This is interesting. Above, via the bitly blog, is a map showing relative social network usage in countries around the world. The more red a country is, the more clicks.
The coloration isn’t at all surprising, considering YouTube has been blocked in China since March 2009. What about Facebook?
![Social media country breakdown - Facebook](http://beijingcream.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Social-media-country-breakdown-Facebook-530x393.png)
Right, blocked since July 2009.
Twitter?
![Social media country breakdown - Twitter](http://beijingcream.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Social-media-country-breakdown-Twitter-530x388.png)
Hmm. Also blocked since July 2009.
It’s stunning to see it in such black and white — or red and blue, as it were — terms, isn’t it? We often say that pervasive censorship hinders both a country’s development as an economic state, attenuating creative spirit and impeding innovation, and its maturation as a peoples under a national banner. But how far behind is China? It has willfully cut itself off from the global marketplace of ideas, a self-embargo that continues to deal untold harm, effects of which we’ll all feel for decades.
But, hey, at least this country’s incubating ideas among itself:
![Social media country breakdown - Douban](http://beijingcream.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Social-media-country-breakdown-Douban-530x392.png)
And Weibo is looking strong (though we’re unclear whether this refers to Sina Weibo or all the weibos, including QQ and Sohu):
![Social media country breakdown - Weibo](http://beijingcream.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Social-media-country-breakdown-Weibo-530x377.png)
Another map of interest to lots of people here — particularly those who speculate every month that this site will be harmonized soon — Reddit:
![Social media country breakdown - Reddit](http://beijingcream.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Social-media-country-breakdown-Reddit-530x396.png)
The last thing to note is not much of a surprise: no one anywhere really uses Google+:
![Social media country breakdown - Google-plus](http://beijingcream.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Social-media-country-breakdown-Google-plus-530x404.png)
breakdown of traffic from social networks by country (bitly blog, h/t Alicia)