Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 8, 2021

Technology and Culture in the Digital Age

(Abstract)

Jiang Xiaojuan

Digital technology is a strong driving force in the development of the cultural industry, and the cultural industry has become one of the most important areas for the application of digital technology. Therefore, research on the digital culture industry’s current situation and future outlook is a significant field. The interaction between digital technology and culture has evolved in three stages: technological disempowerment, technological enhancement, and technological empowerment. From the five aspects of empowering consumers, empowering creators, empowering producers, empowering social action, and empowering cultural communication, we can effectively analyze how digital technology improves the efficiency of the cultural industry, promotes digital content as the main sector of that industry, and transforms digital communication into the main channel of cultural communication. Digital technology has had a structural impact on the culture industry and has caused significant structural changes in cultural consumption, production, markets, and domestic vs. foreign shares. In the development of the digital culture industry, China has two major advantages: a large market and rich traditional cultural resources. Currently, the development of the digital culture industry is causing some concern: will the powerful forces of digital technology bring about the problem of strong technical performance and weak cultural connotations? In fact, the creators’ pursuit of and consumers’ yearning for cultural significance will continuously catalyze cultural products with high quality, rich connotations and enduring values in the digital age. The integration of digital technology with cultural industry can be hoped to shape a multifaceted cultural landscape full of vitality, and give rise to cultural peaks rich both in thought and in artistic expression.