Vincenzo De Masi

Abstract
According to the latest Digital report of 2018 (Kemp 2018), the total number of Internet users has reached 4.021 billion. The majority (3,196 billion) are active on social networks.
Social media are playing a very important role in every field: from the economic to the social.
A particular role of change is occurring in Asia, where the dynamics of use are very different from those in the Western world. For example, applications such as WhatsApp are not widely used in China, South Korea or Japan. In fact, Japanese users prefer the app Line (developed in Japan). Similar to that, in South Korea people use KakaoTalk, and in China, only WeChat is used – because, other apps, mostly the social networks used in the West, are not accessible.
This study will analyze the situation of social media in general, giving an overview of the state of art in the world, and then focus on the situation in China, where compared to the rest of the world, social media are having a very different evolution. Some examples are WeChat (a messaging app with social network features) or dating apps like Tinder, which although banned in China, have several clones, such as Tantan, Momo, Soul or Jimu.
This research is manly founded on the studies carried out by Costa (2016) and aims to cover the lack, in the academic world, about the social media situation in Asia and above all to focus on the particular Chinese contest, in order to have an idea about the actual situation and how it has been changing over the years.

In the field of social media the instant messaging is a very important. Applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook messenger and Line have had a great technological evolution, turning them into powerful social media.
What many scholars ignore is the fact that in East Asia instant messaging has developed in a way different from those used in the Western world. For example, Line is the main instant messaging in Japan and KakaoTalk in Korea.
A particular case occurs in China where there is only one instant messaging called WeChat that has the monopoly because most of the social media in China such as WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, Line and KakaoTalk are banned by the government.
WeChat was born as a copy of the most famous WhatsApp, then it has evolved in a very different way from the original: this App has tried to fill a gap that was in the social media in China by introducing, for example, a function called moments, where users can publish photos, short videos and their friends can comment them.
Afterwards WeChat introduced Mini-programs which are additional functions that allow the users to order food, buy tickets for cinema and trains, rent bikes and much more. All this is supported by a payment model called WeChatpay that can be used to pay in every big shop in China.
All the other social media are interested in the WeChat model as a method of payment, hence they have started to try this new method but their attempt failed because of the lack of shops willing to do that.
On the contrary WeChatpay together with Alipay have spread all over the world and it is normal to see at the airports or in tourist areas Chinese tourists paying with these methods of payment.
The main aim of this study is to analyze the social media, such as Line, KakaoTalk and WeChat in order to outline their evolution focusing on WeChat as case study.
Furthermore, in the introduction there will be an accurate and updated analysis of the most important social media in China.

In the sector of creative industry, apps are having a great success all over the world but in China the situation is very different (De Masi 2016). Chinese studios design their own apps entirely in China and they are very simple to be used by everybody.
The sector of apps in China has upset the lives of the new generation and all the other people try to fit in this new world (Rau 2013).
Today in China it is possible to do everything simply using the smartphone. For instance it is possible to pay anywhere using some social media apps such as Wechat; to order something to eat thanks to Elema and Baidu Waimai apps; to rent a bicycle using OFO or Mobike; even to find partners through Dating apps such as Tantan (Chinese version of Tinder) and Momo (Chen 2015).
All these apps are necessary and useful today in order to live in a better way in big urban centres and all that has changed the habits of the new generation.
In a preliminary stage of this paper there will be an analysis of these new Chinese apps and their consequences on contemporary society in China. It is necessary starting with the history of these apps and then focusing on the most popular apps in China and their use by the new generation (Rovai 2016).
In a second stage there will be the focus on the state of apps in China in correlation with the world of creative industry by indicating their use and penetration data in the young people’s relationships and their creative contest.
Furthermore, interviews will be conducted to see how new Chinese generations interact with them in order to have a trusted sample of people who, through their experience, can tell us how these apps work, their strengths and weaknesses.

During the last years the Chinese government has considered the creative industries very important for their cultural and economic value. For this reason the animation field has benefited from preferential developmental policies leading China to become, in few years, the first world producer of animation as far as produced minutes, that is about 220.000 minutes per year.
To achieve these results, since 2004  the Chinese government  has worked hard in supporting the animation field in its all levels: from the education sector, with the opening of new schools and the creation of specialized courses at the universities to the industrial one, with tax cuts and funds allocated to the industries dedicated to animation.

The world of apps is liking great success in the creative industries (De Masi 2016), especially the American apps have influenced the whole social media world.
But in China the situation is completely different for two main reasons: firstly because some of the most popular Western apps are not accessible in China; secondly, because the app industry made in China is successful. Furthermore Chinese apps are indispensable for Chinese people who, for example, make purchases using Wechat and Alipay as it is almost impossible to pay cash.
These features have quickly changed the way of life both of the young generation and adults as well (Rau 2013).
Through these apps everybody can access any service using simply a smartphone: for example it is possible to order a take a way in any restaurant using Elema and Baidu Waimai apps; ride a bike using an app such as Mobike or OFO; find your partner through Dating apps such as Tantan (Tinder) and Momo (Chen 2015).
This study is manly based on the researches carried out by Wang (2016) and Costa (2016) and is made up of two parts: the first part describes the panorama of social media in China; the second part focuses on both the use of social media by some categories of the Chinese population (Rovai 2016) and how their relationships and some aspects of their life in general are influenced by these new means of communication.

The Chinese animation has always been considered a minor art and it has been neglected by the media experts though it has got a very ancient history and it is so successful on the world market. From 2006 to present the Chinese government has considered the animation a key sector for the birth of a new national identity and for the cultural development in China. To reach this goal the Chinese government has promoted and supported the birth of about 6000 animation studios, 1300 universities which provide animation studies and so in China there are more than 500 animation departments. Zhao Shi, deputy director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and (SARFT) said “About 64,000 students majoring in animation have graduated from universities and 466,000 were studying in colleges”

AI Amok (2020), directed by Yu Irie, offers an incisive exploration of artificial intelligence’s role in a near-future Japanese society and is set in the year 2030. Employing the analytical framework provided by Bordwell and Thompson’s Film Art: An Introduction, this research explores the film’s narrative construction, visual storytelling techniques, and its thematic depth, particularly focusing on the portrayal and implications of artificial intelligence. Distinct from the often distant futures depicted in science fiction cinema, AI Amok presents a vision of the future that mirrors current technological trajectories, especially in healthcare and urban development. This stands in contrast to films like Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Her (2013), which envision more abstract futures. AI Amok thus distinguishes itself through a narrative that integrates AI into societal fabrics, confronting the ethical quandaries this integration elicits. The analysis reveals a scenario that feels immediate and tangible, offering a credible sight into the technological advancements and challenges of the near future. Moreover, the study highlights AI Amok’s nuanced depiction of AI’s roles within healthcare and government, suggesting a reflection on and projection of these technologies’ evolving paths. Unlike the overt technologization seen in The Matrix (1999) or Ex Machina (2014), AI Amok opts for more subtle visual effects to convey AI’s ubiquity, providing a unique perspective on AI’s potential to shape societal dynamics. This approach enriches the discourse on science fiction cinema, contributing a distinctive viewpoint to the ongoing debates concerning the ethical development and integration of artificial intelligence in real-world contexts.

https://iafor.org/archives/journals/iafor-journal-of-cultural-studies/10.22492.ijcs.9.si.pdf

The world of apps is liking great success in the creative industries, especially the American apps have influenced the whole social media world. But in China the situation is completely different for two main reasons: firstly because some of the most popular Western apps are not accessible in China; secondly, because the app industry made in China is successful. Furthermore Chinese apps are indispensable for Chinese people who, for example, make purchases using Wechat and Alipay as it is almost impossible to pay cash. These features have quickly changed the way of life both of the young generation and adults as well. Through these apps everybody can access any service using simply a smartphone: for example it is possible to order a take a way in any restaurant using Ele.me and Baidu Waimai apps; ride a bike using an app such as Mobike or OFO; find your partner through Dating apps such as Tantan and Momo. This study is manly based on the researches carried out by Xinyuan (2016) and E...

The purpose of this paper is to describe the phenomenon of Japanese animation (anime) and more in detail the history of Japanese animation and its influence in the European market. In particular the focus of this research is on the production of the animation of the series called Meisaku (Fontana 2007, Cavallaro 2011), that is those anime series inspired by the novels of world literature for children, most of them of European origin (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France etc.).

“CREATED IN CHINA”:THE NEW AGE OF CHINESE ANIMATION PRODUCTION.

From 2006 to present the Chinese government has considered the animation a key sector for the birth of a new national identity and for the cultural development in China. To reach this goal the Chinese government has promoted and supported the birth of about 6000 animation studios, 1300 universities which provide animation studies and so in China there are more than 500 animation departments. Zhao Shi, deputy director of the State Administration of  Radio, Film and said “About 64,000 students majoring in animation have graduated from universities and 466,000 were studying in colleges”.
In this paper we will try to outline the actual situation of the animation in China focusing on the new methods of production and distribution of the animation in the country. We will carry out the analysis from a comparative point of view, in order to better study and analyze the traditional way of creating animation and the new methods.
The aim of this paper is to give an overall view of the state of the animation in China and above all to understand this new way of communication, such as the animation, that which can influence the new Chinese generation as well as foreigners .

In 2011 China has become the first world producer  of animation  with about  220,000 minutes produced by the Chinese studios of animation breaking the record held by Japan.
But few people know that the  90% of the production of the American animation is produced in Asia and in the Chinese studios.[1]
To reach this record the Chinese government has promoted and sponsored the animation cinema and it has created new schools and universities. 2006 was an important year because the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) started this new kind of project, and so there was the birth of about 6000 animation studios, about 500 animation departments and over 1,300 universities offering professional training for cartoonists. “About 64,000 students majoring in animation have graduated from universities and 466,000 were studying in colleges“ said Zhao Shi, deputy director of SARFT.
It’s quite interesting the way the government is trying to find a national identity through the animation.
In this period China is experimenting new forms of animation drawing inspiration for the anime from its neighbor Japan and for the narration and the techniques of production from Europe and the USA.
In this historical period, Taiwan has always tried to draw inspiration in its animation production from the Chinese traditional art so it was able to create original animated products which, at the same time, use traditional techniques such as the palm puppetry and mixing them with the new animation technologies offered by the computer graphic. The Taiwan puppet show originates from Southern Fujian Province in Mainland China. The modern puppetry has been developed from the traditional palm manipulated form and tailored to fit the studio shooting for TV and cinema. One of the most successful products is the series with over 1,600 episodes called Pili, produced by Pili International Multimedia Inc. The Pili show even extends its influence to the international video arena with first Pili movie ‘The Legend of Sacred Stone’ in 2000.
In a preliminary stage of this paper we will explore the history of the Chinese schools of animation specialized in the puppet animation. In order to underline the peculiar characteristics of movie production we will conduct our analysis from a comparative point of view, taking into consideration the historical point of view. In fact during the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese government has promoted the production of the puppet animation, such as ‘Little Eighth Route Army Soldier’ (Xiao Balu), produced by the Shanghai Puppet Theatre. We will highlight not only the differences but also the touching points between the old school of puppet animation and the new one.
In a second stage we will examine the state of the schools of puppet animation in China and in the Taiwan, dwelling above all on the international success reached by the puppet animation Pili which are considered the best example of mixture between the traditional puppet animation and computer animation in the framework of an original animation production.
We will also try to understand how the puppet animation schools have created this new kind of hybridization. Our choice to focus on the Chinese animation model will draw from some preliminary observations.
This so ancient art was even considered died or it was present only in any shows of little importance, but thanks to the animation schools of puppet animation of the Republic of China, today we can witness a new rebirth of this special kind of art.

[1] Asian Animation: Artistic And Commercial Perspectives edited by John A. Lent, Vol. 14, No.1,  Spring/summer 2003, Asian Cinema Studies Society.

This article explores the transformative impact of generative AI and the metaverse on work, leisure, and society. Drawing insights from a talk at the UIC in Zhuhai, China, and the research of Italian sociologist Domenico De Masi, the article delves into the potential benefits and challenges of these emerging technologies. It discusses how generative AI tools like ChatGPT Sora, DALL-E, and Vidu are revolutionizing creative industries, healthcare, education, and commerce by enabling the creation of realistic content from textual descriptions. The article also examines the metaverse's role in redefining work, collaboration, and leisure through immersive virtual experiences. However, it raises concerns about job displacement, privacy, inequality, and the psychological impact of increasingly blurred boundaries between the physical and digital worlds. The article emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to ensure that the benefits of these technologies are distributed fairly and aligned with human values. It concludes by calling for an inclusive dialogue to shape a future where AI and the metaverse enhance human creativity, knowledge, and social connections while preserving our humanity and connection to the real world.