Apec delegates warned of barriers of Internet economy

BORACAY – Delegates for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) were warned of the barriers of an Internet economy, especially in a culturally diverse Asia.

During the “Symposium on the Internet Economy” on Monday, Dr. Jim Foster of Keio University in Tokyo warned that the Internet tends to promote misrepresentation which does not bode well for the already culturally diverse region.

“Bringing people online, this diversity of languages and culture of national experiences and history is in many ways bringing Asia apart… The internet tends to reinforce differences as much as it bridges differences,” Foster, who is also executive director for the Keio International Center for the Internet and Society, told INQUIRER.net at the sidelines of the symposium.

He said the Internet as an economic tool is good for the Apec economies, especially because of the focus on helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

But the Internet brings with it risks, particularly racial misrepresentation, he said.

“It is an economic tool for SMEs which is the largest part of any single economy in Apec… Cultural diversity is good but we need to be ubiquitous to be able to talk to and have access to everyone,” Foster said.

“The challenge the internet faces is it promotes a lot of misrepresentation and tension both cultural, racial, religious. And that’s the human condition, there’s always a good and a bad part. The Internet tends to exaggerate those things,” he added.

Foster said though that the Internet can be used for progress if the cultural diversity online is geared toward innovation.

“Diversity is always the strength. Diversity actually spurs innovation,” Foster said.

Before being an executive director for Keio, Foster served as an American diplomat for 25 years, and was a former Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) He also founded the ACCJ Internet Economy Task Force, which supports the bilateral US-Japan Internet Economy Dialogue.

The symposium on the internet economy is one of Apec meetings to engage Apec senior officials, representatives of Apec committees and sub-fora, and government, business and academic sector representatives on the development of the digital economy.

The Philippines is hosting this year’s Apec, a delegation of 21 member economies. The country hosted APEC ahead of the Asean integration in 2015. It hosted the Apec leaders meeting for the first time in 1996.