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I have been in China this and last February and feel this article represents the development well. One of the bug strenghts of the US of the last 20 years was t

by erikb 11y ago

I have been in China this and last February and feel this article represents the development well. One of the bug strenghts of the US of the last 20 years was the internet dominance. But the western world struggles to get the mobile internet to a point where it should be. On the other hand China's internet grew up with mobile phones. Many people have never owned a desktop computer, maybe only know it from internet cafes. Their first internet access was with their chat app QQ on Nokia phones at a time the first smartphones came up in the western hemisphere (about 2010). Also Chinese people are less concerned about privacy and more open to try crazy new things with their phones. All that together with a locked in marked that can't be overrun by US startups makes China slowly but surely beat the western market. I certainly miss to pay stuff by phone or add contacts by just scanning their QR Code (without an extra app my iphone can't even add a normal contact from a business card with QR Code, despite the data in that code probably using the Apple created digital business card format).

Symbiote 11y ago
I can pay for stuff with my phone in Denmark. The system is widely used, and preferred by many small merchants. I assume the fees are lower. The UK implements the same system, but there's very little marketing for it. Most people don't seem to know if exists. The little advertising there is, suggests the system is for paying back friends, not businesses. I assume the banks don't want to lose the cut they get from every credit card transaction.
rurban 11y ago
Yes, but the privacy bit is wrong. Chinese as all asians are very concerned about privacy and government spies patrolling and censoring their free internet space. There are a lot of invite-only app spaces, and you trust the one you see, but not a random internet guy. It's less about politics, more about government track down of "porn" (=prostitution) and corruption.
- erikb 11y ago
  Sorry, I don't understand it yet. In China most people use QQ and Wechat. Nobody even thinks about that the government is reading their messages as well. It's not a discussion point, neither behind closed doors nor in the open. "you trust the one you see, but not a random internet guy" the one I see where? What invite-only spaces you know? Afaik everybody uses Wechat and other chat apps are mostly disregarded.

by erikb 11y ago

Symbiote 11y ago

I can pay for stuff with my phone in Denmark. The system is widely used, and preferred by many small merchants. I assume the fees are lower. The UK implements the same system, but there's very little marketing for it. Most people don't seem to know if exists. The little advertising there is, suggests the system is for paying back friends, not businesses. I assume the banks don't want to lose the cut they get from every credit card transaction.

rurban 11y ago

Yes, but the privacy bit is wrong. Chinese as all asians are very concerned about privacy and government spies patrolling and censoring their free internet space. There are a lot of invite-only app spaces, and you trust the one you see, but not a random internet guy. It's less about politics, more about government track down of "porn" (=prostitution) and corruption.

erikb 11y ago
Sorry, I don't understand it yet. In China most people use QQ and Wechat. Nobody even thinks about that the government is reading their messages as well. It's not a discussion point, neither behind closed doors nor in the open. "you trust the one you see, but not a random internet guy" the one I see where? What invite-only spaces you know? Afaik everybody uses Wechat and other chat apps are mostly disregarded.