A latecomer to the adoption of digital communication technology, China now has nearly one billion Internet users. Just like you, Chinese take to the web for myriad reasons and find creative ways to express their views, despite tightening information control during the Xi Jinping presidency. This talk surveys the development of the Chinese Internet, explains the government’s intense preoccupation with censorship, and relates why Chinese social media have become disconnected from global conversations, while remaining spaces where people find community, solidarity, and love. Using the Covid-19 pandemic as a case study, Professor Esarey shows how social media have been used (and abused) by citizens and the state and what this tells us about life and politics in China today.