Comparative analysis of social platforms in China and Russia in the context of globalization: a case study of Weibo and VKontakte

in the context of continuous globalization, social media platforms serve as important channels for information dissemination and social interaction. They not only transcend national borders but also exhibit unique local characteristics in various countries and regions. This article conducts a comparative study of two local social platforms – Weibo (one of the largest social media platforms in China) and VKontakte (the leading platform in the Russian-speaking space) – to explore how globalization influences the formation of characteristics and functions of local social media. The research shows that, despite both platforms playing significant roles in their cultural and social contexts, they demonstrate considerable differences in political regulation, functional orientation, user interaction, and content dissemination. Both platforms rely on political barriers to protect themselves from international competition; however, their cultural adaptation strategies differ significantly: Weibo stimulates public opinion through media content, while VK strengthens user loyalty through social tools. At a technical level, both platforms connect their services with local commercial ecosystems (such as Alipay) and multifunctional services (such as email and music), creating a model of "protective localization." The study reveals the passive adaptation of non-Western social media in the context of globalization, providing new perspectives and empirical data for researching social media regulation and policy.

globalization, local social platforms, Weibo, VK, user interaction, content distribution