But the United States, "The EU and China are leading the world. Keegan McBride | Oxford Internet Research Institute, UK | United States
On July 23, the website of the American bimonthly magazine National Interest published an article by Keegan McBride, lecturer of the Oxford Internet Research Institute, and Albi Nani, research assistant, entitled "The United States is a declining digital superpower". The full text is excerpted as follows:
Although the United States is in a favorable position to lead the development of digital nations, its current potential is clearly insufficient. In contrast, other geopolitical participants, especially the European Union and China, are leading the world.
The current digital weakness in the United States is not long-standing. In the 1990s, it was the United States that sparked global interest in national digitization. The 1993 report "Technologies for Promoting US Economic Growth: A New Direction for Enhancing Economic Strength" and subsequent significant investments in domestic digital infrastructure reflect this vision.
The above investments have kept the United States in a leading position in international rankings. Internet access has improved, opportunities to contact with the government have increased, and many internal operations of the government have been digitized. The Obama administration has prioritized digitization and established a national chief technology officer to promote and guide domestic digitization.
Although the United States has invested heavily in domestic technology infrastructure, during the COVID-19 epidemic, it is increasingly clear that the digital infrastructure of the United States has become outdated and dilapidated. On the international digital government rankings, the United States continues to decline in ranking. Internet access has become popular, but the digital divide still exists.
The digital projects in the United States have also continued to suffer serious failures, with the most famous example being the launch and failure of healthcare websites. Although the US government established the National Chief Technology Officer in 2009, this position remained vacant during Biden's tenure.
In sharp contrast to the United States, the European Union has rapidly become the world's leading digital superpower and is unlikely to fall from this throne soon.
The EU has identified digitalization of society and government as one of its core areas of concern, and the launch of the "Digital Decade" policy plan has also been helpful. The goals of the "Digital Decade" plan, although very ambitious, have received political and financial support.
In the European Union, public services and government data are undergoing transformation to facilitate cross-border flows. Regulatory achievements such as the Regulations on Electronic Identity and Authentication Services have promoted the establishment of interactive cross-border digital identity systems. To ensure that citizens and businesses benefit from the emerging digital society, the EU has launched many initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide.
The digital achievements of the European Union have prompted countries around the world to adopt Europe's digital approach, which includes both technology and management. This process is known as the "Brussels effect", which means that other countries and businesses will adopt the best practices of the European Union even if they are not under its jurisdiction.
Like the European Union, China also prioritizes digitalization. Technology is a core component of its "social management" strategy.
Social management strategies contain many contents, and the most well-known digital content is the "social credit system". To the surprise of many Westerners, the social credit system has received high support from the Chinese people. In terms of infrastructure, China is not as constrained by traditional technology as the United States, but is building the most advanced digital infrastructure - from 5G, quantum computing to data storage.
By utilizing this expertise, China consciously disseminates its digital worldview to the world through the export of digital technology, which is one of the contents of the "Digital Silk Road" initiative. Despite attempts by the West, especially the United States, to resist China's initiative, China has still achieved results in digital development.
If the United States wants to maintain competitiveness in the emerging digital future, it must invest in improving its dilapidated digital infrastructure and prioritize national digitization. This will be a daunting task that requires substantial reforms: providing funding, formulating new regulations, researching and implementing new technologies, and developing public service capabilities.
If it cannot develop into a digital country, the United States will soon find itself an outsider, watching the European Union and China become emerging digital giants in the world.
