"Science and Technology for Good": The Birth and Rise of Tencent's Discourse Power

This is a United and victorious conference.

At the meeting, Guo Kaitian, senior vice president of Tencent Group, emphasized that Tencent welcomes anyone with insight to participate in the theoretical construction and route exploration of "science and technology for goodness". The original words are as follows:

"We are still groping for the understanding of goodness. There is no fixed standard. It is a wish, an initial heart and our future direction and goal. I hope that we can work together with friends, experts, scholars and leaders on this road and explore together. "

on January 9, 221, at the "Tencent Technology for Goodness and Digital Future Conference 221", Guo Kaitian's above statement was quite modest. In fact, before this passage, he had expounded Tencent's full understanding of "science and technology is good" in three points, and thought that "it should be an unshakable basic principle for China society and even human society in the process of moving towards a digital future."

Tencent is one of the few enterprises in China that dare to point out the direction for the future of human society. Not everyone agrees with Tencent's flag. Some Internet observers think that Tencent can be responsible for its own goodness, and the formulation of "science and technology are good" is somewhat excessive and even arrogant.

This may be different from the official understanding of Internet ecology in China. The reason why China's mobile internet industry can overtake the curve, go abroad to sea and wrestle with western powers in the past ten years can't be separated from China's encouragement of technological innovation and modest management style-except for national security and other fields, a new generation of entrepreneurs have always been broad-minded.

the relevant departments define the ideal network environment as "to strengthen the construction of network ethics and network civilization, give play to the guiding role of moral education, and nourish the network space and repair the network ecology with the outstanding achievements of human civilization".

For the sake of safety, serving the people, restoring the integrity of the Internet, and rebuilding a healthy ecology are the official understanding of the Internet spirit. If the Internet is a big pond, it is natural for the country to be vigilant about the hidden financial risks of monopolistic large capital and the innate impulse of capital to control public opinion after removing the muddy water, miscellaneous fish and rotten shrimp.

perhaps, the state should be the summoner of "science and technology for good". After Tencent has been strengthening the invention and exclusive rights of this slogan for many years, many people will wonder: what is "good" and who has the final say.

I'm afraid this is exactly what Tencent has been trying to strengthen. After half a month's investigation, we found that Tencent's proposal of "technology is good" is by no means a whim. From the birth of "science and technology is good" to the common language of the public, Tencent's huge and powerful publicity system has contributed greatly, and it has also penetrated into the daily life of tens of thousands of Tencent employees as an unquestionable truth.

It is reported in the media that Ma Huateng has been demanding that "technology is good" be written into the history of Tencent. In fact, he can be more confident and delete the word "Tencent".

"The route is an outline, and the outline is everywhere." Tencent's power center, which is dominated by the post-6 s and post-7 s, will not know this famous saying of the great man. Perhaps it is based on a profound understanding of this golden sentence that "science and technology are good" is popular in the world.

"Science and technology for the good" originated from the thinking of American Silicon Valley elites on the relationship between science and technology and human beings. Neil Pozmann, who once became famous all over the world with Entertainment to Death, has a long-term writing theme of how to reconcile the relationship between science and technology and "goodness".

maybe this relationship can't be reconciled, and it can only be adjusted gradually. In the process of adjustment, the western scientific and technological circles have gradually established some basic principles. For example, Google claims "don't do evil", but this does not prevent Google and Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook from falling into ethical turmoil many times, and they have also repeatedly encountered monopoly investigations and fines.

it's not that these bosses don't have as much money as Tencent, or they can't hire a good team, but they have little impulse to educate the industry and society. In China, however, a giant, who has been caught in disputes and war of words for many times and is used to putting out negative comments through litigation, is eager to raise the microphone of "doing good" in the name of science and technology.

at this point, Tencent may go further than Ali. Ma Yun has been a teacher and always likes to be called a teacher by people around him, but he doesn't seem to position himself as a moral prophet and preacher. He prefers inspirational and methodology.

It's not too strange if Ma Huateng, who is regarded by the outside world as a low-key Buddhist, despises the pattern of Ma Yun.

according to the available reports, the first grand debut of Tencent's version of "Science and Technology for Good" was in January 218, when Zhang Zhidong, then executive director and chief technology officer of Tencent Group, delivered a speech "How can technology be good in the information overload era? ",the incision is relatively small;

In January, 219, Guo Kaitian delivered a speech on "* * * Building the Trust Cornerstone of Digital Society" at the forum of "Technology for the Good 219 Refresh";

In March 219, during the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress, Ma Huateng submitted the proposal of "Strengthening the Construction of Science and Technology Ethics and Practicing the Idea of Science and Technology Being Good", trying to include "Science and Technology Being Good" in the national policy;

in April 219, the general office of Tencent decided that "science and technology are good" was the new mission vision;

In May 219, Ma Huateng forwarded the report that Tencent Youtu Lab used AI technology to find lost children, and reiterated that "science and technology are good";

On November 11th, 219, the 21st anniversary of Tencent's founding, Ma Huateng, Liu Chiping, president of Tencent, and all the members of the General Office sent emails to more than 4, employees, officially announcing Tencent's brand-new mission vision as "customer-oriented, technology-oriented", which is also Tencent Culture Version 3.;

on January 11th, 22, Tencent held a general meeting as usual, and released the White Paper on Science and Technology for Good 22, which was summarized and filed.

On January 9, 221, at the meeting where Guo Kaitian gave a speech at the beginning of the article, Tencent released the White Paper on Science and Technology for Good 221.

at this point, the overall situation of Tencent's "science and technology for the good" has been set. These four words have become one of the Internet buzzwords in China, and almost every central media has published or broadcast reports and comments on "Science and technology for goodness", most of which mentioned Tencent.

Like any human ideological line, Tencent's "science and technology for the good" has an iterative upgrading process. Three years ago, Zhang Zhidong put forward "science and technology for goodness", which is still a new term to solve the problem of narrow division. Four years later, Guo Kai discussed "science and technology for goodness", which has become a system and can inspire the world.

human history has proved time and again that once an organization and a route have sufficient manpower and financial resources, they will spontaneously seek to grow and compete with the existing power structure and discourse system. Tencent's "technology is good" is no exception.

In the meantime, Tencent Research Institute and Tengyun think tank, which Tencent people nicknamed "Tencent Academy of Social Sciences", contributed greatly. Tencent Research Institute is an internal organization of Tencent, while Tengyun Think Tank includes experts, scholars, writers, authors and opinion leaders from various disciplines in China, serving as the external brain and messenger of Tencent.

Obviously, under this mechanism, the top intellectual people in China are seamlessly connected with the most abundant corporate financial resources, and under the multi-dimensional channel blessing, the public opinion crisis that Tencent's decision-makers think must be dealt with can basically just go back immediately.

Even the unwitting central media may not be able to gain the upper hand in the face of this hidden array.

At the beginning of July 217, many central media, including People's Daily Online, criticized Tencent's game "the glory of the king" several times in a few days, calling for strengthening the supervision of online games at the national level, urging operators to optimize personnel audit and payment mechanisms, and effectively protecting the growth of minors.

Tencent's response is quite well organized. The manuscript of teenagers' psychological research experts of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which originated from Tencent's think tank, about playing games to promote social interaction has been reprinted by countless websites.

Tencent's "Everyone" column, which is known as the "first column" in China, intensively launched some arguments, which challenged People's Network's point of view in an unspecified way, such as:

Communication scholar Hu Yong published "Don't Fight the Lifestyle of Teenagers";

Ge Jianxiong, a famous professor and one of the first two doctors of liberal arts trained in New China, published Ge Jianxiong: Who would be stupid enough to learn history through the glory of the king? 》；

Yinghong Tang, a psychologist, published "Psychological Compensation Measures for Children Not to Play Mobile Games", arguing that "the glory of the king is a social tool for children".

In addition to mass communication, Tengyun think tank also urgently organized an expert seminar, which was jointly held by the National Survey and Big Data Research Center of China Academy of Social Sciences (how China culture went to sea from the glory of the king), and interpreted the glory of the king's success as the latest conquest of the West by China's cultural soft power.

Under the operation of a wave of gods, on July 13th, 217, Xinhua News Agency announced that it would organize an electric competition. The next day, Ma Huateng visited People's Daily Online. Steady.

After this show of strength, Tencent filed a series of lawsuits against some media people who continued to criticize tencent games after the storm. According to media reports, Tencent's claims ranged from several hundred thousand yuan to 1 million yuan.

This combination boxing has eliminated most criticisms against tencent games in cyberspace. Tencent games was once again in trouble, or in 218, the domestic game industry suffered from the suspension of the approval of the version number, and the state optimized and refined the management of online games again in order to protect teenagers.

The process of tencent games's constant whitewashing is also a process in which Tencent Research Institute, Tengyun Think Tank and later Game Research Institute have continuously strengthened the "science and technology for goodness".

Tencent understands that as long as "science and technology are good" is familiar to China people, Tencent can firmly grasp the right to define "goodness", and constantly interpret and innovate, it can always reap value benefits and escort Tencent, a giant task force.

In Le Pen's and Goebbels' theories, the word "repetition" is infinitely praised. Anything can become truth as long as it is repeated enough. A typical example is that China people are unaware that "science and technology are doing good".

in addition to subtly repeating, Tencent is also unambiguous in finding a big coffee platform. According to Tencent Research Institute's own introduction materials, "From September 219, Tencent Research Institute began to conduct in-depth interviews with global industry and academic circles, focusing on the issues of" what is science and technology for goodness "and" how to understand science and technology for goodness ",and sought insights and knowledge. Including Professor Kaster, the most famous network sociologist, Professor Margarita, founder of Stanford Peace Science and Technology Laboratory, Mr. Shao Yibo, entrepreneur/Silicon Valley investor, Mr. Wang Xiaochuan, founder and CEO of sogou, Ms. Chen Chunhua, Dean of BiMBA Business School of National Development Research Institute of Peking University, Professor Qiu Zeqi of Sociology Department of Peking University, Professor Jin Jianbin of Communication Department of Tsinghua, Professor Zhang Jiang of System Science Department of Beijing Normal University, Professor Fei Jun of Design College of Central Academy of Fine Arts, etc., they shared their thoughts from different backgrounds and majors. "

According to our arrangement, there are at least a dozen big coffees appearing in public this time, and Wu Xiaobo, the author of Tencent Biography, is one of them. When Tencent Research Institute asked about the social role of the Internet, Wu Xiaobo seemed to say: "There is no absolute' platform openness'.

at that time, Tencent was facing the pressure of public opinion of monopolizing and closing the platform. Wu Xiaobo's viewpoint is undoubtedly welcomed by Tencent Research Institute.

from the above cases, it is not difficult to see that "science and technology for good" is not so much Tencent's vision and mission as a sharp knife for Tencent to cut into China's discourse system. In other words, Tencent's security and interests are the vision and mission of "science and technology for the good".

Therefore, if "technology is good" is included in Tencent's interest pattern, we will get a clearer glimpse of the true meaning of Tencent Research Institute and Tengyun think tank, as well as the cooperation between Tencent's public relations department and content department.

For example, a commercial company that insists on monopoly will not be believed even if it says "being good". The best way is to redefine "monopoly" just like explaining the right to define "good".

Tencent attaches great importance to monopoly. As early as 1 years ago after the 3Q War, Tencent hired Wang Xiaoye, the most authoritative anti-monopoly industry expert in China, as a consultant. Professor Wang has provided theoretical support for Tencent's possession of user data for many times, and finally formed the theory that the rights and interests of user data belong to Tencent, which not only became a sharp weapon for Tencent to respond to the current anti-monopoly voice, but also made it easy for "technology to be good".

But on the Internet, there are also many scholars in the industry who question Wang Xiaoye's double standards and inconsistencies when it comes to Tencent's anti-monopoly topic. Her disciples joined Tencent Research Institute, Tencent think tank and other departments, and her layered relationship with Tencent has also been mentioned.

When China recognized that the top experts in antitrust law had become sympathizers of Tencent, it might make sense that Tencent was not caught in antitrust trouble like Ali. According to the homepage of Tengyun think tank website, the think tank "brings together more than 5 domestic and foreign scholars and experts who are interested in Internet research".

This detailed list of more than 5 scholars and experts at home and abroad is beyond our grasp. Judging from the comments made by dozens of experts who appear most often on the Internet, they either directly praised Tencent and "technology is good" or stood by Tencent in the focus dispute.

There is no doubt that this is the undoubted influence group of the Internet in China. Under the banner of "science and technology for the good", this is a force that cannot be ignored.

before this, any China enterprise, including the large state-owned enterprise "* * * and the eldest son of the country", did not have such a powerful configuration and such a short and powerful slogan. Even the Taishan Club, Zhenghe Island, Huaxia Homecoming Association and china entrepreneur club, where China's top business leaders gather, are not so enterprising in the right to speak.

Everything may come from a philosophical metaphor, "Words are power", which comes from the French philosopher and thinker Michel? Foucault. In The Order of Discourse, Foucault believes that discourse means a powerful social force that is dominant and servile to the subject of social practice, and it is a dominant social force with judicial legislative function. Social people who have been certified by this kind of strength are "qualified".

according to this theory, it goes without saying that after Tencent defines "science and technology is good", who is "good" and who is "bad" and who has the final say.

Tencent actually started doing this long ago. On November 17, 22, Tencent Research Institute issued a document entitled "Judgment" is the basic right of human beings, but we are handing it over to the algorithm. At the beginning of December, Tencent launched a conference news release, Chen Ju, Vice President of Tencent: All parties should pursue "green GDP". These two attacks on the so-called "algorithm" imply that competing products do not conform to the "green GDP" trick, and the source of strength is the "science and technology for the good" system.

as a commercial company, Tencent didn't and shouldn't have this kind of capital.