Going back to the beginning of 2018, my country's software and information technology service industries have shown a very strong vitality. Behind the steady growth of income and exports, the industry structure is constantly being optimized, and new momentum is constantly emerging.
The overall operation of the industry is stable
From January to February 2018, my country's software industry achieved business revenue of 819.6 billion yuan. This figure increased by 13.3% compared with the same period last year. Its growth rate increased by 0.7 percentage points compared with the same period in 2017, which shows that the foundation for growth is more solid. At the same time, the industry's export volume was US$7.67 billion, maintaining a year-on-year growth of 1.3%, and the expansion of the international market has not stopped.
Steady growth in income has directly boosted the job market. The number of employees in the industry has continued to increase steadily, providing a broad space for absorbing high-tech talents. This "steady growth" trend has laid a solid start for the development of the industry throughout the year and also reflects the deep-seated needs of macroeconomic digital transformation.
Emerging fields are developing rapidly
In an overall stable situation, the development rate of some emerging fields such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence has accelerated significantly. These fields are not only at the forefront of technological innovation, but also shaping actual economic output. Their empowerment efficiency has become obvious, and their role in the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries has become increasingly prominent.
The development of emerging fields is not only limited to technological breakthroughs, but also reflected in the rapid and widespread introduction of market applications. For example, specific products and services such as industrial Internet platforms and intelligent voice interaction systems have begun to be implemented in manufacturing, finance, medical and other industries, thereby creating novel business models and new growth points.
Regulatory measures guide industry standards
When the industry is developing at a rapid pace, regulatory authorities also take timely actions to guide its growth in a healthy and orderly direction. In April 2018, the State Administration of Radio and Television issued an order to permanently shut down the client and public account of "Neihan Duanzi" due to issues such as incorrect content orientation and vulgar style. Such a move sends a clear normative signal to the entire content industry.
Toutiao later responded by permanently shutting down related products and comprehensively cleaning up similar content. This incident shows that when enterprises enjoy the traffic dividends, they must accurately fulfill their main responsibilities and maintain a clear cyberspace, and this has become an inevitable requirement for the sustainable development of the industry.
Platform companies strengthen social responsibility
Faced with users’ concerns about digital health, mainstream platforms have begun to proactively introduce management tools. In April 2018, Douyin officially completed the launch of the first phase of the reversal addiction system, which covers the time-warning function after 90 minutes of connected use. In addition, users can set their own time-lock, and they need to enter a password before they can continue after using it for 2 hours in a single day.
The successful launch of this system means that platform companies have begun to include user time management into the scope of product design. This is not only a response to social concerns, but also demonstrates the transformation of enterprises from chasing a single user duration to focusing on the long-term health experience of users.
Technological innovation supports service upgrades
Continuous technological progress continues to provide core driving force for industrial upgrading. MediaTek announced in 2018 that it had cooperated with China Mobile to achieve the speed enhancement test of the NB-IoT R14 standard and became the first chip manufacturer to pass the test. This technological breakthrough provides stronger underlying support for the large-scale commercial use of the Internet of Things.
Public services such as e-government have become more convenient due to technology. In 2018, the State Administration for Market Regulation launched the "electronic business license" using the Alipay applet as a carrier. The Jiangsu Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce took the lead in applying it. Business owners can complete a series of procedures such as registration and annual reports online without leaving home, greatly improving administrative efficiency.
Data security and privacy protection are taken seriously
As the value of data has become more prominent, its risk of abuse has also attracted great attention. In April 2018, an international Internet platform launched a data abuse bounty program, offering rewards of up to US$40,000 to encourage users to report major data leaks that affect more than 10,000 people. Reporters must show specifically how user data has been abused.
This action reflects that data security has become a common problem in the global technology field. It advocates community supervision and extends security protection from a single line of defense within the enterprise to a broader social collaborative governance style, giving new ideas for protecting user privacy.
Looking back on these developments at the beginning of 2018, what do you think is the most appropriate balance between the rapid development of the industry and the strengthening of standardized governance, so that technological innovation can truly bring benefits to society? You are warmly welcome to share your views in the comment area. If you think this article is helpful, please also like it and give it support.
