Before the era of Internet, in China, the only sources of news are the
public medias primarily owned and controlled by the government.
Internet changed the landscape. Ordinary people can potentially become
content providers. It has a tremendous impact on Chinese society. In
recent years we saw how greatly Internet improved human rights in
China. People has an easily accessible channel to voice their concerns
over domestic and political issues.
It's always an endless war between the government and the people in
many countries over government control and people's freedom. The
Introduction of "open and free Internet" in China silently changed
Chinese political atmosphere. The impact was much bigger than many
people thought.
I don't know how it will turn out to be. But one thing I am pretty
sure, without an "open and free Internet" in China, at the end, the
Chinese people will be the losers. In a delicate and complicated modern
society, remove one key factor will have a tremendous impact on the
entire society.