Mikhail Vinogradov: Regulation Will Not Destroy the Appeal of the Digital Space
Russians fear falling behind technological progress more than they fear the technologies themselves, while censoring foreign platforms solves nothing and may lock in backwardness.
From October 8 to 10, participants of the II Global Digital Forum will gather at the Mechta complex in Moscow's Gorky Park. They will discuss digital transformation, technology solutions, and how to build international cooperation. Political scientist and expert Mikhail Yuryevich Vinogradov told the online publication IT Russia how Russians view technology, whether social networks and blogging need regulation, and what the attempt to ignore neural networks could lead to. He emphasized the importance of the topics discussed at the forum, noting in particular that regulation may reduce the appeal of the digital space but cannot destroy it entirely.
– Russia has historically been a techno-optimistic country, whose residents fear falling behind more than they fear technology. And that is a rational fear. The main challenge today is the absolutization of the idea of creating our own rules of the game. It is not certain that social networks and blogging need regulation at all — especially on such a scale. And the fact that many advanced countries are introducing their own restrictions and rules does not mean they are on the right path. It is clear that a child's motivation to be on a social network will be higher than a regulator's motivation to ban it. The internet is not just a platform for self-expression — it is a space where the agenda is shaped and where institutions are tested for strength (if one assumes they exist). Censorship of foreign platforms solves no problems and sometimes creates the risk of locking in the backwardness that exists here. Texts about the threat posed by artificial intelligence carriers are also increasingly written by neural networks. Trying to ignore neural networks is a possible recipe for — if not self-destruction (though why not?) — then a decline in competitiveness. The same applies to blogging: either you master new formats, or you explain why you lost again. The main property of the digital space is its appeal. Regulation may reduce it, but it cannot destroy it entirely.
