What the WeChat Ban Means for Chinese People in America
It’s about more than being unable to message family/friends.
If you’re Chinese and living overseas, your sole platform of communication to friends, family, and even work colleagues located in China is WeChat. Unlike the U.S. where messaging platforms are less monopolized, a large range of users are able to choose from Facebook Messenger, Instagram PM, WhatsApp, iMessage, GroupMe, and more.
However, whereas different American messaging platforms have particular social contexts attached to them — Facebook for your grandma, Instagram for your current circle, WhatsApp for international classmates, iMessage for iPhone users, — all of these are condensed into one: WeChat.
It is important to note that the ban (currently halted) has not officially been instated under its current framework as protection against a Chinese national security threat. However, the threat of isolation looms, as President Trump and Secretary Mike Pompeo’s Chinese foreign policy has been firmly belligerent.
What does this mean for Chinese students who receive rent money for their university housing through the platform? First-generation Millennials who need to check up on their parents’ health from 4000 miles away, especially during a global pandemic? American small…
