>>Looks more like they are copying the syntax (surface structure) of the valley rather than the substance.
Echoes of cargo cult science[1].
Echoes of cargo cult science[1].
Chinese could easily copy Facebook and call it something else but with built-in restrictions that they're looking for. They take our tech and perfect it for their culture. That's not identical to a guy in a hut with a wooden walkie-talkie. Sorry.
The only difference would be is that it's a closed network. Doesn't mean it's "less" or "primitive" or "savage" when compared to Facebook. Just different.
They'd like to have some of the magic fecundity of the Valley too -- and why not? Though copying the overt structure doesn't get you there -- many many many have tried, including many in the USA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_with_%22Silicon...). Hell, there are many studies and theories of how the Valley got to be where it is, with no consensus. I have commented further down in this thread on some unique or highly unusual factors that make it so effective (for me) right now but I have no solid theories of how it got to have the magic mix it does.