The Recognition of the New Digital Entrepreneurs in France: The Case of the French Tech with the Emergence of the Internet of Things

Abstract

Since 2014, the question of the implementation of the Internet of Things has been crucial in France. Public authorities have created arenas where digital entrepreneurs and politicians can discuss the evolution of the Internet of Things. In January 2017, the National Assembly published a report on the economic and social consequences of the adaptation of the Internet of Things. This chapter analyzes the political discourse that gives legitimacy to the implementation of the Internet of Things in France. The digital entrepreneurs are the privileged actors of this implementation; their social recognition by the French Parliament and the labelling campaigns (French Tech) reinforce the myth of technological innovation. The field of the critical analysis of discourse is mobilized to evaluate the spread of this new myth in France and the analysis of the legitimization of the digital entrepreneurs. This case study reveals how European countries tackle new digital policies in order to control the evolution of the Internet of Things and the field of artificial intelligence.