Cultural differences in microblogging: How Western IT Companies adapt Twitter (X) activities to the Chinese Weibo context

Abstract

Companies worldwide use microblogs to communicate with stakeholders, but there may be cultural differences in how they do it. A content analysis was conducted comparing Twitter (currently known as X) and Weibo accounts of four Western IT companies; Weibo accounts of four similar Chinese companies served as benchmarks. Results show that Western microblog activities differed in many respects from Chinese practices. Specifically, they focused more on technology and less on marketing and community-building. In their localization strategies, Western companies chose to adapt (e.g., paying attention to community building), not adapt (e.g., keeping their technological profile), or cautiously adapt (e.g., using somewhat more emojis or reluctantly experimenting with sweepstakes). Cultural differences on microblogging platforms are comprehensive and multifaceted and cannot be easily reduced to established cultural dimensions. Processes of cultural adaptation, therefore, depend on profound knowledge of the business environment and cultural differences.