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Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report 2020

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Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report 2020 20 20 HUMAN FREEDOM VOICES OF THE LEADERS TOMORROW VOICES AND CHOICE IN THE LIGHT OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE About the Nuremberg Institute for About the St. Gallen Symposium Market Decisions (NIM) The Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (for- The St. Gallen Symposium is the world’s leading ini- merly “GfK Verein”) is a non-profit and interdisciplinary tiative for intergenerational debates on economic, research institute dedicated to the systematic investi- political, and social developments. We bring together IMPRINT gation of consumer and market decisions. The institute key decision makers, thought leaders, and brilliant is also the founder and anchor shareholder of GfK SE. young minds to address current challenges and op- portunities on transforming ideas into action. Since At the interface between science and practice, the NIM 1969, we have fostered healthy debates and created explores how market decisions are changing due to an outstanding community for exchange. We are a trends, new technologies, and new sources of informa- student-run initiative combining excellence with inno- tion. Our goal is to deepen the understanding of con- vation: A unique and extraordinary experience. sumer decisions as well as those of marketing execu- tives, and to use this knowledge to help improve the The Leaders of Tomorrow are a carefully selected, quality of market decisions. global community of the most promising young tal- ent. Each year, 200 academics, politicians, entrepre- The NIM fosters the dialogue and cooperation with neurs and professionals around 30 years or younger experts from science and practice, with innovators are invited to challenge, debate, and inspire at the and startups who are particularly interested in market symposium. By questioning the status quo and repre- decisions and market insights. Research results are senting the voices of the next generation, the Leaders shared and discussed by the NIM through publications, of Tomorrow are at the very heart of the St. Gallen conferences and lectures with its members, and the Symposium, making the conference a unique experi- professional public. ence. Leaders of Tomorrow qualify either through our global essay competition aimed at graduate students, or they attend based on their professional or academic merit through a strict hand-selection process. After the symposium, they join our Leaders of Tomorrow Alumni Community counting over 2,000 members worldwide. Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions St. Gallen Symposium Nürnberg Institut für Marktentscheidungen e. V. P.O. Box 1045 Founder and Anchor Shareholder of GfK SE 9001 St. Gallen, Switzerland Steinstraße 21, 90419 Nuremberg, Germany Tel.: +41 71 22720-20 Tel.: +49 911 95151-983 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] http://www.symposium.org http://www.nim.org © 2020 by Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions & St. Gallen Symposium All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the copyright holders. Please cite this publication as: Gaspar, C., Dieckmann, A., Neus, A. (2020): Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow: Human freedom and choice in the light of technological change. Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions & St. Gallen Symposium | Cover picture: © Getty Images Topic Page Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________ 2 Overview: Participant statistics ____________________________________________________________ 3 CONTENT Key insights ___________________________________________________________________________ 4 Perspectives on individual freedom _________________________________________________________ 6 Inherited constraints: Freedom as an intergenerational problem ___________________________________ 8 Freedom in the digital sphere: Trade-offs between restrictions and preservation _____________________ 10 Technology and human agency: Decisions between convenience and control _________________________ 17 Looking ahead: Technological change and the future of freedom __________________________________ 21 Concluding remarks ____________________________________________________________________ 26 References ___________________________________________________________________________ 27 Sample and survey methodology: Recruitment of the Leaders of Tomorrow ____________________________________________________ 28 2 HUMAN FREEDOM AND CHOICE IN THE LIGHT OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE INTRODUCTION When the Iron Curtain fell, the global rise of freedom In the face of such disquieting developments around and democracy seemed unstoppable, like a natural the globe, it is high time to revisit the concept of free- course in human development. Today, thirty years dom and let the younger generation have their say on later, things look different. The think tank Freedom what freedom means to them, and what their worries House has, for 14 years in a row, recorded an alarming and hopes are, with a particular focus on freedom and decline in global freedom, highlighting developments rapid technological change. The study gives voice to a from the USA, to (not only Eastern) Europe, and all the selected group of future top talent: The “Leaders of way to India (Freedom House, 2020). Tomorrow” from the network of the St. Gallen Sympo- sium. Nearly 900 Leaders of Tomorrow from all over At the same time, freedom in the digital sphere – the world accepted the invitation to share their opin- a central pillar of the cyber-utopianism embraced al- ions about freedom and especially about the impact of ready by the early computer pioneers (Turner, 2008) new technologies on human freedom. – is being challenged. Utopian views of the Internet survived the dot-com bubble and even experienced a Due to unforeseen circumstances, the focus of the resurgence with Web 2.0, which offered unprecedent- present report became even more topical due to the ed transparency, usability and accessibility resulting in COVID-19 crisis that has affected human societies all greater opportunities for everybody to get involved around the world. Almost everywhere, we witness re- (as highlighted by, e.g., Rushkoff, 2002). However, strictions of individual freedom to reduce the number skeptical views also grew louder, pointing out the of infections and heated discussions about how far “dark side of Internet freedom” (Morozov, 2011) and democratic governments should be allowed to go in its vulnerability to authoritarian abuse. And indeed, their fight against the virus. taking advantage of liberty and openness of the Internet, fake news, hate speech, and political manipu- As the Leaders of Tomorrow represent top talent of lation have caused damage around the globe, with the the younger generation, who will certainly shape fu- Cambridge Analytica scandal (Graham-Harrison & Cad- ture economic developments and societies around the walladr, 2018) marking just one low point in this trou- globe, the findings of this report will help the econom- blesome development. Consequently, calls for greater ic and political leaders of today to better understand regulation can even be heard from Big Tech’s executive the demands, opportunities and challenges in a rapidly levels (Liao, 2019). changing world. Claudia Gaspar and Dr. Anja Dieckmann, Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions 3 OVERVIEW: SAMPLE AND SURVEY METHODOLOGY Online survey conducted in February 2020 with 898 Leaders of Tomorrow … … personally invited through the network of the … both students and (young) professionals St. Gallen Symposium Recruitment Employment Status St. Gallen Employees Global Essay Competitors 38 % 48 % 15 % Entrepreneurs 52 % Students (not working) 37 % St. Gallen Symposium Leaders of Tomorrow Community 10 % Other … mainly from Gen Y (Millennials) ... with a great variety of academic backgrounds Year of birth Academic background 16 % 1996 or later 20 % STEM Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics 1991 to 1995 Social Sciences, Journalism & Information 43 % 30 % Business, Administration & Law 1986 to 1990 28 % 40 % 1985 or before 13 % 10 % Other areas of study … from more than 90 countries all over the world 4 KEY INSIGHTS Call for a new social contract between generations on 84% sustainability, fairness, and the limits of freedom of the Leaders of Tomorrow blame the elder generation for having From the perspective of the Leaders of Tomorrow, unrestricted individual freedom is granted themselves too much freedom not a viable solution for societies around the world. They take a clear stand against at the expense of the younger genera- a purely egocentric interpretation of freedom and emphasize the need to show con- tion, mainly in terms of environmental sideration for others, mostly valuing the welfare of society over individual freedom. exploitation for the benefit of economic growth to increase their own wealth Maximizing short-term profits, previous generations have caused environmental and financial damages for which the next generations will have to pay. Their short- term thinking has become a pertinent concern for the vast majority of the Leaders of Tomorrow. The leaders of today would do well to address this concern proactively and start an honest dialogue. Restrictions demanded for protecting personal data and 75% preventing manipulation and verbal abuse in the digital sphere of the Leaders of Tomorrow recommend restricting the freedom Platforms are expected to work hand-in-hand with state institutions to better pre- to express oneself freely on the vent online manipulation and abuse and to protect
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