Taiwan: Social MediaThis is a featured page

Overview

1. Cultural issues in Taiwanese social media landscape

2. Governmental regulations in social media

3. Taiwanese online activity

4. Tips for doing business in Taiwan

 Related pages in this section:

1. Taiwan: The Taiwanese Blogosphere
2. Taiwan: Commercial and mobile applications
3. Taiwan: E-commerce and online advertisements
4. Taiwan: Social networking sites / BBS
5. Taiwan: Online Gaming
6. Taiwan: Citizen Journalism



1. Cultural issues in Taiwanese social media landscape


Strong Local Identity[Untitled]
While Taiwan is heavily influenced by Chinese culture, the two territories are vastly different.Taiwanese are imbued with a strong sense of national identity and view themselves as a separate entity from China. This is manifested in their use of traditional Chinese writing as opposed to simplified Chinese used in the mainland. Businesses which are looking to infiltrate the social media scene should therefore be sensitive towards this difference.


Social Media as an Empowering tool
[Untitled]
Freedom of speech is widely practiced in Taiwan and is evident in the largely unregulated media scene.
Social media empowers this individual right by allowing internet users to express their views and more importantly, to influence others. Given Taiwan's low power distance culture and sensationalist leanings, unusual events or news have a tendency to spread like wildfire and generate avid discussions among the online community. In December 2006, the first ever web 2.0 political campaign took place during the Taipei City Council Elections when popular local blogger Portnoy attempted to garner support within the blogosphere for the Green Party, a political party for environmental and social justice. His post spurned over a 100 blog posts pledging their support for the Green Party by displaying the campaign logo (logo on the right) prominently on their blogs.


Higher level of trust in social media[Untitled]
Undeniably, traditional media is an extremely influential media channel in Taiwan. Due to the unregulated media environment. However, there is intense competition among Taiwan’s news media companies which often resort to sensationalism to gain viewer or readership. This has resulted in a high level of distrust of traditional media and a growing trend of people turning to social media for information. In fact, popular local blogger Portnoy commented that through blogging, he gained a tremendous amount of knowledge that he was not able to obtain through traditional media channels. The channels to utilize therefore depends on the corporation's objectives. Traditional media is suitable for businesses who want to create brand awareness, while social media channels are more apt for those who wish to engage consumers on a deeper level.


Low Power Distance
Compared to China and Hong Kong, Taiwan has a relatively low score of 58 on the Power Distance Index (PDI). This means that people generally accept power relations that are more consultative and relate to one another as equals regardless of their position in the hierarchy. This can be attributed to the largely unregulated media landscape in Taiwan where everyone has the freedom to state his/her opinion. The social media scene reflects this phenomenon, with internet users commenting openly on a variety of issues ranging from celebrity gossip to politics. Criticizing politicians and businesses are common occurences in the social media scene. Thus, businesses should be prepared for direct, two-way communication with Taiwanese consumers.
Source: Kenneth C.C. Yang, A comparative study of Internet regulatory policies in the Greater China Region: Emerging regulatory models and issues in China, Hong-Kong SAR, and Taiwan, ScienceDirect



2. Governmental regulations in social media
In contrast to China, the Taiwanese government has a liberal stance on Internet regulation. Internet regulations are minimal and designed to protect Internet users rather than to restrict the user’s access to certain sites or information.
Freedom of pressTaiwan: Social Media - DIGITAL MEDIA ACROSS ASIA
Taiwan was ranked the top country in Asia in the 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index. The independence of Taiwan’s public media as well as its high level of self-censorship were factors that contributed to Taiwan’s ranking as 32nd in the world, preceding Japan, which took 37th place.

Taiwan’s government also facilitates the existence of a huge number of media outlets, both in the broadcasting and printed field, which makes Taiwan’s media scene highly competitive. However, there have been criticisms that the freedom enjoyed by the press has given rise to media sensationalism and loss of quality which may lead to a decline in its credibility as an information provider .

A study presented in October 2006 by the international public relations firm, Edelman, shows that a mere one per cent of Taiwanese respondents view the media as a trusted information source. According to the study, respondents trusted the local media less than foreign media outlets, online media or bloggers. Sources:


Relevant Government Agencies
Taiwan's government and industries have been quick to embrace new internet technologies, thereby establishing Taiwan as one of the leading e-societies in the Asia-Pacific region. In the World Information Society Report 2006 published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Taiwan was ranked 10th in the world in its Digital Opportunity Index.

The National Communications Commission (NCC) oversees and enforces regulations on the telecommunications, information and broadcasting sectors within Taiwan. The Taiwanese government’s policy is to encourage innovation in communications technologies and services and avoids imposing restrictions on innovation without proper cause.
Internet Content Rating Regulations
In order to protect minors on the Internet, the Taiwanese government has enacted the Internet Contents Rating System Law which is enforced by both city and county governments. The law requires all information service providers and Internet content providers to provide rating information about their sites. Internet contents will be categorized into the followings: (1) General, (2) Protective (kids less than six years old will be prevented from access), (3) PG-18 (kids less than 12 years old will be prevented from access. Those aged between 12 and 18 will require approval from parents or other adults to access), and (4) Restricted (adults only).


Privacy/ Security Issues
Taiwan: Social Media - DIGITAL MEDIA ACROSS ASIA Although the Taiwanese government adopts a self regulatory approach to internet usage, a 2007 telephone survey by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) revealed that the number of internet users concerned about internet security has risen from 46.3 per cent in 2003 to 64 per cent in 2007.

Taiwan’s existing laws in terms of libel, copyright, privacy protection have been applied to several internet cases in Taiwan in the past years. Recently, the local government has begun to examine the negative effects of internet content (such as pornography, gambling, spam, misleading medical information, etc.) and has taken steps to formulate measures to combat cyber-crime. The government has added a new chapter to Taiwan’s Criminal Code which provides a clear legal basis for the punishment of common types of cyber-crime.

The National Communications Commission (NCC) has also played an active role in building public awareness about security and privacy threats on the internet through campaigns. Currently the government in Taiwan is still focusing mainly on self-regulation by Internet service providers and other types of business enterprise. Its role is still largely confined to formulating standards and assisting with the development of new security products.



3. Taiwanese online activity

Taiwan: Social Media - DIGITAL MEDIA ACROSS ASIA

4. Tips for doing business in Taiwan

Know who your audience is

Taiwan: Social Media - DIGITAL MEDIA ACROSS ASIA
Before businesses begin to adopt social media in Taiwan, they should first explore and understand the mapping of different online
interest communities – sites where people discuss different products such as where to buy, how they buy, how much does it cost,
and how it the quality of the product. There are Taiwanese bloggers out there who are very influential in certain areas, and businesses can leverage on the bloggers’ expertise if they are able to find the right place and the right blogger for help and consultation in advance. To get in touch with these A-list bloggers right away, businesses can use micro-blogging platforms such as Twitter and Buboo to engage them.

Understand the Taiwanese culture

Businesses need to understand the Taiwanese culture (never ever confuse Taiwan with China) and its target market. Also, businesses need to evaluate whether their main target markets are ready for and are suitable for social media. There are many business opportunities out there in the blogosphere as long as businesses are able to carve out a niche for themselves and deliver products that meet the desires of its consumers.

Evaluate the effectiveness of your selected coummication channel

The Taiwanese value sincerity and being ‘real’ (truthfulness). Although Taiwanese may be critical about corporate blogging and treat it as “just another form of traditional one-way marketing”, this is often the case only when the company gets embroiled in trouble and controversy, thus causing its blog to be criticized. Companies should worry more about their product quality in advance, rather than the blog.

Furthermore as covered above, there are instances of companies that have successfully adopted social media to get engaged with their consumers. Social media is less of a tool than it is an idea and a value. As such, a necessary criterion for the effective utilization of social media is that companies must be prepared to embrace the concept in its entirety. The suitability to effectively engage social media depends on the company’s corporate culture, customers, and key corporate strategy. Corporate blogs are just an information window with a more human touch. Though social media is an essential platform for product communications and outreach, companies should not forget that traditional mainstream media also plays an important role and should not be ignored.

Get insights by "listening"

Taiwan: Social Media - DIGITAL MEDIA ACROSS ASIA
Before setting up a social media platform, businesses need to tap into the web 2.0 environment first to listen and
participate. This allows the businesses to understand their markets better.

Businesses can consider using “digg-like” social bookmark services to get a feel of popular topics in the blogosphere. Examples of such Taiwanese bookmark platforms include funP and HEMiDEMi. These platforms also provide authority ratings – somewhat like Technorati.

A second way of tapping into conversations would be for businesses to monitor v-log (video log) channels such as I’m Vlog which is a popular Taiwanese Vlog medium. Businesses can look for the most discussed and most watched videos to get in tune with their potential customers. For example, movie agencies in Taiwan actively use social bookmark services and online sites to promote new videos.

Customize your communication strategy

In Taiwan, there is a large divide between English and Chinese blogs. This difference is blog-based and not personal. Therefore, businesses need to consider if they want to include only one or both communities in their social media strategy. Though Mandarin is the vernacular, the English community should not be neglected as they also possess substantial influence. However, this group will require a different engagement approach as their demographics differ from that of the Chinese bloggers.


Sources:


adamr.2007
adamr.2007 		Latest page update: made by adamr.2007 , Nov 8 2009, 11:22 AM EST (about this update About This Update adamr.2007 Edited by adamr.2007


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