Seeing Digital Asia Spatially: Vignettes of Digital Sociospatial Relations

Abstract

In this short article, I use several vignettes on digital relations in Asia to discuss the spatialities of digital relations across Asia’s digital geography and to highlight the application of spatial lenses to hybrid phenomena. These vignettes from Beijing, Weibo, Weixin, Telegram, Google Drive, Myanmar, India, and the Wa State show that territory, positionality, scale, place, network, and mobility are spatialities that can be used to understand both Asia’s digital development and the spatial complexities of Asia. In doing so, I highlight some of the benefits of a spatial approach in digital relations, some of the thorny issues with which this approach intersects, and the research agendas that emerge from this approach. I conclude by reflecting on the multiple states of the field, focusing on points of optimism and pessimism.