In recent years, research on the Chinese ‘super-app’ WeChat has gradually moved from single functional studies to a focus on its infrastructure, or ecology research. WeChat’s ‘ecology’ is thought to be the result of its multifunctional merging capabilities; its social media ecosystem can be effectively defined as an integrated platform. 

This research project will focus on the WeChat ecology in relation to Chinese students living in Australia. The study seeks to understand whether the WeChat ecosystem continues to play a significant role in the lives of these young user groups.

More precisely, we will examine why Chinese students in Melbourne continue to use WeChat, as suggested by our preliminary inquiries, despite its strict censorship regime and all the other social media platforms available. As its primary contribution, this research project seeks to highlight that WeChat’s functionality and user perspective form an interconnected ‘two-way bridge’.

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