The meeting place was in the office of Guoguan Academy Building. Professor Shen looks very young, with a round face, glasses, medium height, and a bit of weight. He looks about thirty years old, but he is actually forty-one years old. And he is already a sea cucumber boss in Inner Mongolia.
Professor Wei shook hands with him and introduced with a smile: "Mr. Shen, this is one of my students. Jing Gao. He wants to ask you about some issues in network governance."
Jing Gao was deeply moved by the title of "student", Professor Wei. But he restrained his emotional fluctuations and shook hands with Professor Shen, "Hello, Teacher Shen. I have read your prediction on the US election in April. It is very exciting. The conclusion in it: The emergence of the King of Understanding is the self-identification of the American system. The product of the correction is straight to the point.”
Professor Shen smiled modestly and said: "This is just my observation. At that time, Hilary's voice was very loud, so I thought I would analyze it and understand the king. It was a fluke that my prediction was right. If my prediction was wrong, I have little talent and need to continue to practice. "
After sitting down and chatting for a while, Professor Wei said goodbye and left. He is very busy.
Jing Gao knew that the time of scholars of this level was precious, so he asked straight to the point: "Teacher Shen, my company acquired Sina not long ago, and I took advantage of the trend to hold a meager holding. However, in the current chaotic and complicated network environment, I am very concerned about a Confusion over how social platforms should be positioned.”
Professor Shen adjusted his glasses and said brightly: "What are you confused about?"
Idakadao: "I am very dissatisfied with some of Weibo's current operating strategies. Public knowledge and anti-thieves are everywhere. There are already comments saying that it is a 'cesspit' and needs to be uninstalled. From a personal perspective, I can't stand it." certain remarks.
But after I acquired Weibo, I did not interfere with its daily operations. Because Weibo’s current number of active users and its performance on U.S. stocks are showing an upward trend. Its current market capitalization exceeds that of Twitter.
However, I think being small is contrary to the general trend. If we do not change our direction, we will be doomed to decline in the future. I want to change it. So I would like to hear Teacher Shen’s opinion. "
…
…
By January 2017, a meager rise and fall report had already been placed on Jinggao’s desk. The success of Twitter in the United States in 2007 made domestic entrepreneurs see the new Internet trend and start their own businesses one after another.
The one that took the lead this year was Fanfou, founded by Meituan founder Wang Xing. The number of users exceeded one million for the first time. Then the meal is shut down. Sina Weibo takes over, and users who eat rice are not satisfied. It stands out among NetEase, Tencent and Sohu.
This is the case in the Internet field. As long as you don't make big mistakes yourself, "being first" is a huge advantage.
But then something went wrong. After its listing, user growth dropped. The reason is that first, the emergence of WeChat has taken away a large number of active users. Second, internal applications fail to attract users.
In the second half of 2014, Weibo began to reflect and make changes. That's sinking. Focus on content, users, and structure. Many people will find that the information released on many movies is meager.
Currently, Weibo is in the stage of its second spring. Its stock price is rising steadily. Approaching the highest point since listing.
As the saying goes, Jing Gao did not look at it from the perspective of Internet technology innovation, changes in user habits, etc. He was thinking about an essential problem.
Social media is essentially media. In the era of print media, how to achieve the greatest sales volume?
…
…
Professor Shen thought very quickly and asked: "The general trend you mentioned. What general trend?"
Jing Gao said calmly: "The general trend of history is vast. Those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish. According to the textbook: the wheel of history rolls forward. The general trend of our current era is the rise of China. China of revival.
Some accounts on Weibo continue to output negative energy and treat the general public as fools. Over time, it will inevitably be abandoned by users.
Of course, neoliberalism is sweeping the world. As we open the country and come in, the current Chinese society is very diverse. Cognition and interests are diversified. It's hard to agree on one thing.
It manifests itself in arguments on social media. And meagerness is precisely the public platform that can provide such debates. WeChat and Douyin are currently unable to do this. So meibo is very popular now.
However, if it remains unchanged, its market share will definitely slowly decline, and it will be unable to compete with Twitter and Facebook. "
Professor Shen listened carefully and nodded occasionally. It was obvious that Mr. Jing was not a fool and had something of his own. Its area of focus is not business, but rather the field of political economics. After pondering for a moment, he said: "
I roughly understand your problem. I also have an account on WeBo. Face off with people often. Business operations and models are not my research direction, so I will not comment on them. Regarding cyberspace governance, I can make three points.
The first point is that social platforms are not "neutral" in the absolute sense, and their positions are bound to be biased. As for which way you want to go, or where Weibo is currently going, you can make a choice. Your idea is right.
From my personal perspective, the advice given is of course: the management of social platforms, or governance, should be conducive to China’s national interests, serve as an accelerant for China’s rise, and help build a certain social consensus. To promote operations with this purpose, we will surely be able to find, or explore, a suitable commercial path.
The second point is that the governance of cyberspace still needs to be governed by laws. In this sense, online platforms should cooperate with the government's governance instead of acting on their own, filtering information and manipulating users based on the preferences and values of corporate owners, which will instead become a force that harms cyberspace governance.
The third point, you mentioned Twitter and Facebook, is actually very simple. The answer you need lies with these two companies. The master is the teacher. Of course, you must pay attention to the security of user information and not misuse or leak it.
Last year, the media revealed that the UK's Brexit practice in 2106 was a data company called Cambridge Analytica, which analyzed users' habits and preferences to deliver targeted advertisements. This led to this Brexit.
The current relevant domestic laws are not perfect enough. The collection of user data is not prohibited. It can even be said to be semi-public in the Internet world. But I still need to remind you. "
What a long and difficult sentence!
Jing Gao discovered Professor Shen's language habits. I particularly prefer long sentences, which require concentration to understand. He put away his notebook and stood up to say goodbye: "Mr. Shen, thank you for your answers and opinions. I wonder if I can come and ask for advice if I have similar questions again. Oh, this is my business card."
"Okay." Professor Shen drank some water, added WeChat with Jing Gao, exchanged business cards, and said: "This year's Wuzhen Internet Conference invited me to serve as the assistant secretary-general of the high-level expert advisory committee. Were you there at the time?"
Jing Gao said: "Yes." He was fighting with Ali at that time. During the Internet Conference, I also had a chat with Ma Yun, and they completely broke up with each other.
It was around 11 a.m. when Jing Gao came out of Professor Shen's office. While waiting for the elevator at the stairway, Jing Gao flipped through his notebook and had a rough idea.
Regarding meagerness, in terms of management, just learn from Twitter and Facebook. If you are under his banner, you must not sit with your butt crooked. In terms of social management, it is necessary to communicate more with superior authorities.
As for the general principle, Professor Shen has just made it very clear. What these think tank-level professors say is basically the general direction, just follow it.
At this time, Jing Gao's cell phone rang, and it was Wang Hanjun. His voice was clear and sweet, "Brother Jing, are you still in our school, right? Xixi said that like Zhang Li, she wants to join the Phoenix Fund as an intern."
Jing Gao was slightly surprised.
