SMU Assistant Professor of Sociology Gao Yang, in an interview with Xinhuanet, said that in China, the main impact of social media is to provide people of different social backgrounds and educational levels with both easier access to information and a more open platform for interaction, so that people no longer rely solely on traditional media for news about society and the world. On the popularity of American TV series in China, Prof Gao commented that they are ‘real’ not because they reflect what happens in real life, but rather because they speak to the real aspirations and ideals of youth on their journey of self-discovery and development.