Megatrends that characterize digital Korea

In Korea, trying to find a place that is completely disconnected from the world - in a digital sense - is almost impossible. This is especially so if you`re carrying a mobile handset - unless it is one of those ancient black bulky ones shaped like a refrigerator. From wireless broadband, better known as WiBro, to 3G technology, most regions in the world - especially Korea - are profusely wired, and more and more people depend on the convenience of a few clicks on keyboards or keypads for information.
To provide a bird`s-eye view of how information technology advances affect the way people live in the 21st century, the Korea Information Society Development Institute last year published a compilation of reports entitled "Megatrends Korea: Great Transformations in the Digital Age."
The papers - the second half of a long-term project on the social and cultural influences of information technology - aim to elucidate the direction of future changes by looking into various social phenomena.
KISDI categorizes major shifts in Korean society into four meta-trends, or the "fundamental factors that make megatrends emerge to the surface, or the phenomena that are present in the background of almost every megatrend." The meta-trends are explained in greater detail by focusing on 20 megatrends which are used to describe present-day society.

Connected society


The four meta-trends are all about making connections. The first one involves how society is "connected to networks - anytime, anywhere." This basically means that technological advances enable people to get online without needing a network cable plugged in.
More importantly, the relevant technology is not just limited to making innovative changes in individuals` lives, but also contributes to increasing the efficiency of public services.
On the other hand, the report also points out that the availability of a wide range of information on the internet increases the risk of personal-data leakage, as occurred in the recent scandal involving the nation`s biggest online shopping mall, Internet Auction.

Reality vs. virtuality


The second meta-trend pertains to the traditional definition of "reality."
Because of the increased connectivity in the world, thanks to digital technology, the distinction between the real and the virtual is becoming vague. Governments are setting up bases in cyberspace to meet the demands of the rising population in "connected" areas, which are expanding at a faster rate than ever before.
The report goes a step further, suggesting that virtual governments provide quality services, albeit in a limited range, against which real ones now have to compete. So, when both virtual and real government services are available, what is virtual can save you more time and money, while simultaneously offering the same value.
That is perhaps why the relatively novel idea of living a new life in a 3D virtual world, such as "Second Life," is appealing to internet users; about 10 million people are enrolled in it. Individuals can literally have a life completely separate from their "real" lives by creating identities online using avatars at almost no cost.

Blurred boundaries


On a similar note, because information technology continuously goes beyond the limits of time and space, it tears down walls between domains and actors. KISDI`s third meta-trend deals with this phenomenon. If the world has established artificial boundaries and divisions in pursuit of modernization, globalization has reversed that trend and is now consolidating governments, markets and individuals. The report ascribes such a change to information technology, which "enables diverse political, economic, social and cultural activities that transcend national borders to give momentum to globalization."
It also talks about a trans-domain governance network in which nations, markets and NGOs are linked with each other to form a collaborative network. For example, in today`s highly competitive world, where the amount of information is a controlling factor, the public and private sectors can maximize their respective capacities when they work together and share information.
The new term "prosumer," combining producer and consumer, illustrates the breakdown of barriers between actors. As consumers` opinions or reviews posted on the internet are factored into the production of goods and services, ordinary people play an invaluable role as quasi-producers.



Minority power


Concerning the last meta-trend, the report discusses the rise of minorities with different tastes, opinions and lifestyles: "As the costs for information searches and communications go down, these minorities, who previously had no means of self-expression, are forming networks online to secure their own power." In particular, the report argues that those who have had a hard time fitting in due to the Confucian nature of Korean society are now emerging as "the leaders of tomorrow armed with innovative ideas."
Similarly, one internet user`s opinion or idea on a certain topic, once it begins spreading on the Web, can bring about a "butterfly effect" and be part of a new government policy or cause a mass demonstration. It has also become a lot easier to become an online celebrity overnight.

Political trends


The KISDI report focuses on 20 major shifts, or mega-trends, which appear in relation to the four meta-trends. On the international level, a new structure-of-governance network is formed in which nations, markets and civic organizations interact and collaborate.
The report also predicts that the global community will increasingly see greater roles for world bodies such as the United Nations, in which emerging power blocs such as the European Union and East Asian countries will have a bigger say.
Likewise, in international politics, a government-to-government regime will be superseded by more "multi-perspectival institutional forms," particularly in the areas of e-governance, service trades and intellectual property rights.
In a highly wired nation, politics will also likely have a bigger role in cyberspace, with people communicating fresh ideas via the network, and indirectly participating in the decision-making process. These people often form alliances - such as "Nosamo," the gathering of Roh Moo-hyun supporters after the 2000 general elections - on the Web and they exercise influence in the political arena.
In public services, more administrative functions of the government are being digitized so as to increase the transparency and accessibility of state policies, as demanded by the internet-savvy public.
The report also points to the increased flexibility in the government`s policymaking process, thanks to the increased flow of information between organizations and efforts to maximize operational efficiency.
What facilitated this move away from traditional government, in which ministries and agencies were divided to guarantee their independence and to cultivate specialization, was the "connectivity" of society: "IT advances are transforming the role of government, from the sole administrator of national affairs to a coordinator of a governance system led jointly by businesses and civic society."

Market trends


The report offers a rosy outlook for Korea`s economy in the 21st century, based on the assumption that information technology will play a pivotal role in advancing the nation`s market status in the global community: "The IT revolution and the resulting economic digitization will merge with the powerful forces of economic liberalization and globalization that developed around the same period to create a true synergy."
After the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, Korea got its growth momentum from the IT industry, which accounted for two-fifths of national economic growth in 2004. Increased investment in the IT sector will improve the efficiency and productivity of Korean businesses and help attract overseas capital, according to the think tank.
The report explores the concept of creative destruction, which refers to a situation in which innovative entrepreneurs appear to destroy the old technologies and business strategies which no longer deliver profits, to explain how IT advancement can work in other fields.
"While the old business models used to focus on meeting existing customer demands, the future models based on the Web 2.0 paradigm will focus on understanding the untapped needs of consumers to deliver emotional satisfaction," it says.
Expanded human networks often risk isolating individuals in cyberspace. On the other hand, many users have forged connections with others, even as they choose not to reveal certain facts about themselves. So, while they may often be less close to their family and others around them, they can cultivate relationships in online communities.
The report uses the example of "Cyworld," the nation`s biggest social networking community site through which millions of users remain in contact with friends and acquaintances.

Alternatives online


As in the case of "Second Life," more people want to have their own space on the internet, and they seek more realistic ways to portray their unfulfilled dreams on the computer screen. The report explains that "the virtual world of today is expanding itself to accurately reflect scenes from the everyday life of the real world," blurring the boundaries between domains.
The report further argues that such a trend leads to a rising demand for multi-players "who can quickly adapt themselves to any domain or situation." The diffusion of the internet to the general public created a major social change. People can now access and secure a vast amount of knowledge in a relatively short amount of time.
For instance, Korea`s biggest portal site, Naver, achieved immense success through its "Knowledge iN" service, which allows people to ask and answer questions ranging from trivial ones to those requiring expertise to answer effectively.
Against this backdrop, people now expect others to be equipped with as much knowledge and know-how in various areas as they themselves either have or have easy access to.
With the increasing availability of other people`s ideas on the Web, internet users are changing the market, whether they intend to or not. The report says that "the market for cultural products is rapidly being restructured from a market led by suppliers and mainstream critics to one formed by `word of mouth` initiated by online users` comments and recommendations."
For businesses, this means that they will need positive online feedback from their consumers to sell more products. For aspiring entertainers, the importance of appealing to the public in cyberspace is clear.

An egalitarian medium


Because of the negligible cost of participation, along with its easy accessibility, more people are forming groups via the internet. This process is not just limited to those who seek to join a group online, but occurs also with those who, for example, while surfing on the internet, accidentally find certain websites with abundant information pertaining to their interests.
The report indicates that these network-based "taste groups" offer a new channel of self-satisfaction to participants who are often alienated from their families and friends in this digital era.
On a more positive note, this trend works to reduce cultural inequalities that arise from socioeconomic factors such as gender, age and wealth. "In fact, the widespread penetration of the broadband network is creating an active long tail in leisure/hobby activities," the report notes.
It also points out that Web 2.0 - with flourishing personal media such as user-created content - will exert a powerful influence not just on individuals` lives but on the overall market because anyone, not just organizations or businesses, can become a content provider. This applies also to education and welfare.

Risks to keep in mind


Korea has a rapidly changing internet environment, with its "wired" public perpetually contributing to the creation of new content. Thanks to its vast cell phone market, Korea is undergoing an improvement in its urban "metabolism," according to KISDI: "As people are use their time and space in a more flexible way, the nature of human activity begins to regulate space and form a `temporal space.` When this leads to an extempore lifestyle, the overall metabolism of urban space is improved."
Nevertheless, there are risks of living in a network-oriented society. The report says that even a minor shock can spread via the Web and pose a threat to all the networks. This domino effect resulting from the circulation of harmful information online has already happened on various occasions in Korean society.
The creation of cultural and institutional measures which can be used to control the outflow of information online is lagging behind the speed of technological changes, thus putting individuals` private information at risk, the think tank says. Coming up with relevant technological and sociopolitical plans to counter this threat will determine the success or failure of Korea`s digitization.


By Ahn Hyo-lim

(iamhyol@heraldm.com)


2008.06.18