Search

This paper investigates how Chinese taxi drivers utilize low-tech equipment, such as handheld radios and mobile phone services, to form local ride-hailing networks. Previous studies have analyzed how Internet platforms like Didi Chuxing have reshaped labor relations through technology and policies, but they have ignored the fact that outside metropolitan areas, traditional technological solutions, such as on-call radio platforms, have not been replaced by the rapidly expanding ride-hailing platforms. Therefore, to outline China’s diverse ICT practice environment, this paper focuses on a case study in two Chinese towns (Laizhou, Shandong; Ziyang, Sichuan), shifting the attention from metropolitan areas to neglected fourth- and fifth-tier cities. After reviewing the previous advancements in mobile communication technology, we discuss the economic, cultural, and social motivations behind the use of ‘low-tech’ devices and cooperative services by the Chinese taxi drivers in question.

With the development and application of algorithms as catalysts, the changing modes of information production, dissemination, and consumption have also given rise to a myriad of serious ethical challenges. This study employs a multi-case approach and semistructured in-depth interviews to examine three prominent international information technology companies, namely, Meta, Sina, and Byte Dance. By investigating the utilization of algorithms in content creation and distribution and adopting an epistemic, ethical framework, this paper analyzes the phenomenon of information cocooning resulting from inconclusive algorithmic evidence, the presence of algorithmic black boxes stemming from inscrutable evidence, and the issue of algorithmic bias caused by misguided evidence. Consequently, this paper proposes three fundamental ethical principles for algorithmic systems: certainty, interpretability, and reliability.