China’s digital landscape continues to expand as the number of internet users soars to nearly 1.1 billion, according to a recent report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). The 54th Statistical Report on China’s Internet Development, released on Thursday, reveals that the country’s internet users have grown by 7.42 million since December 2023, pushing the internet penetration rate to an impressive 78 percent.
The report highlights the robust growth of China’s internet industry in the first half of 2024, with the total number of domains reaching 31.8 million. As the country’s digital infrastructure strengthens, digital services catering to the public have been extensively implemented, contributing to the surge in internet users.
Teenagers and the Elderly: Driving Growth
The most surprising surge of internet users in China has come from teenagers, followed by elderly people. The 7.42 million includes the largest demographic (age, gender) of new users: middle-aged males over 50; and elderly women in their sixties+ [15.2%,…]
Veteran industry watcher Liu Dingding reflects on the key demographics that drive China’s internet economy. Because the penetration rate of Internet in China is so high and that it converges with slowdown in rise of general-population internet users, changes have to come from teenagers on one hand + middle-aged&elderly people* (that they generally take a great amount consumption power). Internet economy take off The increasingly popularisation of the internet among these groups is expected to help drive China’s economic recovery and growth.
The Power of Short Videos and Instant Messaging
According to the report, short video apps and instant messaging platforms have been instrumental in driving new internet users. 36.3% of new internet consumers accessed the web via short video apps; with another 19.8.% coming from a mix that included instant messaging apps, and trails around or below other categories even after including all combination uses except SMS out-of-bundle combined use
The pervasiveness of such platforms has not only attracted millions to the fold, but also given a further fillip to the online video industry. Nonetheless, by June 2024 mini-drama was still the most popular outlet for internet users managing to get a reach of 52. As the market also matures as well, high-value content is at a premium and environment shapes itself accordingly to meet these needs.
Expanding Mobile Payment Services
Efforts to popularize convenient payment services have only succeeded in certain types of communities because these are the elderly population and foreign guests. The report reveals that 75.4% of Chinese seniors (60+ internet users) used online payment by June,2020.
During the same period in 2023, slightly more than 1 million inbound travelers used a mobile payments: this is up over fourfold to nearly five and half times higher those numbers during the first half of 2024. Those travelers made 90 million trips for a value of RMB 14 billion ($1.97 billion), up by seven times from the year before since returning to work was allowed in April, if only briefly. This widespread use of mobile payments is not only convenient for netizens, but also a great support to China’s digital economy.
The Future of China’s Internet Landscape
This only further highlights the massive shift taking place in China’s digital space as their internet industry keeps on growing. The burgeoning online population, especially young people and the elderly, baffled with short video apps (including TikTok copycats) as well as instant messaging platforms are changing how users consume contents or interact on internet.
In addition, the improvement of mobile payment and internet video industry environment means that there are more opportunities to increase innovations. With stronger digital infrastructure in China and easier access to consumers for different kind of services, its internet economy is set to grow even higher which will underpin economic recovery and drive the changeovers among Chinese people’s daily routines post COVID-19.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
There are plenty of opportunities in China’s internet industry now but also challenges. It will present challenges including data privacy, right to online access and digital divide related one which needs strategic attention for dealing with the future problems of a large number of internet users.
More over, with the Internet being made an integral part of life in aspects like education as well health care to e-commerce and digital media it is essential that all strata/genders are able to benefit from this great social equalizer. China can unlock the full power of its expanding internet population and realize a more equal, prosperous digital future by providing opportune support for building up their Chinese language skills in relation to literacy related to technology use, pursuing policies that are inclusive based on need communication landscape so far at home as well globally being much less common among other things than people have previously — ways these new developments would grow instead.
The changing internet landscape in China reveals not just a reconfiguration of its economy but illustrates that digital transformation is making life, work and play look very different. As 1.1 billion internet users have a high penetration rate at 78%, China is the superpower on leading forwar to second revolution of digital age, an example that other nations should learn from how they also will embrace and challenges with it.
