My video is discussing the Matthew Carney article titled “Leave No Dark Corner”. The article discusses the upcoming implementation of a digital “social credit” system in the People’s Republic of China, and the potential impact on the average Chinese citizenry. Two perspectives are actively discussed. “Dandan” is a working professional, who is content with the system, and benefits from having a high “social credit” score, which leads to benefits like better loan rates, or not needing a deposit on a car rental. On the other hand, Liu Hu is an investigative journalist who has a low “social credit” score, and is negatively impacted by being blocked from social media, or being unable to obtain plane or high speed rail tickets to travel to different cities. The system takes information from CCTV cameras, and interactions on social media, as well as a myriad of other data inputs to provide a real-time “social credit” score. Say, you buy too much alcohol in one shopping trip, and your real-time “social credit” score may decrease. On top of personal impact, citizens may also be positively or negatively impacted based on who they interact with, or what their friends or family might say. Due to the seriousness of the topic, I decided to make a video rant, as I feel that my thoughts and feelings on this issue may be limited if I try to depict it with some abstract visual medium.
Reflection
The ideas of social credit is a concerning one, as it adds a new layer of control onto a person’s life. It formalizes the social controls into something with legal consequences. It creates a tiered system where those with unpopular views may be further isolated by society, and likely be put into a bubble that will only be formalized even further. Social media has already created bubbles and confirmation bias, but this system would add to an already polarized society. Plus, with more totalitarian governments, they can use this system to further suppress dissent.