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February 18, 2010

The World is Flat, but in a Different Way

New Scientist today carries a report on how scientific research is surging in areas such as the Middle East (notably Turkey and Iran), as well as in Asia, which passed North America last year in total scientific papers published. Judging by total published papers is at best a simple metric, but it indicates an important shift in knowledge production—itself an indicator of innovation overall. 

As I wrote about with regard to Chinese IT and the long-term implications of its growth, these weak signals point to a future where the roles of innovators and copiers may well shift and swap. Science and technology driven by these emerging regions will change the cultural mix of global S&T and will certainly over time take away the West's perceived birthright as the engine of global technology. Flat worlds run both ways. 

(Thanks for the link goes to @mgorbis)

Filed under  //   Asia   innovation   Iran   science   technology   Turkey  
Posted by Scott Smith 

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December 1, 2009

Turkey's Tech-rich Future?

Twenty-four hours in Istanbul has shown me Turkey is edging toward an advanced information economy. The city is being flooded with technology: digital TV in my taxi, competitive mobile services on offer everywhere, a flood of smartphones, dozens of slick satellite TV channels, SMS banking, mobile broadband, 3G netbooks, and electronics stores stacked the ceiling with flat-screens and every conceivable piece of consumer electronics.

This is of course against a background of per capita GDP around $8,000, and 50% of the income held by the top 20% of the population. Just last year, the EIU placed Turkey's e-readiness at 5.64 out of 10 in its index of ICT maturity. Nonetheless, a competitive market with a growing, status-seeking middle class appears to be enough of a lure for the nation's media, telecoms and product marketers to pour investment into Turkey's wires, towers and airwaves.

Like their peers elsewhere, Turkey's youth are glued to their technology , from mobiles to iPods, so much so that its has trickled up to older Turks as well. This bodes well for growing a stable technology culture, and therefore economy, in years to come. In the face of this, it will be interesting to see how top-down control of digital media, including blocking some services, will be maintained.

Filed under  //   Asia   banking   EIU   Europe   media   mobile   Turkey   TV  
Posted by Scott Smith 

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