Liu Kang, dean of the Arts & Humanities Research Institute at SJTU, told the Global Times that though the opinion leaders are easily created as micro-blogs gather followers in a very short time, both the leaders and the viewers vanish quickly when the issue discussed is no longer current.

Liu said that the development of micro-blogging will enhance the diversity of public opinion, but it also causes huge pressure on governments. "Some official reaction to micro-blogs are just temporary and passive", he said. "But the real effect will be tested in the future."

One Chinese micro-blogger, Meng Na, told the Global Times that she uses micro-blogs for various reasons such as getting news on celebrities, and connecting to people who are not easy to reach by phone.

But Meng said that micro-blogs are sometimes a waste of time. "Some messages on it are no more than rubbish, and sometimes you get nothing after flipping over five pages," she said.