China's Digital Technologies and Political Development

Over the past two decades, both Western and Chinese researchers have been actively discussing the impact of the Internet and social media on China's political development. Three research perspectives have gradually taken shape in the scientific and nonfiction literature: "Internet democracy", "authoritarian sustainability" and an approach emphasizing "technological management". Each of these areas interprets the relationship between digital technologies and the political process in China in its own way. The "Internet democrats" proceed from the a priori "democratizing" function of social networks, but at the same time do not pay attention to the reverse effect, in which it was managerial decision-making that gave a powerful impetus to the development of digital/network technologies in China. A more moderate but no less tendentious "theory of authoritarian sustainability" examines the relationship between technology and politics, but at the same time continues to give priority to technology, interpreting this relationship, paradoxically, in the spirit of a vulgar reading of Marx and wondering why "it doesn't work in China." The third approach, the "theory of technological management", turns out to be the most realistic. According to her, the controlled formation of social networks and the development of digital technologies development of digital technologies has proved to be very effective and, in turn, has a reverse positive impact on the management process.