<
https://theconversation.com/chinas-wechat-is-all-encompassing-but-low-key-a-chinese-media-scholar-explains-the-taoist-philosophy-behind-the-everything-apps-design-211785>
"Elon Musk’s vision of Twitter, now rebranded as X, as an
“everything app” is no secret. When the X logo replaced Twitter’s blue bird,
the internet buzzed with heated discussions about just what it would mean for X
to be an everything app.
Musk promoted his super app project by referring to the Chinese all-in-one app
WeChat. But for many American users unfamiliar with WeChat, a train of
questions followed. What’s it like to use WeChat? How has WeChat become
“everything” in China? Would it be possible to replicate the app’s success in
the U.S.?
I’m a Chinese digital media scholar, and I’ve used WeChat since 2012. But, in
contrast to Musk’s enthusiasm, I don’t think WeChat is something to write home
about. I believe it’s ordinary rather than special, lacking distinctive
features compared with the other popular apps I studied for my current book
project about Chinese touchscreen media.
WeChat’s inconspicuousness on my phone screen is no accident. Although WeChat
is an everything app in the sense of being a digital hub for over a billion
users, the app’s design is intentionally grounded in a more nuanced and
philosophical meaning of the word “everything” than you might expect."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
