Review: New Geotechnography Risks Loom in ASEAN Digital Age
New book raises concerns about colliding technology, geography and society, with implications for Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific in the digital age.
A new book raises concerns about colliding technology, geography and society, with implications for Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific in the digital age.
WonkCount: 1,468 words (~7 minutes)
Review: New Geotechnography Risks Loom in ASEAN Digital Age
Context
“The initiative will not only enhance digital connectivity but also create new opportunities,” Malaysia’s investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said last week regarding ASEAN’s ongoing development of the Digital Economic Framework Agreement (DEFA) – which would be the world’s first regionwide initiative of its kind once enacted1. The status of DEFA talks at the “substantial conclusion” phase amid a range of so-called ASEAN chairmanship priority economic deliverables or PEDs reinforces what officials have been cautioning about the work that remains to be done to ensure that the agreement will not only be completed but then go on to be impactful as well2. More broadly, the momentum that initiatives of this kind generate can in turn trigger concern among skeptics that worry about the impacts of overly enthusiastic techno-optimism.
Select Recent Tech-Related Geoeconomic Developments in Southeast Asia and ASEAN
A new book GeoTechnoGraphy by think tankers Samir Saran and Anirban Sarma raises concerns about the growing collision technology, geography and society, with implications for Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific in the digital age3. In doing so, it adds to a range of new books published on aspects of the digital domain. On Southeast Asia, these include From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation by Aim Sinpeng and Ross Tapsell as well as forthcoming Scam by Ivan Franceschini, Ling Li and Mark Bo that delves into the region’s emergence as a global cybercrime hub4. GeoTechnoGraphy argues governments, companies and societies need to address the challenges of the digital age lest the fourth industrial revolution ends up becoming the shortest of all tech revolutions. Southeast Asia features prominently in this story, with the region being both home to some of the social media capitals of the world like Indonesia and the Philippines and the source of digital crises including Rohingya violence in Myanmar. “If we don’t, will the history of our digital societies be all too brief?” the book provocatively asks as it offers recommendations for the future5.
Analysis
GeoTechnoGraphy also forecasts the outlook for the intersection between technology, geography and society in the coming years and implications for regions including Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific (see originally generated ASEAN Wonk table below for a summary of influence assessments and priority pillars, along with major coming datapoints to watch. Paying subscribers can also read the rest of the “Analysis” section and “Implications” section looking at how these dynamics play out in the future).
Key Datapoints to Watch in Tech Futures and Implications for Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific, Along with Major Domains and Priority Areas
