Digitalization models in China, the US and Europe

Digitalization models in China, the US and Europe

Introduction

This course introduces a comparative perspective on the global digitalization approaches of societies in China, the US, and Europe (, India, Africa). Participants describe, compare and assess digital societies. Phenomena and tools are analyzed, especially in the areas communication, shopping, payment and mobility. They analyze official strategies, domestic and foreign political measures and rhethorics, including propaganda. They assess digital societies with perspectives like competitiveness, social responsibility, privacy, draft future scenarios and position themselves in the debate. Bounfour, Ahmed. Digital Futures, Digital Transformation. Springer, Cham, 2016.

„China’s Four New Inventions“ – Analysis of Chinese Digitalization of Communication, Shopping, Payment and Mobility

and the consequences of massive data gathering, individual surveillance and big data analysis in comparison to slower developments in the USA, Europe, India and Africa

The societal transformation through digitalization is a global phenomenon. While the United States traditionally are leading with their disruptive global companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc., Europe is digitalizing more carefully and stresses data security and privacy, India develops software and digital service stronger than infrastructure and Africa takes a great leap forward by skipping analog telephones and tvs, directly implementing cheap smart devices.

China, compared with these other regions, digitalizes the most radically and justifies data collection and total surveillance with economic advantages. Digitalization in China is currently globally most advanced. Other than the historical “four inventions” (paper, book printing, compass and gunpowder) the new digital inventions are disrupting the traditional trust-based market, are widely distributed and deeply implemented in the current Chinese market. They callenge and start to infiltrate other markets, including the German one.

The communication is digitalized with the program WeChat (similar but more powerful than WhatsApp and Facebook), allowing users to communicate with chat, images, audio, video, to locate people, to build groups, to reach a huge audience etc. The Shopping is digitalized with the platform Taobao/Alibaba (similar but more powerful than Ebay and Amazon), online shopping that created a whole new service sector of package delivery. The Payment is digitalized by Alipay (similar but more powerful than ApplePay), resulting in millions of citizens leaving their home without a purse, only paying with the scan functions of their cell phones any more. This feature now is available for Chinese tourists in several German retails store chains. Finally the mobility is digitalized by Didi/Ofo/Mobike (successors of Uber) with bikes/cars etc. and tools like 2-wheel-scooters (successor of US segways) solving especially the transport of the “last mile”. All inventions are interconnected and take over more and more functions from the other inventions to create one central powerful digitalized tool.

All four inventions have in common, that they collect data about their users to allow the backbone network (Chinese Communist Party) to control both individuals and the masses. They also have in common, that they are not used to their full ability, but severely censor and restrict contents. This seminar will focus on China and use the other regions as contrast foils. The students critically, interculturally compare different models of digitalization, apply selected perspectives like social responsibility, assess the phenomena, draft future scenarios and carve out individual guidances how to handle the developments and they get tools to position themselves in the debate.

German

Die Digitalisierung ist ein globales Phänomen, das Gesellschaften transformiert, allerdings eines der unterschiedlichen Geschwindigkeiten und Herangehensweisen: Der amerikanische Kulturkreis ist Vorreiter mit Weltmarkt-dominierenden disruptiven Unternehmen. Europa ist disruptions- und algorithmus-skeptischer, betont Datenschutz und digitalisiert langsamer. Der chinesische Kulturkreis digitalisiert radikal und rechtfertigt mit wirtschaftlichen Vorteilen aus disruptiven Technologien u.a. eine Totalüberwachung. Noch technikgläubiger zeigt sich Japan, das künstliche Intelligenz und Maschinen als dem Menschen ebenbürtig, ihn verbessernd oder ihm überlegen begreift. Indien entwickelt Software und digitale Dienstleistung stärker als die Infrastruktur. Afrika überspringt die Industrialisierung mit flächendeckender Digitalisierung durch Smartphones. Überall liefert Digitalisierung neue Werkzeuge der Kommunikation, Kooperation, Mobilität, Produktion, sie potentiert Wirkungen und eröffnet neue Möglichkeiten, rückt näher, standardisiert und individualisiert, beschleunigt. Die kulturellen Ausprägungen der Digitalisierung bilden durch ihre Verschiedenheit Kontrastfolien und ermöglichen eine kritische, interkulturelle Auseinandersetzung mit den möglichen Spielarten der Digitalisierung, das Entwerfen entsprechender Zukunftsszenarien und individueller Handlungs-Orientierungen.