Industrial Internet, a 'reconciliation' between the Internet and the real economy

Text / Meng Yonghui

I don't know if you have such a feeling that almost all aspects of our lives are inextricably linked with the Internet. However, when the Internet is deeply and thoroughly integrated into our production and life, it seems to be telling us that the new evolution of the Internet is starting. Just relying on de-intermediation in a simple sense can no longer achieve greater efficiency improvement. We need to think and discuss the new evolution of the Internet from a new perspective.

The Industrial Internet was born under such a background. In the past, when it comes to the Internet model, we often see various Internet platforms, which are engaged in matching and intermediary transactions, and do not go deep into the industry process. Now, the Internet players we see are increasingly looking for ways and methods to integrate with the industry, and to achieve new development by becoming a part of the industry.

Returning to the industry, returning to the entity, is becoming the next stop for Internet players. If you put this kind of imagination a few years ago, it is completely unimaginable. Because in the minds of people at that time, the Internet should only be a platform, and the Internet should only be a matchmaker, not a business of embracing industries and entities. When this concept of people begins to change, a new era of industrial Internet is coming.

Industrial Internet is subverting the traditional model

In the past, when it comes to the Internet, people will judge by the amount of traffic and the size of the scale. This is a typical model of scale and efficiency. It is undeniable that under the same development situation in the past, this development model has indeed enabled the Internet to seamlessly intervene in people's production and life. After going through such a stage, people's life has entered the Internet era in the true sense.

Now, when it comes to the Internet, people think more about how to find their position and status in the real industry. Whether it is the use of big data or the role of logistics in special times, we can clearly feel that traffic and scale are no longer the goals of Internet players.

If we must find the internal reasons for this phenomenon, the advent of the industrial Internet era is undoubtedly the most important. When the era of the Industrial Internet comes, the traditional models and play styles are no longer effective. Instead, there are models and play styles that are truly suitable for this period.

This is actually in line with the law of the development of the Internet. Because the Internet should not be a tool for harvesting traffic after all, but a tool for serving entities and industries. Only when Internet players find the connection point between themselves and the real economy, and really contribute to the development of the real economy, can it be possible for new development possibilities in the era of industrial Internet. In this case, what the Industrial Internet needs is to subvert the tradition.

In particular, it is necessary to change the development model dominated by traffic and capital in the traditional sense, especially the business model dominated by matching and intermediary, and especially the zero-sum thinking dominated by scale and efficiency. Only in this way can they Only in the new era of industrial Internet can new development possibilities be obtained.

It is foreseeable that with the deepening of people's understanding of the industrial Internet, we will see more signs of subverting the tradition, and thus, a real industrial Internet era can truly come. In the future, we will no longer see the existence of Internet players in the classic sense, and some belong to every individual in every industry, and they together create the emergence of new industrial forms.

Industrial Internet is embracing new technologies

In the past, when people mentioned the Industrial Internet, they would naturally associate it with the Internet. Some people even regarded the Industrial Internet as a brand-new Internet model, and used the concept of the Industrial Internet to harvest industry-side traffic. Later, the exit of many concepts such as new retail and new finance derived from this kind of thinking tells us that just viewing the industrial Internet as a tool for harvesting traffic cannot promote the long-term development of the industrial Internet. Only by truly embracing new technologies and jumping out of the vicious circle of the Internet can the Industrial Internet truly enter a new stage of development.

The author believes that the current industrial Internet has long jumped out of the category of the Internet and has become a multi-dimensional and complex concept. If we deeply analyze the internal reasons for this phenomenon, we will find that embracing new technologies may be the most fundamental reason.

The current Internet has long ceased to be the Internet itself, but has become an incubator and compounder of new technologies. In the Internet, what we see is the emergence of new technologies such as big data and cloud computing, and what we see is the application of new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. When these new technologies begin to be deeply connected with the Internet, the current Internet is no longer the Internet in the traditional sense, but has new connotations and meanings.

It is foreseeable that as more and more elements begin to deeply integrate with the Internet, the Internet in the classic sense will cease to exist, and will be replaced by a new type of Internet, a new Internet form, starting with this. , the development of the Internet industry will enter a new stage of development.

Industrial Internet is realizing the integration of virtual and real

What is realized in the era of consumer Internet is that the separation between virtual economy and real economy is different, and what is realized in the era of industrial Internet is the deep integration of virtual economy and real economy. Now, the embrace and transformation of the real economy by Internet players that we see is a direct manifestation of this phenomenon.

On the one hand, Internet players began to use the derivatives of the Internet to fill the gaps in the real economy while transforming themselves. The distribution of intelligent robots we have seen, and the unmanned driving we have seen, are basically the direct manifestation of this phenomenon. In this way, the advantages accumulated by Internet players in the era of consumer Internet have new uses and improve themselves. On the other hand, players in the real economy have also begun to stand on the same starting line with Internet players in the field of new technologies. The layout of the blockchain and intelligent manufacturing by the players in the real economy that we have seen is a direct reflection of this situation.

It is foreseeable that after such a stage of development, the distinct development status of the virtual economy and the real economy that we have seen in the past will be completely changed, and it will be replaced by a brand new deep integration of the virtual economy and the real economy. development stage. Note that this is just the beginning. What the Industrial Internet really wants to achieve is the deep integration of the virtual economy and the real economy. When the Industrial Internet truly matures, the boundaries between the virtual economy and the real economy will be further blurred, and a new era of integrated industries will come.

Epilogue

When Internet players start to find a way to make peace with the real economy, the Industrial Internet is on the right track. After years of exploration and practice, this development model has really begun to emerge. For industrial Internet players, this is where they can really make a difference. When the Industrial Internet is no longer constrained by the width of traffic and scale, but begins to explore the breadth of industries and industries, the era of the Industrial Internet in the true sense is truly coming. Starting from this, the Industrial Internet has stepped out of the shadow of the Internet and entered a new era.

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Author: Meng Yonghui, senior writer, columnist, special commentator, industry research expert, and strategic consultant. Daily article, long-term focus on industry research, providing in-depth thinking and hard-core dry goods. Support the sharing of the author's source, please retain the author's copyright information for reprinting, and offenders will be held accountable.