SHENYANG, CHINA—For the longest time I viewed twitter as, well, a silly waste of time, and refused to use it. I still view it as a silly waste of time in any normal world. But I finally gave in after friends and colleagues told me that it would be a very useful tool. I’m still not convinced, but I have to admit that I’m pleased to see the rise in the number of people following me (@Doug_Bandow) over time.
When I travel somewhere I normally go onto Google, check the news, and comment on current stories. After arriving in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) I logged in and plugged in Google. Which wouldn’t come up. So tried it again. And nothing.
Then the light went on. Of course. The Beijing authorities set up a Chinese version since they didn’t want their people to be able to access articles on forbidden topics. Of course, I thought, I could still make comments on Twitter about my visit. But when I tried to load Twitter and the same thing happened. Another bulb lit up. Of course: the PRC has set up its own system (Weibo) because people say bad things about China—its policies and leaders—on Twitter. So that service can’t be allowed.
It really makes one appreciate living in a free society.