New digital technologies are transforming our relationship with money. Nowhere is this more apparent than in China, where some of the biggest developments in e-commerce, digital finance, and AI ecosystems are taking place.
Money is often seen as a neutral means of exchange; we simply trade it for actual products. However, our relationship with money is deeply influenced by culture, technology, and social institutions. In an increasingly digital world, financial transactions have become seamlessly integrated into our daily lives through distinct online platforms. Rapid, tech-driven digitalization is reshaping our perception of money as we speak.
Although we often associate this digital capitalism with the tech giants of Silicon Valley, the necessary infrastructure and innovation are increasingly being developed elsewhere. As one of the world’s most advanced digital economies, China provides a unique perspective through which the relationship between technology, finance, and society can be examined. Yichen Rao will discuss how Chinese digital infrastructures, such as Alipay and digital lending apps, not only reshape economic transactions, but also the way we relate to concepts like money, value and debt.
Dr. Yichen Rao is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Utrecht University, and the China AI Lead at the Inclusive AI Lab. He studies how digital and AI infrastructures, fintech systems, and gaming cultures reshape economic life, moral worlds, and social relations in global China.
This lecture is organized in collaboration with B&R Beurs Eindhoven, the student investment society of the Eindhoven University of Technology.
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