The increase in China’s internet user base has fallen to an eight-year low of 14.4 million during the first half of 2014, according to data from IDC.
Citing a report from China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the research firm said there were 632 million internet users in China as of last June.
In June, China had 527 million users who went online with mobile phones, which is now the most popular way to reach the internet instead of notebook and desktop PCs
China’s top internet services are online messaging, search engines, and news. The popularity of social networking sites is declining and are struggling to innovate, and meet the demands of users.
The slowdown of growth in internet usage comes in the wake of a rapid increase in China’s internet population from just 94 million over a decade ago.
Because most of the growth to date has been urban-centric, for improved adoption growth, the CNNIC recommends for Beijing to focus on teaching rural elementary students internet skills.