China’s digital underdogs

Tricia Wang just posted her presentation from SXSW called “睡在网吧 [Sleeping at the Internet Bar] The Next 300 Million Chinese Users.” It has some great insights on the fringe community of migrants around China and how they are adamantly connected. Tricia observes that these migrants spent lots of time in internet bars/cafes because they’re cheap and because they can connect with their loved ones far away. On the theoretical front, it’s an interesting blurring of public and private spaces respectively.

Check out the presentation here, definitely recommended if just for the photos.