MEDIA-I: Asia poised to dominate tech sector

HONG KONG: A wide-ranging study of tech-savvy consumers around the world has found that the technological power base will shift from the United States to Asia-Pacific in the long-term. But, a significant number of global respondents fear technology will overwhelm people's lives. The research - Wired and Wireless - by Euro RSCG found that 52 per cent of British respondents and 36 per cent and 30 per cent of their Asia-Pacific and American counterparts respectively believed that the American domination of the internet will soon be over. More significantly, 37 per cent of the global sample believe that Asia-Pacific will be the world's high-tech leader by 2025, compared with 25 per cent who cited North America. However, while respondents generally stated that technology will enhance their home and business lives, there was also a fear that robots will take over the human thinking process. Twelve per cent of those who took part in the study agreed with the statement: "Technology is harming our sense of humanity". These fears are more pronounced in Asia. About a quarter of Hong Kong and Shanghai respondents agreed somewhat or completely that in the long-term, technology will be a negative force in society, compared with 16.5 per cent globally. In addition, 47 per cent of Shanghai respondents and 38 per cent of their Hong Kong counterparts worry that computers will grow too powerful for people to control, compared with 26 per cent worldwide. Euro Hong Kong managing director David Morgan said the survey underlined the fact that advertisers and their agencies have to assuage people's fears. "Creativity and strategy is about understanding how people think. Managing people's perceptions is what it's all about. It's not about deception but about highlighting the benefits which I think in the long term will outweigh the negativities people fear," he said. Morgan added that developing and maintaining relationships with consumers will be more important than today. TECHNOLOGY SCARES ME Hong Kong Singapore Shanghai Total Disagree completely 44% 40% 37% 57% Disagree somewhat 21% 21% 25% 19% Ambivalent 19% 23% 23% 15% Agree somewhat 12.5% 10% 13% 7% Agree completely 4% 6% 2% 2%

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