Abstract
Co-authored by Sahana Udupa and Ethiraj Gabriel Dattatreyan, the book Digital Unsettling: Decoloniality and Dispossession in the Age of Social Media delves into the contemporary digital landscape, where digital technologies simultaneously reinforce neo-colonial exploitation and inspire global calls for decolonization. Employing the concept of digital disquiet as a guiding framework, it analyzes various aspects of digital communication, aiming to illuminate the ongoing struggle between decolonial movements and neo-colonial plunder within the digital space. By contextualizing digital technologies within the historical backdrop of colonialism, it undertakes a critical and introspective exploration of these technologies. It presents a plethora of relevant case studies that unfold on online platforms, challenging prevailing narratives that view the digital realm through a presentist, liberal, and technocentric lens.
The book consists of five chapters, plus an introduction, and a coda. In Chapter 1, university campuses are perceived as a promising arena for prospective anti-colonial movements, where online platforms serve as connectors, intertwining diverse university issues to foster a shared anti-colonial consciousness. The authors argue that universities present one of the scarce physical public spaces for organizing and collective action, especially in an era when public spaces are increasingly subjected to surveillance across nation-states. However, they also shed light on how university institutions employ the concept of decolonization as a camouflage for the hegemonic structures that persist beneath the rhetoric of diversity. Chapter 2 probes into the assault on progressive voices, examining how the accessibility of digital media has breathed new life into right-wing extremist rhetoric under the guise of liberal conservatism. By dissecting the phenomenon of name-calling on Twitter, the authors contend that the exclusionary extremist rhetoric and racially offensive discourse propagated by white supremacists on social media are not merely a reflection of deep-rooted prejudices and animosities that transcend time. Instead, they emphasize the intricate connection between such rhetoric and the inherent characteristics of digital technology, as well as the underlying political-economic structures that drive its operation.
Chapter 3 utilizes the concept of ‘capture’ as a methodology to trace and analyze the unequal structures of global digital capitalism. It examines how colonialism persists within the techno-networked infrastructures of the digital realm, particularly through uneven data relations, the global hierarchy of digital labor, and the digital surveillance employed within the state-market nexus. Through the analysis, it demonstrates that algorithmic racism and differentiated labor relations are key factors in the exploitative nature of digitalization, which has facilitated new forms of imperialist colonization. Chapter 4 focuses on how digital technologies disrupt the normative framework of intellectual power in academia. The sharing and dissemination properties of digital platforms enable academics to break through geographical constraints to access, produce and disseminate knowledge in online public spaces. It explores counter-hegemonic projects in digital spaces in order to consider how digital disquiet can be used to participate in the subversion of forms of knowledge production by these projects.
Chapter 5 uncovers the methodological innovations spurred by digitization within a broad range of disciplines. It does so by illustrating how digital technologies deconstruct the traditional notions of ‘home’ and ‘field,’ blurring the boundaries between them. Moreover, it explores how these disruptions challenge the authoritative position of researchers, particularly in colonial contexts. The chapter also puts forward research methodologies, such as interdisciplinarity and multimodal collaboration, as viable approaches to navigate these transformative shifts. In the epilogue, the authors revisit the central argument of digital disquiet and provide insightful reflections on practicing decolonial ethical methodologies. They acknowledge the significance of an individual's position in research, emphasizing its role in shaping ethical approaches.
This book encompasses a wide range of practical aspects and holds several strengths. Firstly, it exhibits a well-organized and informative structure. Each chapter delves into diverse topics, employing a montage approach that effectively interconnects the arguments, culminating in a comprehensive framework. Secondly, the authors’ unique backgrounds contribute to a distinct perspective within the book. As South Asian immigrants, Udupa and Dattatreyan have received a quality Western education while facing populist attacks, which provides authentic and reliable case studies. Thirdly, the book presents several innovative methodological approaches. Udupa introduces a reflexive approach that challenges the naturalized categorization of training machines, advocating for an interdisciplinary spirit of collaboration. Dattatreyan proposes multimodal and collaborative strategies for generating alternative knowledge archives through digital technologies. Collectively, these approaches, termed Ethical Methodological Praxis, prioritize collaboration and the nurturing of knowledge cultures. They facilitate alliances among researchers from diverse disciplines, envisioning new directions for anti-colonization movements.
Overall, this book centers around the profound influence of digital technologies, particularly social media, on the global decolonization movement in the digital age. It provides a significant contribution to the field of digitization and decolonization studies, making it a valuable resource for scholars and researchers interested in exploring the societal and cultural impacts of digitization, as well as the evolving dynamics within decolonization movements.