(Nikolaus Skene / Photo: CNN / Animation: Runwayml)
What appears in the digital feeds of Facebook, LinkedIn or X is more than just an exchange of views. It is a seismogram of collective sensibilities. When you browse social media across time zones, you soon realise that the content differs less in terms of the topics discussed than in the attitude with which they are addressed. And this attitude reveals a great deal about the self-image of entire societies.
I don’t scroll to prove myself right, but to spot patterns. Where are questions being asked? Where are explanations being offered? And where is there an immediate defensive reaction? Behind many strong opinions lies not so much conviction as uncertainty.
The digital fingerprint of fear
Posts from Europe often come across as closed systems. Statements stand in the space like defensive fortifications. The comments sections are reminiscent of trenches: here, people do not explore, but correct. Any new technological development – be it AI, automation or the platform economy – is reflexively put through the filters of regulation, morality or potential danger.
A Parisian user, Stéphane Berger (name changed), responds to a post on generative AI with the words:
“We (the human race) are so good at wasting opportunities and causing harm that I don’t see a future where we don’t mess this up. Our salvation might come from the fact that we might lack the energy to power these huge data centres and are forced to reduce our use of AI.”
This is not an invitation to dialogue, but a defensive stance. It is not curiosity speaking here, but weariness. The future does not appear as a space for creativity, but as a threat that one would prefer to keep at bay.
This attitude is typical of cultures that define themselves primarily by what they wish to preserve – not by what they could create anew. Where no further possibilities are seen, all that remains is risk.
The Architecture of Curiosity
Social media reads quite differently when you look to San Francisco, Shenzhen or Dubai. There, posts are less often judgements and more often tools. I organise so-called ‘Conferences on Wheels’ in these regions; reading the feeds there is part of my research.
In Silicon Valley, a language of experimentation dominates. One researcher writes:
‘AI assistants and AI agents represent two distinct categories of artificial intelligence, each crafted with unique purposes.’
The reactions to this are not counter-arguments, but rather extensions: praise for clarity, additions, ideas for applications. Discussion arises not from contradiction, but from connectivity.
In China, particularly in Shenzhen, the tone is even more matter-of-fact. Posts report on what has already been implemented: robots in hotels, automated kitchens, AI-supported logistics. The questions asked are not “Is this a good thing?”, but “When will it be available here?” Here, information serves as a basis for decision-making, not as a catalyst for forming opinions.
Europe under constant pressure
By comparison, Europe appears tense. Lack of knowledge is quickly seen as a weakness; asking questions as indecision. Added to this is a self-image that still draws heavily on past successes – whilst overlooking the fact that this success is not a given.
Sovereignty is not demonstrated by always being right. It is demonstrated by being able to ask questions without fear of losing control. Those who are confident do not need to dominate. Those who are insecure go on the defensive.
If we view online cultures as a mirror of the collective psyche, then Europe resembles an executive on the verge of retirement, Silicon Valley an eternal student, and China an architect still building.
Social media is not a noise chamber. It is a thermometer. It reveals how forward-thinking a society is. Perhaps it is time to defend fewer opinions and allow for more observations. Because in the end, it is not the person who was right the loudest who prevails – but the one who asked the better questions.
(Nikolaus Skene lives and works in San Francisco, where he runs his own company. www.nikiskene.com)