Technology and the digital revolution in Asia

Science, technology, and the future have always fascinated me.

As a kid, I would watch the cartoon show “Sealab 2020” and think how impossibly far away 2020 was. It was the 70s, after all. I was a Martial Law baby who was not even a year old when the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Proclamation 1081 in 1972, ushering in the dark times of military rule in the Philippines.

The more things change

Now it’s 2020 and the faraway future is already here. Yet time and again we learn that Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr’s epigram was correct.

“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.”

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Techno-optimism is the way

Technology is a powerful tool. But like any other tool we can use it for good or evil, depending on how we wield it. True, we have created a futuristic world of wonder where science fiction keeps turning into science fact. But we have also turned science and technology into weapons of mass destruction. Aimed at ourselves and every other inhabitant of the only planet we have.

Utopia or dystopia? The choice is up to us, but we are running out of time. The climate emergency is turning the planet into an uninhabitable place. We also keep finding myriad ways to misuse technology, including allowing social media to tear us apart.

I have always been a techno-optimist. One of the reasons I decided to launch Digital Life Asia was to promote technology as a force for good. I was a tech journalist and tech blogger before I joined the corporate world. Now I have left the corporate world to launch my own media startup. But I am no longer a tech journalist or a tech blogger.

Inventing a better future

My purpose is not to bring you the news, but to be a passionate advocate.

A technology advocate, who would like all of us to see the big picture again, instead of just treating technology as bits and pieces of gadgets, software, algorithms, and platforms. Who wants to put the spotlight not just on multinationals and tech giants, but also on startups, SMEs, and ordinary people who are embracing technology.

A science advocate, in an age of anti-science. Climate change deniers, antivaxxers, flat Earthers, conspiracy theorists-the list goes on. Now, more than ever, we need to educate people and combat ignorance. Because this is literally a matter of life and death.

A gaming advocate, who has always championed responsible gaming. Who has chronicled the way video games have changed the way we work and play. The rest of the world is finally catching up to us gamers, with the growth of esports and game streaming.

A geek culture advocate, who grew up reading comic books and watching cartoons. Sometimes I am still amazed by how we geeks have inherited the Earth. Seems like yesterday when I first saw the Once and Future Queen of Cosplay Alodia Gosiengfiao. This was in November 2005, when the Level Up! community crowned her as the R.O.S.E. It Girl. Few had heard of cosplay in the Philippines back then. But the moment I saw Alodia, I knew she was destined for success.

Change Asia, change the world

And, most important, an advocate for Asia. Because I truly believe that Asia will be at the forefront of the digital revolution. Asia is where the future will be built.

Our mission at Digital Life Asia is to create content that engages, educates, and empowers people. To show everyone how we can use science and technology to build a better world.

I hope you will join us in this exciting journey. Together, we can teach more people to use technology as a force for good.

Together, we can change the world.