Sieren’s China: A problem streamed is a problem solved

Streaming is booming in China as the coronavirus lockdown continues in so many cities. DW’s Frank Sieren says online activities are helping to create solidarity and combat the disadvantages of the collective quarantine.

An almost total curfew was imposed on Wuhan this week. Inhabitants of the coronavirus’ epicenter are only allowed out once every three days to buy food. Residents of apartment blocks where the infection has been detected are not permitted to go out at all. For cynics, this is akin to “cooking a frog in cold water.” They fear that the authorities are gradually introducing more drastic measures so that people get used to the dangerous situation slowly. Even in Beijing, which is very far away, most people are leaving their homes only to purchase necessities.

It is an extreme psychological situation for millions of people, and yet many seem to be rather relaxed. One of the reasons for this is online communication. Even before this collective quarantine, China’s population tended to spend more time in the virtual world than Europeans. It is very easy to conduct business or to order goods and food online in China, and there is an inordinate amount of digital entertainment, from video and gaming platforms to messenger apps such as WeChat. Since so many people are already used to spending so much time online, they might feel less affected by the fact that they are barely allowed to leave the virtual world at the moment.

Livestreaming is booming

Livestreaming is booming more than ever, with 10 million live users on about 900 platforms, including countless influencers who’ve made millions, or at least a name for themselves, with their personal channels. Hu Tongtong, who films herself eating huge meals that would be enough to feed a family, and the male beauty blogger Li Jiaqi, who applies lipstick while live-streaming on the e-commerce platform Taobao and regularly breaks sales records, are but two examples.In 2018, the live-streaming industry in China generated sales of $4.4 billion (€4 billion), according to global accounting firm Deloitte. Most big companies now sell their products via livestream and often have direct contracts with influencers, whose enthusiasm and youth help them to attract millions of followers.

Online gym, concerts and learning

But it is not only about shopping. Gyms are offering online courses, and concert halls are organizing “cloud festivals.” And now that most schools are closed, the government has launched a national cloud learning platform and roped in the support of telecom and technology giants China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, as well as Huawei, Baidu and Alibaba, who have put in place 7,000 extra servers.

The providers of smartwork apps are also benefitting from China’s collective quarantine. Sales of Alibaba Group’s communication app DingTalk have shot up in China’s app stores, as have those of other apps such as Tencent’s WeChat Work.

Boosting solidarity

The government has also started livestreaming more to update the population about the latest on the virus or the developments of the new hospital in Wuhan, for example. At one point, 60 million people were watching the construction at the same time. This helps to give a feeling of solidarity and a sense that the country is confronting the coronavirus together.

Another example was the recent livestream of the product launch for Xiami’s new flagship Mi 10 phone series, when CEO Lei Jun addressed the viewers directly, showing how important and emotional such solidarity can be: “I’m from Hubei and spent four years in Wuhan in college, so my feelings for Wuhan are quite deep,” he said, with tears in his eyes and wearing a mask. “I believe Wuhan is a glorious city, and I believe even more that the brave and optimistic people of Wuhan can definitely fight this virus.”

This was not only propaganda, as some might believe, but an important message from someone who feels he is one of the people.

Such events will enter China’s collective memory of the coronavirus crisis.

Source: dw.com