Geopolitics is mainly concerned with how societies organize their circulation in the geographical area, sometimes facilitating and sometimes obstructing their connections. Borders are both a geopolitical stake and a tool.
How digital space affects geographical space
Digital technology has created a space parallel to the geographical space, that is, the digital with which it already coexists, sometimes operating in a complementary and sometimes competitive way.
The global technology giants directly affect people’s lives and thinking, ignoring state borders. Consumer and electoral attitudes are strongly influenced.
In the field of Defense, digital space and digital technologies are expanding their role. Cyberwarfare is another example of the geostrategic dimension of digital space, which, after all, is not cut off from “natural” geopolitical stakes. A successful cyber warfare operation causes damage to natural infrastructure. In this way the digital space affects the geographical space.
How geographical space affects digital space
The intangible side of the digital world hides a highly material reality. Data traffic is based on a heavy infrastructure of processing centers, traffic cables and other elements that are based in the geographical area. The traditional geopolitics of geographical space and the new geopolitics of digital space do not, therefore, operate independently. They interact and intersect, composing the overall geopolitical picture of the 21st century.
Geographical area is divided into territories controlled by the states. The digital space is divided into networks that are controlled by large companies. Companies sometimes work collaboratively and sometimes compete with each other, just like countries.
The same dialectic of cooperation-competition applies to the relations between digital companies and countries. In this way a network of interactions is formed in which all combinations can be considered.
Countries can impose restrictions on the operation of the digital space by blocking certain companies or obstructing the flow of their data and even disrupting the physical infrastructure of digital networks.
It is therefore disputed that political power can be imposed in the digital space. However, many recent uprisings have been supported and organized in the digital space. The social networks the internet played a leading role in the “Arab Spring” and in the French “yellow vests”. Immediately threatened, many regimes did not find it difficult to intervene and censor digital networks. So, behind the apparent power of the governments of the countries is hidden the insecurity and the weakness.
The imposition of restrictive rules can prevent short-term negative effects on the political arena, but in the medium term, and in the long run these restrictions undermine the regimes. Regimes self-destruct as citizens become intolerant when they are deprived of a desired good.
The digital space goes hand in hand with innovation and productivity. Without active participation, no economy today can become competitive. Given all this, no country can afford to leave the digital space and resort only to the geographical space.
We therefore conclude that the importance of countries is diminishing due to the competition that exists in the digital space. The projected rapid advancement of digital technology and its applications, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cryptocurrencies, metaverse, will exacerbate this trend and further reduce the importance of places and their geographical areas respectively.
