This theory caused controversy in the academic circles after its publication, and became a new landmark of geopolitics turning to "non-geopolitics", and also promoted the birth of a new "multidimensional" geopolitics. The error of the clash of civilizations was not the focus of the discussion.
With the rapid development of the Internet, the geographical characteristics of different dimensions are integrated in the virtual entities of cyberspace, forming a new geopolitics in the cyberspace era.
In this system, non-physical factors such as "civilization, ideology and system" are increasingly taken into consideration. Herbert Schiller and other scholars put forward the concept of "information geopolitics",
emphasizing the influence and control of information on the physical space. The rise of digital capitalism has made traditional crises such as exploitation, inequality and commercialization continue to exist in the information age, marking the initial maturity of geopolitics in cyberspace.
On the basis of observing the traditional geographical conditions and taking into account human groups and their behavior results, the understanding of cyberspace should also be classified from a simple technical perspective into a comprehensive understanding of "technical basis + human feelings" to adapt to the more detailed description and research of the geopolitical situation in cyberspace in the future.
This paper argues that cyberspace should be added to the "human use" perspective, put it in the same position as Internet infrastructure, and reclassified into "geospatial layer" and "social space layer".Among them, the geo-spatial layer includes the infrastructure layer and the logical relationship layer, which is the level with weak perception for users. The social spatial layer includes the platform operation layer and the content application layer,
which is the main activity space for users, enterprises and governments. In this way, the future description of the geopolitical situation in cyberspace can be studied from the actual control of geospatial layer and social space layer as a basic research path by integrating both physical and virtual factors.
Specifically, the geospatial layer includes the possession of infrastructure and the setting of algorithm rules, while the social spatial layer mainly includes the development of Internet platforms and the tendency of public opinion. Combining these four parts can initially describe the geopolitical pattern of cyberspace.
The "geo-body" in the Network social Space
Geo-body is the object or entity of the study of geo-problems, and it is a regional unit with certain attributes and spatial characteristics. At the same time, it is also the basic analysis unit of geopolitics,
really want to find the geopolitical distribution in the network social space, we must analyze the specific geographical body distribution. By analyzing their interactions, we can also find the geopolitical distribution of cyberspace, which can guide the governance and development of this space.
Domestic discussion of the geopolitics of cyberspace has focused on the field of "cyber sovereignty". What needs to be further studied in the future is to carry out further analysis on the "social space layer" - the Internet platform, which profoundly affects people's views and opinions, and even fights for "brain power", so as to fully display the specific distribution of power in cyberspace.
The network social space is composed of different "circles" - different platforms that provide practical uses, and different circles can be analyzed from both macro and micro aspects.
From a macro perspective, Jovan Kurbalija, president of the Geneva Internet Governance Forum, proposed that the entire system and resources of global Internet governance should be divided into seven different "baskets" for research,
including security, critical infrastructure, law, development, economy, society, culture, etc. From the micro point of view, focusing on a specific platform, she subdivides the components of the platform into six parts:
data, algorithm, interface, ownership relationship, business model, and user agreement, which are the specific factors for analyzing the geographical characteristics of the platform.
The code of conduct of the geospatial body of cyber society
The algorithm adopted by the platform can best represent its behavior pattern and criteria, and is an important research path to analyze specific Internet platforms. On the one hand, the development of the platform cannot be separated from the support of data,
and a large number of data collection and analysis work is far beyond the scope of human resources and cannot be separated from the support of automated algorithms. On the other hand, the artificial social attribute of the algorithm gives it a distinct "gatekeeping" feature.
The impact of algorithms on the geopolitics of cyberspace is mainly reflected in the digital divide and international information manipulation brought about by algorithmic power. The algorithm involves a large number of technical forces,
including basic data classification, research, design, programming, inspection and adaptation and many other steps, which are supported by strong ICT industry and technical forces. More than 4 billion people in the world still don't have access to the Internet.
According to GSMA data, 52% and 28% of the population in the Middle East and Asia Pacific and South Asia regions are connected to the Internet. That compares with 73% in North America and 70% in Europe.
