In the article “Where ISN’T
social media ubiquitous?”, Levi (2012) suggests that not every part of
the world has been exposed to the social media. This is clearly
evident in areas where the access to Internet is scarce, such as undeveloped
areas or regions facing political instability. In addition, Levi adds that the
unavailability of particular languages contributes to the lack of prevalence,
though the problem is lessened by the availability of second language platforms.
The author also highlights that, to avoid any political complications, Facebook
has intentionally omitted some languages, such as Taiwanese and Tibetan.
Political disputes between
countries may result in severe consequences. In worst case scenarios, countries
may eventually wage wars and cause serious harm towards themselves, their
people and also neighbouring countries. In addition to death tolls and massive
damages to infrastructures, such devastating occurrences might lead to an
economic meltdown. As such, in order to maintain political ties between countries,
it is advisable that social media sites exclude the language supportability of
countries such as Taiwan and adopt a "wait-and-see" approach before
making these national languages available on its platform.
On Mar 8, 2008, China
released details of the planned new anti-secession bill during its annual
session of parliament. The bill stressed that any attempt of secession by the
Taiwanese government might result in an initiation of war, something which Wang
Zhaoguo, vice-chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) said that China
was prepared for (Labott, E., Grant, S., & Duffy, T., 2014). In addition,
it was later announced that Beijing’s arms budget would increase by 12.6% in
that year (Labott, E., Grant, S., & Duffy, T., 2014). The strong emphasis on
a possible attack by China had prevented Taiwan from trying any means of
declaring independence. Social media websites introducing Taiwanese as a
‘language selection’ may suggest that they are supporting Taiwan’s proposition
of autonomy. This will then risk agitating the Chinese, thinking how netizens
or international companies are not taking their side.
The use of hanyu
pinyin has been accepted by the Taiwan government since more than
five years ago (The Economist, 2014). Both its president, Mr Ma Ying-jeou,
and other high officials supported the use of this phonetic system and agreed
it would improve Taiwan’s economic situation with other Chinese-speaking
regions. However, this view was not shared amongst the rest of the country. The
same Economist article reported that citizens in major cities of the country
insisted on using the former Romanization system, which was introduced in 2002.
Therefore, Facebook’s implementation of the Taiwanese language may insinuate
the view of the opposition parties, and aggravate relations domestically as
well as internationally, between Taiwan and China. In this way, the
omission of the language by social media sites may help in prevent
potential political problems both amongst the Taiwanese and also between Taiwan
and China.
Despite all the potential
consequences social media sites might create upon the official release of the
Taiwanese language, it does not mean that they should exclude this possibility
as an area of development. In the article "Taiwan stays on course for
closer ties with mainland China", Chung (2015) noted
that Wang Yu-chi, the chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, which
oversees policies towards the mainland, said that one of the government's goals
this year was to engage in further talks with Beijing. Chung also
mentioned that recent polls have revealed that 80 per cent of the
Taiwanese public supports the idea of fostering closer ties with mainland
China.
In conclusion, it is only
right for social media sites refrain from supporting these countries’ first
language, such as Taiwanese and Tibetan, on their platforms, and remain
sensitive to the political situation in these countries. Nevertheless, social
media sites may eventually and subtly put up more languages in its options when
the political situation has stabilized. This “wait-and-see” approach will help
prevent unnecessary unhappiness and agitation to dominant countries.
(676 words)
References:
Chung,
L. (2015). Taiwan stays on course for closer ties with mainland
China. Retrieved from http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1689369/taiwan-stays-course-closer-ties-mainland-china
Labott,
E., Grant, S., & Duffy, T. (2014). U.S urges China to rethink
Taiwan. Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/03/07/china.npc.law/
Levi,
D. (2012, July 24). Where ISN'T social media ubiquitous? [Web log
post].Retrieved from http://www.etondigital.com/where-isnt-social-media-ubiquitous/
Murdoch,
G., & Richardson, A. (2008). TIMELINE: Milestones in China-Taiwan
relations since 1949. Retrieved from
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/06/12/uk-china-taiwan-idUSSP28081420080612
The Economist. (2014).
Lost in Romanization. Retrieved
from
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21603500-ideological-warfare-over-spelling-lost-romanisation?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227
Strait of
alarm. [Online Video]. (2014). The Economist. Available from http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/03/taiwans-relations-china?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227#