Development of the World Internet Media

Abstract

(1) Internet media, the application with the most users, the highest use frequency and the widest scope, are the means of obtaining information, acquiring knowledge, socializing and enjoying entertainment and leisure time, playing an important role in enriching Internet users’ cultural life and facilitating cultural prosperity and civilization progress. (2) Compared with mass media, Internet media are characterized by digitalization, multi-media, hypertext and strong interaction. They have experienced three stages, namely, Internet media 1.0, Internet media 2.0 and next-generation Internet media, developing from one-way communication in the direction of interaction, diversified ecosystems and smart media. (3) By product or service type, Internet media can be categorized into new media, social media, search engines, knowledge platforms and audio-visual media. North America and Europe have more media discourse power and technical advantages, with their products available worldwide; and Asia, Latin America and Africa have local products and services with great potential, with room for improvement. (4) Internet media are channels for Internet users to obtain news and information.Comprehensive portals and aggregated news websites enjoy wide coverage. For example, the number of monthly accesses to Google News is 499.2 million. Traditional news media in major countries maintain strong momentum. The number of monthly accesses to the website of New York Times has reached 388.1 million. Europe, North America, China, Japan, Republic of Korea and Australia are wit- nessing digital transformation and upgrading of their traditional media and the revolution of their media industry. Africa and Latin America are weak in Internet news media, but some countries there with good Internet infrastructure have their local influential news media. (5) Social media are one of the most popular types of Internet media, including the social network, instant messaging (IM) and online forum (BBS), with the number of their users and their growth rate and penetration rate on the leading list of the world. By the second quarter of 2017, the number of active users of social media in the world had amounted to 3.028 billion, accounting for 79.29% of the total number of the world’s Internet users, but there exists imbalance in the development between regions. The penetration rate in Africa is