Digital Asia-Pacific in the twenty-first century: Promises and perils in the creation of an inclusive knowledge society

Change is accelerating in the Asia-Pacific region, including in rural areas, as it becomes the global economy’s growth driver. In 2010, the region’s developing countries grew at an impressive rate of 8.8 per cent compared to 2.7 per cent for the world’s developed economies. With growth in developed countries expected to continue to sputter at around 2.5 per cent for the greater part of this decade, a new development paradigm is in the making. The “made in Asia, consumed in the West” development model that served it so well in the past is giving way to economic growth that is more inclusive and sustainable, and thus increasingly sourced from within the region. Digital innovation has emerged as a key contributor to this paradigm shift, holding much promise that all peoples will be empowered to contribute more meaningfully to the emerging knowledge society. Three aspects of this digital revolution give us much hope for the future: the promises of the mobile miracle, the broadband revolution, and the social media. The Mobile Mirac le In less than five years, the number of mobile telephone subscriptions in the region more than doubled, rising from around 1.08 billion to 2.53 billion. In East Asia, for example, 83 per cent of people living in rural areas have a mobile phone. This was accompanied by a rise in home-grown mobile phone manufacturers and operators that can now claim to rival the West’s incumbents. Their business model is built on reaching out to the low spending, but huge, consumer base of the region. The result is that, for the first time, we have affordable and truly inclusive mobile telephony reaching all: poor and wealthy, rural and urban dwellers, women and men, youth and the aged.