The Internet is Different in China[!?!?!?]

I like The Economist. Wait, wait, let me rephrase that. I REALLY like The Economist. Ok, so I mostly like it because it provides positive reinforcement of my political and economic views (governments should promote free trade because free trade encourages fair[er] competition, and competition encourages innovation and adaptation). And, I also like The Economist because no one else employs writers and editors who are better at writing sarcastic captions and single sentence zingers at the end of each story. Oh, and the writing quality and insight are reasonably good and deep for a weekly periodical. But, and this is a big 'but,' what is with The Economist and its reporting on the internet in China. Back in November they wrote some wacky story about 'emobytes,' and on the cover of this week's magazine is a story about How the internet is different in China.

Did you know that in China internet use is growing? Did you know that in China Wikipedia is restricted, and Google China filters search results? Did you know that in China people buy and sell stuff online, use social networking, look for "virtual friendships," and swap pirated media? You did, huh? Did you just assume all of this because people everywhere do the exact same thing on the internet, or did you actually know this, or both? Did I find anything novel in this article at all? Yes.

Thing I Learned:

• "Operating margins for leading internet firms are 28% in China, compared with 15% in America."

That is impressive, but really it is just one sentence, and I'd like to hear a story that covers the why. Presumably it is has something to do with cheaper labor?

Internet Tidbits That Could and Should Be Expanded Beyond The Single Paragraph Allotted:

• Internet use over mobile phones is China's largest internet market.
• Yes, this is well known, but this is important and worthy of its own article in The Magazine. Maybe even a study into cross-platform and cross-country profit margins in internet delivery methods?
• "The most dynamic area, and the hardest for outsiders to understand, is that of online communities."
• The paragraph devoted to this subject is insufficient.
• The dynamism should not simply be left to my imagination because I probably won't understand it.
• Profit margin comparisons, please?

The Economist, please keep giving me China internet articles. But give me something other than government issued pork to chew on, please.