Vol. 9 No. 2 (2016): New Media

ASEAS 9(2) features a focus on new media and the online-offline nexus as the site of emerging practices and identities in the interlocking fabrics of power and institutionalized relations. It thereby sheds light on the rather unorthodox ways in which digital technologies have become part of the daily dynamics of social, cultural, and political life. Contributions to this special issue range from analyses of the militarization of cyberspace through mass surveillance and surveillance by the masses, the emergence of fascist vigilante groups that operate across different social media platforms, the use of digital media as acts of political participation and digital citizenship, to the intersection of online and offline space in the expression of non-religious identities, and prevailing digital divides. The articles employ a range of analytic frames and cover a variety of aspects of digital Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Indonesia, and Myanmar. They highlight the complex ways in which different actors set the parameters for participation and expression in digital space in authoritarian and post-authoritarian settings. By challenging notions of technological determinism and placing emphasis on local environments, they contribute to the broader project of provincializing digital media.

Managing Editor: Dayana Lengauer

Cover Photo: Sasin Tipchai

Layout: Thomas Gimesi