From RangKoM and JARING to the Internet: visions and practices of electronic networking in Malaysia, 1983–1996

Abstract Early electronic networks were established for a variety of purposes, to serve different kinds of people and needs, and in vastly different political, social, and economic contexts. Examining some of the earliest electronic networks established in Southeast Asia provides us with a glimpse of the contrasting and diverse aims for which they were established and used. At the time electronic networking began to be developed in Malaysia (during the 1980s) its potential was far more open-ended. Although networking pioneers in Southeast Asia were influenced by North American experiences, they quickly developed their own ideas about what networks could be, could do, and how they could serve national or local purposes. This essay uses the concept of a “networking imaginary” to conceptualise the ways in which networks became associated with particular ideals, goals, and futures. The pioneers of electronic networking in Malaysia articulated a unique networking imaginary that anticipated networks playing a critical role in Malaysia’s developing economy. Networking, in the vision of its Malaysian founders, would play a key role in propelling Malaysia forward as a wealthy, stable, and harmonious society. These visions continue to impact the ways in which networks are imagined and used in Malaysia today.