Digital Disruption in Asia

Abstract

This introduction to the fourth special issue ofAsiascape: Digital Asiadiscusses the complex interactions between technology and society in the context of ‘digital Asia’. The special issue is drawn from contributions to a conference held in May 2016 titled ‘Digital Disruption in Asia: Methods and Issues’. Inspired by the idea that the use of digital technologies is shaking up some major political and economic institutions, the conference aimed to see whether some of the same processes were playing out across Asia. But while the wording of its title focused on the impact of digital technologies in Asian societies, what emerged were much more complex stories detailing the different ways the technologies are used in their offline contexts. This introduction traces these stories, identifying some common elements of digitality that range from constant connectivity, to mobility, speed, and the potential to break down social and even disciplinary boundaries.