Blog #7 EOTO Social Credit Score

 Socialized Data 

The Social Credit Score or commonly referred to in Chinese (Mandarin Simplified) as 社会信用体系 and pinyin the is (shèhuì xìnyòng tîxì). 

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Pinyin is the Chinese pronunciation language which is similar to phonics in the english language. 

The Social Credit Score was founded in China in the early two-thousands. The leading cause for this system stemmed of the idea of having a financial credit score such as a FICO score. 

The Chinese believe there is more than just looking at someones spending habits they wanted to look at the why and see if the person they are giving money to is a good productive citizen of society. 

A 'good' citizen differs based on different cultures and cultural worldviews within a country but, 47% of the Chinese population believes in the concept of 风水(fēng shuǐ):one of the core ideas being yin and yang/yong. The idea of Yin and Yang/yong has strong ties to daoism and buddhism. 

The ideas of balance, prosperity, and honoring family legacy are very prevalent in Chinese culture. 

For example, there are ancient Chinese folktales like  小感动天 (The Feeling Moved Heaven);different festivals/ holidays such as 端午节duān wǔ jié /龙舟节 lóng zhōu jié (dragon boat festival),清明节qīng míng jié (tomb sweeping day/pure brightness festival)，and 寒食节 hán shì jié (cold food festival).

I can say the list of festivals and folktales are only the tip of the iceberg; after studying Chinese and Chinese culture for almost eight years.

                                                (Credit: Liana Conti at China Border)

So, when considering aspects of Chinese culture it makes sense why the idea of a social credit score came to fruition. 

The intention of a Social Credit Score is a sublime idea in the sense of gauging someone. The government is wanting to know if people are well rounded which is similar to the college admissions process in the United States. People in admissions gather quantitative and qualitative data which includes looking at test scores, grade point average, letters of recommendation, and an essay. 

For instance, you go into the bank and 2 people apply for the exact same loan-

The first person sits on there phone all day, does not work, jaywalks all the time, and never helps any elderly neighbors.

The second person works a full time job, volunteers in the community, helps elderly neighbors, and assists their parents who are struggling to accomplish household chores.

Between the two people I would rather give the loan (admit the second person to the college and give them extra financial aid). In this particular case they could easily pick up another job but, they are hardworking and help the community around them. 

Perhaps, if the first person did not get the loan it might be a nudge to stop being so selfish and help a neighbor in need or as an opportunity to meet some friends if they are lonely and depressed. 

The Social Credit Score also plays on the reward theory; citizens that do 'good' will be rewarded such as getting tax breaks and pay cheeper public transportation fares.

I find the benefits of having a high social credit score intriguing because five out of the seven ways to boost ones social credit score consist of doing acts that are long term and require a level of consistency.

 Based on China's current population being skewed towards having more males because of the one, two, and three child policies: I would think there would be more instant gratification tasks to boost their social credit score based on the mere psychology of the male brain.  

On the flip side there is there is the over justification effect which essentially makes someone loose motivation because it becomes tied to ones identity.

 The identification of having a bad social credit score could lead to isolation from friends and family. They may be restricted due to travel bans or may feel a burden to protect the people around them by not causing them further hardship.  

Conversely, family and friends may choose to disassociate from someone with a bad score because they do not want their score to go down, go through further security measures, and possibly risk their own lives/reputation.

Not only does ones Social Credit impact the mind but there are also ethical concerns as to the impact of how ones data is collected. 

These are some of the factors the Chinese government monitors(specifically in Xinjiang Providence) and affect one's social credit score.

I cannot imagine knowingly walking on eggshells where authorities are actively monitoring-

if I leave my house, being penalized for not socializing with neighbors after a long day at work, having travel bans put on me, walking through security checkpoints on a daily basis to get to work, or having to worry about any of my behaviors be considered 'suspicious' or out of the 'normal' (please take a look at this link it is eye-opening). 

I find the wording of 'suspicious' or 'normal' to be quite subjective based on the local authorities.  

 I think a social credit score may benefit some societies and some people but not all.

 I think people should have an option to enroll into having a social credit score but, there needs to be some parameters put into place as to what data explicitly will be collected , how will the government collect the data, and how will people enrolling into the program decide what data they want collected/ gathered on them? 

I also predict that the idea of perfectionism will creep in which will only make matters worse in the sense people will strive to do so well; unwilling to live with who they are and essentially become a society robots.

It would force people to grapple with the idea of what it means to be human? 

What is the meaning of life? 

And it makes me wonder can and will people wrestle with these questions in a healthy manner?

Or.... will it backfire?