Exactly. Who appointed US the internet platform supplier globally? Nobody appointed nobody. Everyone has to carve their space under the sun. Nor is any space guaranteed forever. See under TikTok. Mitch Presnick has spent much of his professional career in China, representing and running American businesses here (Budweiser, Super 8 Motels). He has fought the tough battles, competed with the best and won, in China. He knows it can be done. He is back in the US now and I watch him get frustrated over and over with the whining and defeatist, entitled attitudes. And not just by randos on Twitter but with the political establishment. US and Europe may indeed need to introduce some tariffs on some things temporarily, or do other "unfair" practices like subsidies, though sanctions and theft will blow back every time. China has done it too over the years while it developed, it has had tariffs, and blocked foreign access to certain industries on national security grounds. But this is like ibuprofen. It will help with the pain temporarily, but it will not cure the illness. Neither will hoping the competitor gets a heart attack and drops dead. Or trying to convince competitor's customers that their product is just a temporary fad. There is only one way to win long term, or at least not lose, and that is to compete, on merit.
Chinese internet platforms are a good case study. Americans complain China built a Great Firewall for political reasons. Yes and no. There were commercial considerations too. 😉 Why are Americans complaining about the SeeSeePee controlling political messaging on the most popular platform in the US now? BTW, I do not think they are, but I do understand the fear and the potential. But so why do you then think that the Chinese government fear Hillary Clinton will curate content for 1.4 billion Chinese on Facebook and Twitter in China was an unfounded fear? Because American social media companies do not listen to their government? Because US government, and especially Hillary Clinton, know best? Because America freedom number one and g0mmunism? Because Americans Übermensch and everyone else subhumans who need to be subjugated to them? Because Americans white and Chinese yellow? Which one is it? But you need to study how the Great Firewall works, I mean the whole system of legislation and regulation, not the network equipment configuration. Not listen to nincompoops like Noah Smith. Because the framework is excellent and was visionary in principles when it was introduced 15 years ago or so. Should be studied in law schools and economics classes in the West. First and foremost, the rules of the game are the same for everyone, whether Chinese companies or foreign. It doesn't ban anybody. It solves all the problems that people are complaining about TikTok in the US: data privacy, national security. And while it does implement unconditional censorship on some political speech in line with other media in China, it leaves a window open to anyone for a fee, using economic incentives, rather than legal, to drive a political agenda. Which is how it also works in the US, except people don't think it does. What is the "freedom and democracy" solution to the same problem? Bans and theft. And ideology, a religion. That there is something called "absolute freedom" and that "the people decide". Whereas Chinese "g0mmunism" simply recognizes the reality that there is no absolute freedom and whereas the people are ultimately the source of power, executive political decisions are made by the political powers who take full responsibility for them as a whole.
@nikstankovic_ Nik, most west allow paid political campaigns, up to a limit. With China's vertically integrated village council to top level how does self promotion work? Paid campaigns in media? Thanks.
@nikstankovic_ Techlead on YouTube (the ex-Google, ex-Facebook, ex-husband, ex-father guy) basically said China’s Great Firewall prevented US digital colonization of China, and it’s why there’s only one place outside of China with a tech sector.
@nikstankovic_ That’s fascinating - can you recommend a resource in English to learn more about this?