Editor's introduction: Media, polarization, and geopolitics

Abstract

We are now indeed in the age of rapid transformations in information and communications technology (ICT). The so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought forth sea changes in not just how people communicate, but in the production, transmission, and consumption of information. While the past 50 years focused more on the communication side of new technologies, at present, the revolution seems to emphasize the information aspect. This is seen in the fast-paced evolution of social media and artificial intelligence (AI).

Similar to other technological revolutions in the history of human civilization, their impact on politics and society are far-reaching and even menacing. It is not coincidental that the dysfunction of democratic regimes are going side-by-side with the “infodemic” caused by disinformation. Us versus Them polarization though is not just seen in democracies but is a current political condition worldwide. The destruction of political consensus, ideological compromise, collective memory, and even previously accepted knowledge are all characteristics of this post-truth era.

Asia is becoming a nexus of the social media and AI revolution. As an economically and demographically dynamic part of the world, countries in Asia like China and South Korea are at the forefront of these massive changes. Moreover, Asians are vociferous consumers of social media content as “netizens” in the Southeast Asian states like the Philippines and Thailand are among the most digitally connected societies in the world. Like a double-edged knife, their penchant for social media exposes them to both legitimate information as well as fake news. The amplification of social media disinformation, perpetuated by domestic and external agents, are contributing to the pernicious polarization in these polities. As advances in AI are outpacing the ability of governments to regulate and control their repercussions, their disruptive and even destructive impacts cannot be over exaggerated.

Asian Politics & Policy has long recognized the importance of focusing research energies on media, the internet, and other ICTs. In 2006, it re-launched a special section called Media Review, which sets it apart from other policy-oriented academic journals in Asia. As our previous editor-in-chief wrote, “… much of what citizens understand about politics is derived from what they are exposed to in the media” (Baviera, 2016). Since then, we continue to feature reviews of traditional and new media coverage of a host of political and policy topics in Asia under the stewardship of our Senior Editor and journalism professor Ma. Diosa Labiste. We expect more submissions of media reviews in the future given the sustained attention paid by scholars and researchers on this topic.

Our current issue reflects this media and communication gaze as three original articles cover different aspects of the current ICT revolution. Yang's article (Tang & Zhang, 2023) addressed media censorship and control in China and how the communist party prevents the democratizing forces that political science often attribute to the media. The increasing salience of social media among Chinese citizens also might not bring hope for media freedom as the government has also stepped up the control over its platforms. The relationship between agents of communication and agents of government are the focus of Chang's study (Chang & Tang, 2023). Using data across 12 countries in Northeast and Southeast Asia, they found that citizens have varying levels of trust with media and this is concomitant with their expectations on media's ability to hold the government accountable. This variegated trust of media also reinforced the limited role that media plays in political mobilization and even democratization. Alivi's article (Ailvi, 2023) focuses on Malaysia's vibrant online news industry and how it influenced voting behavior. Digital information is indeed the future as far as encouraging people to participate in politics but it can also help government's legitimize policy decisions.

The remaining three articles cover a variety of topics that ranged from inequality and polarization in South Korea, geopolitical tensions and the Rohingya crisis, and differing party ideological slants of the governing parties in China and its impact on its relations with the United States. As this APP issue wraps us 2023, we hope that our readers will continue supporting the journal as it enters its 15th year anniversary next year.