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How Weibo became China’s most popular blogging platform
Weibo is a Twitter-like microblogging service used by hundreds of millions of users. Launched by Sina in 2009, it regularly censors topics deemed sensitive or inappropriate by the Chinese government.
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
Weibo -- often known as China’s Twitter -- is the country’s most popular blogging site.
As of June, it boasts over 430 million active users -- more than the entire population of the United States.
Throughout the years, the platform has gone through a number of redesigns. In its present form, Weibo is a little like Facebook’s news feed. It shows posts from friends and other people you follow. Users are allowed up to 2,000 characters per post -- in addition to one video, song, or multiple photos.
On paper, Weibo looks stronger than ever. But look around and you’ll see signs of competition everywhere. Tech leaders and movie A-listers are flocking to Wei Toutiao, a blogging service within the fast-rising news feed app Toutiao. Meanwhile social media stars and internet celebrities are amassing fans on Douyin, a short-form video app known as Tik Tok outside China.
Yet Weibo is no stranger to rivalry. The site was born in 2009 after the Chinese government blocked Twitter following deadly riots in Xinjiang. Multiple domestic blogging sites sprang up in the aftermath, including ones from big names like Tencent, NetEase and Sohu.
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