What is WeChat?

In the early 21st, a new phenomena began that would change how people would interact, allowing them to contact people just across town or all the way across the world.  Social media began in simple roots with websites like MySpace and Facebook, but grew to encompass a multitude of apps and websites.  Over the past decade, Facebook has dominated the social media industry with over 2 billion users logging on each month.  Unbeknownst to those in the western world, a fierce competitor was steadily staking its claim over in the Orient.

There are over 1.6 billion citizens living in China, and almost two thirds of those people are using the social media app, WeChat, with an estimated 963 million users accessing the messenger service every month.  Like Facebook, users can view a newsfeed, share pictures, customize their stories and so on.  Unlike Facebook however, this app is an all-in-one service that has become intertwined in Chinese daily life.  Need to order an Uber?  Pay for your coffee?  Order movie tickets?  This can all be done with WeChat.