The Disenchantment Of Southeast Asia: New Media And Social Change Post 9/11 (original) (raw)

Review of “The Politics of Southeast Asia’s New Media” by William Atkins

Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 2003

New media, like its older cousins, has often been imbued with amazing powers to transform states and cultures. In the last decade, as satellite and cable television have diffused rapidly throughout Asia, many have assumed, with Rupert Murdoch, that "satellite television is an unambiguous threat to totalitarian regimes everywhere". In fact, William Atkins argues that satellite TV has learned to play along quite nicely with a variety of regimes. Atkins' volume on the rollout and political consequences of satellite and cable television on the regulatory and political regimes of five Southeast Asian nations (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines) is a detailed and thorough examination of the expectations of both policy makers and media personalities that were at work during the decade of the 1990's. The title of Atkin's work is somewhat misleading, as Atkins is concerned primarily with television (including terrestrial, cable, and satellite operations), rather than the range of other technologies typically considered as new media, and his focus is on what he argues are the key Southeast Asian states, with virtually no attention or mention of the other states, who certainly should be considered in a work with this title. Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, etcetera might not have been significant players in the development of the media systems yet, but their political stances certainly bear some consideration in an overall appraisal, and the market forces which are beginning to be shown will probably have a greater economic impact than say, Singapore. Moreover, many would argue that the "politics of new media" in Southeast Asia hasn't yet unfolded, as the impact of the Internet and other new media technologies have only begun to be assessed, and these newer media have required radically different regulatory frameworks, such as in Malaysia. That being said, however, Atkins' work certainly merits attention to new media researchers, since it is clear that the political philosophies and cultural attitudes towards information continue to interact with attempts to regulate newer media, and Atkins truly has brought to the task a formidable amount of data.

Media, Information Revolution, and Terrorism in Southeast Asia

Terrorism and Violence in Southeast Asia, 2005

Throughout history terrorists have relied on various forms of media as a means of pursuing their particular political or military goals. The information revolution has transformed the way that terrorists communicate with each other and their broader audience. Our "construct" of terrorism - the way we view the phenomenon - is largely generated by media images. Computers and the internet have given the terrorists.......

The Communication Review The Internet and the Narrow Tailoring Dilemma for " Asian " Democracies

The Internet has become a medium for contentious political journalism in Malaysia and Singapore, two countries known for their enthusiastic adoption of information technologies as well as their illiberal controls on political expression. These alternative sites inhabit a regulatory gap within an otherwise closed media system. Internet laws in these two settings provide a degree of freedom that is significantly greater than experienced in print and broadcast media. This article tries to explain this anomaly. It argues that the Internet's perceived economic value dominated the authorities' policy formulation, subordinating the goal of political control that historically shaped media policy. When dealing with print and broadcast media, the authorities had been able to tailor their political interventions narrowly, such that these actions did not smother their economic priorities. In contrast, the Internet was not as amenable to narrow tailoring. The two governments decided to tolerate a lesser degree of political control than that to which they were accustomed. While the governments maintained the prerogative to mete out after-the-fact punishments against any offending Internet publication, they were less capable of imposing prior restraints or encouraging self-censorship-their more routine forms of media control. It is not argued that the resulting advantage for radical journalism was either absolute or permanent, only that it presented a sufficiently attractive opportunity for action.

Democratization in the Digital Era: Experience from Southeast Asia

JAS (Journal of ASEAN Studies)

Southeast Asia is home to about 8.5% of the world’s total population and 10% of its internet users, yet it is also home to 12.7% of the world’s social media users. The exponential growth in internet and social media utilization poses both opportunities and challenges towards democratization. The research aims to examine how the digital sphere may or may not support inclusive and deliberative democracy in the region. Using elaboration on case studies from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, the current study is reflecting on shared challenges and opportunities in preserving democracy amidst the rapid development of cyberspace as a mode of political communication. The findings suggest that digital space has been instrumental in harassing dissent or jailing opposition members in countries like the Philippines and Vietnam. On the other hand, the use of technology provides an opportunity to foster a more deliberative and inclusive democracy in Indonesia and Malaysia. The a...

Indonesia’s political culture in the new digital age: A preliminary discussion

Masyarakat, Kebudayaan dan Politik

The development of increasingly accessible digital media has resulted in reasonably intense dynamics of political behaviour and articulation. However, the influence of the internet and social media use on Indonesian political culture has not been much discussed. This article explains changes in contemporary Indonesia’s political culture that align with the proliferation of new digital media by considering socio-political conditions and modernization. In its analysis, this article employs a historical-comparative method with an interpretive approach. The results of this study demonstrate that the traditional conception of power relation has historically influenced Indonesian political culture. In the post-Suharto era, the direct electoral system and primacy of television media promoted popular voter preferences that degraded traditional charismatic figures. The rise of the Internet and social media then had democratizing implications by increasing online public discussion. However, s...