirrors the structure that Western companies historically had to adopt to enter China. This role reversal shows how geopolitical power dynamics are reshaping global tech and business regulations.
Similar to the financial sector, tech companies are increasingly pressured to act as a de facto arm of the government, particularly on issues like censorship. This has led to a power struggle, with some tech leaders now publicly pre-committing to resist future government requests.
The idea of a truly "open web" was a brief historical moment. Powerful, proprietary "organizing layers" like search engines and app stores inevitably emerge to centralize ecosystems and capture value. Today's AI chatbots are simply the newest form of these organizing layers.
The US government's demand for TikTok to store American user data on US servers is identical to the policy China has long required of foreign tech companies. This rule is why platforms like Facebook, which refused to comply, are unavailable in China.
The primary cleavage in both Chinese and US online society is not political but based on wealth and agency. A deep pessimism exists among everyday users, who feel like "non-player characters" (NPCs) used by technology, contrasting sharply with the optimism of the tech elites building these systems.
Internet platforms like Weibo don't merely react to government censorship orders. They often act preemptively, scrubbing potentially sensitive content before receiving any official directive. This self-censorship, driven by fear of punishment, creates a more restrictive environment than the state explicitly demands.
The intense state interest in regulating tech like crypto and AI is a response to the tech sector's rise to a power level that challenges the state. The public narrative is safety, but the underlying motivation is maintaining control over money, speech, and ultimately, the population.
