THINC Fellowship

It might not dominate LinkedIn discussions, the term “#Gigeconomy” has surged into the mainstream in recent years. By 2036, China’s gig economy workforce is projected to hit a staggering 400 million, but the #gig model has already become a global fixture. Data reveals that in the U.S. and Europe, 10% to 15% of the working-age population sustains itself through gig work, while another 10% to 15% pursue gigs as side hustles—collectively, that's over 160 million people engaged in this new labor paradigm. Powered by the digital revolution and fueled by O2O (Online-to-Offline) business models, traditional demand-supply structures in various industries are being dismantled and reassembled. The recruitment market is undergoing a similar "#gigification." For employers, the gig economy represents a chance to adopt hyper-flexible, budget-friendly hiring solutions, breaking free from the long-standing “one job, one worker” model of conventional contracts. Meanwhile, workers are increasingly seeking roles that offer more autonomy—what we could call "work-life design"—enabling greater control over their schedules and locations. Yet, the #Gigeconomy is not without its friction points. Some of the critical pain points include: 1. The "throwaway" nature of gigs often leads to delayed payments, with employers feeling justified in withholding wages due to the job’s temporary status. 2. Gig work’s fragmented structure forces workers to hop between jobs for relatively low pay, incurring hidden costs in travel and time—what we might term "gig drift." 3. Gig work’s volatility—today's job may vanish tomorrow—creates financial instability and leaves workers trapped in cycles of unpredictability. Addressing these issues, #Weixin has rolled out a new product that taps into its [location services] and [social network] functionalities. Users can now access a continuously updated list of [#nearbyGigs], complete with job titles, wages, and requirements. When they find a suitable gig, they can directly message employers without leaving the Weixin ecosystem. The platform covers sectors such as law, translation, electronics, and mechanics, with both daily and monthly pay options available. Crucially, it eliminates the need to download extra apps or endure convoluted sign-up processes. However, this new solution does not cater to high-end, white-collar jobs. Instead, it’s aimed at the "invisible workforce"—people whose résumés might not make waves on professional job boards but are integral to society’s daily operations. This platform fills a critical gap for those looking for immediate work in roles that are essential yet often overlooked.

China's Cultural Export: Bridging Business and Culture In recent years, “cultural export” from China has gained momentum, from companies like #miHoYo to #BlackWukong. While commercial expansion abroad taps into new markets, cultural export enhances "cultural integration," "interpersonal collaboration," and "cultural regeneration.” While its always not easy to find the right balance between the two, but some new cases that integrated the two are emerging. Here are some insights from last month webinar with King Kee Koh and six scholars from China and Malaysia: 1-#WeTV（腾讯视频） currently has 117 million paid subscribers. This long-form video application, rooted in China, has attracted 70 million followers on social platforms in Southeast Asia, which exceeds 10% of the region's population. Its content reaches around 30% of young people in Southeast Asia. 2-Meanwhile, on the upstream side of video platforms, #WebNovel, a gathering place for content creators now has 410K+ overseas authors. Based on user preferences from the video platform, these creators have developed localized works such as Thailand's “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and Indonesia's “A Kite Without a String”, further enhancing WeTV's user engagement overseas. 3-Gaming as Cultural Rebirth:Cultural exports can draw from history or reconstruct cultural elements through online games. In a single game, it’s possible to span multiple dynasties and distill highlights from thousands of years of culture (for example, the flowing Hanfu, the splendid Tang clothing, Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, Zhang Fei's Serpent Spear, Li Bai's "Bring in the Wine," and Zhuangzi's "Butterfly Dream" all appear in “#HonorofKings”), forming a condensed cultural scroll. 4-Digital Tools (mobile payments, live streaming) are speeding up this cultural export process. The "new three elements" of cultural export—online games, short vid dramas, and web novels—are effectively blurring the lines between business and culture on the global stage.

On June 29, the fourth online seminar of the third THINC Fellowship Cohort (2023-24) was officially held. Members of the “Tech & Social Transformation” group discussed how to better integrate technological innovation with social change. Jessica F. Conrad H. Mohamed Ramy 任睦涵 Anastasios Proios Doukas Stacey-Ann Pearson Ainur Slamgazhy (Ph.D.) Lester Chan Juan C. Camargo Alain Saas #thinc #innovations #tech #technology #socialinclusion #transformation #change #discussion