Youth：Digital technology makes the world smaller

Shoppers check smartphones at a store in Shanghai. (Gao Yuwen/China Daily)

With the deepened exchanges and collaborations in digital technology, the breadth and depth of international cooperation have expanded continuously.

A survey conducted by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily in conjunction with wenjuan.com before the World Youth Development Forum on Oct 30 revealed that 69.4% of the 2001 surveyed youth felt that digital technology reduces the distance between people, making the world "smaller." 54.2% believed social media promotes the global dissemination of information and culture, and 53.5% felt that digital technology breaks time and space constraints, making business cooperation more convenient.

Digital technology makes the world "smaller"

Hu Yue from Changsha, the capital of mid China's Hunan province, had the opportunity to study abroad at Hokkaido University, Japan, for five months. "Every day, I felt fulfilled learning new knowledge and made friends from all over the world. Through interacting with them, I experienced the charm of different cultures."

Han Jieyu, a university student from Beijing, said, "Now, with just a smartphone, I can connect with many foreign friends. Although we are in different places and time zones, we can have real-time online conversations. So, the world seems to become 'smaller.'" However, digital technology has also widened the digital divide, especially for elderly people who cannot keep up with technological advancements.

Li Tong (pseudonym), a post-95s entrepreneur running a Taobao store in east China's Hangzhou city, strongly feels the same. When she travels, a video call lets her see her family, easing her worries. She believes that without digital technology, she wouldn't have been able to reach customers thousands of miles away, let alone communicate and collaborate with them.

Social media promotes global information and culture dissemination

What conveniences does digital technology bring to international exchanges? According to the survey, 50.8% of the respondents stated that instant messaging products make cross-border communication no longer a challenge and 50.7% felt that the rise of cross-border e-commerce has made international trade more closely connected.

Professor Cong Yi from Tianjin University of Finance and Economics said, "The development of digitalization and artificial intelligence has reduced language barriers in communication. Data, images, and videos can be transmitted instantly, significantly shortening the spatial distance of communication and compressing the time cost. In this sense, the world is becoming 'smaller,' continuously strengthening cultural, academic, and social exchanges. Contemporary youth should leverage digital tools to enhance their communication with the world."

Among the surveyed youth, post-2000s accounted for 29.9%, post-1990s accounted for 48.6%, and post-1980s accounted for 21.5%."

Source: China Youth Daily; trans-editing by Guo Yao