WeChat and Distant Family Intergenerational Communication in China: A Study of Online Content Sharing on WeChat

Abstract

Ever since mid-1990s, Internet in China has undergone a rapid growth. According to “the 37th China Internet Development Statistical Report” released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) by the end of June, 2016, the Internet penetration rate in China is 51.7%, which means more than half of the Chinese get access to the Internet; the population of mobile Internet users reaches 656 million resulting in the percentage of accessing Internet via mobile phones goes from 90.1% in 2015 to 92.5% (CNNIC in 2016 China Teenagers’ Online Behavioral Research Report, 2016a, CNNIC in The 38th China Internet Development Statistical Report, 2016b). The rise of mobile Internet brings a large number of mobile apps to the public’s attention, including WeChat, the instant messaging (IM) app launched by Tencent in 2011.