In October, LinkedIn was the last major U.S. social media platform operating in China to announce its departure from the country, reports Foreign Policy Online. But it’s no great loss for many Chinese social media users, who have a vast, dynamic social media ecosystem at their fingertips unparalleled in the Western world. 

“In China, social media is deeply and fundamentally integrated with many other platforms, be that payment or food delivery or banking or navigating the city,” says UMSI associate professor Silvia Lindtner. 

However, Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo have been the target of increasingly harsh restrictions and censorship as part of the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing push to shape behavior and social norms.

Read “China’s Social Media Explosion” on ForeignPolicy.com. 

Learn more about Associate Professor Silvia Lindtner.