The comparison between Renren and Facebook Literature review

The comparison between Renren and Facebook - Literature review Example The government of China has been long trying to keep tight control over traditional as well as new social media platforms so that the political authorities are not challenged in any way (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). The government uses strict monitoring systems, jailing of bloggers, journalists or social activists and shutting down of websites and publications (Gorman, 2005). There has been a growing dissatisfaction among the young and emerging social groups in China. Most of these groups want higher flexibility in search sites and liberal policies for publications and online social media sites. This has led to anti social activities such as people getting involved in media censorship in China and that has in turn created pressure on the government. The Chinese have been demanding information and this is a testing phase for the age-old control of Chinese authorities over media (Hansen, 2010). Media censorship has been playing an influential role in the political evolution in Chinese gove rnance. However, with the rise in globalization and China becoming an integral part of the global economy, the political as well as the policy making authorities are trying to balance their goal of maintaining power by controlling content and satisfying the need for more information (Kiesler et al., 2002). The government fears that the consistent need for freedom and information might have to force them to open gates which the policies were trying to lock for so long (Zizi and Alan, 2000). Another concern is that while providing more information to the people the government might lose control over that crucial information which has been holding the overall government’s control and avoiding downfall of the regime (Bennett, 2013). Even though Chinese government allows sharing of information and media access, the government has been keen on maintaining strict laws and rules. The major concern comes in guarding the secrets of the state. The Chinese government has recently announc ed modifications in its state secret law policies in order to gain tight control over information flow. No doubt, social media sites like Google, Facebook, Tumbler and Twitter have been banned as a result of mass flow of information and ideas (O'Rourke IV, Harris and Ogilvy, 2007). Many critics have argued that the definition of these vague secret laws is itself contradictory. Thus, the rules of punishment and illegal obligations are sometimes despised. Revenue Sources for Social Media Networks In general there are two major sources of income for the company. It includes: IVAS (Value Added Services from Internet):- The source of revenue of IVAS is mainly from online applications and games. Most of the revenues are gathered from the online purchase of games, applications and other virtual items. Other revenues are earned from the application developers and merchants who offer their services and products in different websites. Furthermore, exclusive and VIP membership are few other ar eas from where the online firm earns substantial amount of money. Online Advertising: - Online advertisements are also another segment from which the company earns a substantial amount of revenue. This is achieved by a number of different advertisements. The advertisements are positioned ain suitable place at the front page or the interface. The advertisements are mainly charged according to the time and place where they are positioned in the