On the afternoon of November 9, the highly anticipated 2024 International Symposium on Internet History was successfully held in the picturesque water town of Wuzhen. The symposium was jointly organized by the College of Media and International Culture at Zhejiang University and the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Innovation Center for Common Prosperity, hosted by the Wuzhen Institute for Digital Civilization, and co-organized by the International Communication Research Center and the International Cyberspace Governance Research Base at Zhejiang University. Once again, during this golden autumn, Wuzhen became the focus of the global internet community, bearing witness to this landmark event in internet history.
Themed Global Digital Compact and the Original Aspirations of the Internet, the symposium gathered academics from leading global universities, executives of internet enterprises, and representatives of industry organizations. Together, they explored the significant impact of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) on global internet governance and the positive role of the internet’s foundational aspirations in advancing human civilization. The event was moderated by Zhao Yupei, Assistant Dean of the College of Media and International Culture at Zhejiang University.
Wu Jieran, Deputy Director of the Office of International Relations at Zhejiang University, delivered the opening remarks. He welcomed the experts and international scholars attending the symposium and highlighted the importance of the principle of staying true to the original aspirations of the internet amidst the evolving and uncertain global internet landscape. He noted that the symposium invited scholars, international experts, leading executives of internet and digital enterprises, and representatives of industry organizations like the China Internet Association to discuss the GDC while adhering to the spirit of benefiting all humanity and fostering shared progress. Wu called for collective efforts to seize the opportunity to strengthen internet institutions on the foundation of cooperation and mutual respect.
Professor Xiong Chengyu, a senior professor at the Communication University of China and Director of the Institute of Cultural Development, also gave a speech. After welcoming the attendees, he posed a thought-provoking question: What are the contracts and origins of the internet? He emphasized that the internet needs to construct a direction of civilization that is rooted in institutional behaviors and guided by spiritual values. He described the internet as a social science laboratory that requires rules and order. Xiong identified four layers of internet governance: laws, regulations, ethics, and culture. He underscored the need to establish a societal model centered on a community of shared future for mankind, a goal that should be a collective effort for the future of the internet and the world.
In the keynote forum, renowned scholars and industry experts from around the world engaged in in-depth discussions on the Global Digital Compact and the original aspirations of the internet.
Mark Weber, Director of the Internet History Program at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, presented a keynote speech titled Use It or Lose It: Narratives and the Preservation of the Online World. He analyzed the role of narratives in shaping the preservation of internet history and detailed the museum’s efforts in safeguarding records of network and mobile technologies. Highlighting the challenges posed by evolving historical interpretations, Weber emphasized the importance of archiving emerging technologies, such as large language models and generative AI, and encouraged researchers and archival institutions to collaborate actively to ensure valuable materials are preserved.
Jovan Kurbalija, Founding Director of DiploFoundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform, discussed the value of tracing the history of technological evolution to better understand the present and shape the future. In his speech, he explored critical milestones, from the invention of the transistor to the Cold War technological arms race, that have collectively shaped the digital world. Kurbalija emphasized the need to consider the unintended consequences of technological advancements and the importance of addressing societal impacts and geopolitical factors in digital governance.
Peter Dengate Thrush, former Chair of ICANN, delivered a keynote speech titled The History of Internet Governance, focusing on ICANN and the multi-stakeholder model. He traced the internet’s origins from its military applications to its adoption in academic and commercial spheres. Thrush discussed the pivotal role of the Domain Name System (DNS) and ICANN’s establishment in 1998, which marked the emergence of a global internet governance framework. He highlighted the ongoing adjustments in governance structures to address the growing complexity of global communication demands.
Professor Mona Ngusekela Mwakalinga, Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Dar es Salaam, shared Tanzania’s digital transformation journey. She reflected on the rapid growth of internet users from 150,000 in 2001 to over 41 million today, emphasizing the internet's role in bridging urban and rural divides. While celebrating progress, Mwakalinga noted challenges such as AI's influence and student dependence on instant information. She called for government regulation to ensure responsible media practices and envisioned a future where digital advancements further narrow Tanzania's urban-rural gap.
Professor Lee Chul-joo of Seoul National University discussed social disparities in health-related online activities. He highlighted the unequal distribution of information and communication technologies (ICT) and stressed the importance of instilling confidence and positive attitudes in underprivileged groups to bridge the digital divide in health applications.
Associate Professor Mark Joseph Williams from Dartmouth College addressed the intersection of television, film, and online media ecosystems. Through historical examples, including a segment from Le Gai Savoir (1969), he emphasized the need to reimagine media narratives and develop new frameworks that resonate with contemporary society.
Ahmed S.M.N. Mansoori, Head of Media and Creative Industries at UAE University, explored the transformative impact of AI on journalism in his speech, AI and the Dynamics of Media: Navigating Challenges in Professional and Educational Fields. He called on journalists and educators to embrace technological changes while adhering to the core values of truth, ethics, and service to society.
The symposium concluded with a roundtable discussion on The Aspirations and Practices of the Internet, moderated by Professor Fang Xingdong, Executive Dean of the College of Media and International Culture at Zhejiang University. Panelists included Xiong Chengyu, Huang Chengqing (Vice President of the China Internet Association), and Lv Benfu (Vice President of the China National Innovation and Development Strategy Research Association). They explored the future of internet history research, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary approaches that integrate technical, social, and cultural perspectives.
In his closing remarks, Fang Xingdong summarized the symposium’s outcomes and expressed optimism about the future of internet history research. He announced plans for a five-volume series on internet history and an academic journal to be published in English by 2025, aiming to attract more scholars and students to this field.
To encourage deeper research and innovation in internet history and governance, the symposium also awarded prizes for outstanding papers, recognizing the contributions of young scholars to global internet governance and digital economy development.
The 2024 International Symposium on Internet History successfully demonstrated the global commitment to improving internet governance and advancing the digital economy. With collective efforts, a more stable, equitable, and sustainable global internet governance framework will emerge, bringing broader benefits to humanity.