By Dr. Manoj Jinadasa (PhD in Digital Critical Media Studies, Newcastle University, UK), Senior Lecturer and Head, Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Kunming, China – At the International Conference on Communication Empowerment for Regional Development held at Yunnan University on November 1, 2025, Dr. Manoj Jinadasa delivered a keynote speech titled “Asian Digital Media Theory: Connections from the Silk Route between China and Sri Lanka.” This address explored the historical and contemporary connections between Asia’s civilizations and the emerging field of digital media studies, tracing a path from the ancient Silk Route to the Digital Silk Road.

Opening Remarks
Distinguished colleagues, respected scholars, and dear friends, it is my great honour to address you on the theme “Asian Digital Media Theory: Connections from the Silk Route between China and Sri Lanka.” In this keynote, I invited the audience to travel across time—from the historical Silk Route to the emerging Digital Silk Road—and to reflect on how Asia’s intellectual traditions and media scholarship can shape a uniquely Asian Digital Media Theory. My aim was to foreground Asia-centric perspectives in digital communication scholarship, arguing that these perspectives are both historically grounded and globally relevant.

The Silk Route and the Digital Silk Road
The ancient Silk Route was not merely a trade corridor; it was a living medium of human communication, facilitating the exchange of ideas, art, language, and spiritual philosophies. As Wimal Dissanayake (1988) asserts in Communication Theory: The Asian Perspective, Asian communication historically evolved within a framework of cultural interdependence and philosophical exchange rather than competition. The Silk Route exemplifies a network in which knowledge, aesthetic practices, and ethical norms circulated alongside material goods, creating enduring legacies for intercultural understanding.

In the twenty-first century, the Digital Silk Road similarly connects Asia, but through undersea cables, digital infrastructures, and collaborative online platforms. This modern network echoes the ancient tradition of connectivity, though mediated through technology rather than physical travel. The relationship between China and Sri Lanka, historically shaped by trade and culture, now manifests in joint initiatives in digital education, communication technology, and collaborative research. These contemporary connections embody the continuity of Asia’s relational and communicative ethos.

Why We Need an Asian Digital Media Theory
Much of contemporary communication theory has been shaped by Western epistemologies and individualist assumptions, often marginalizing the relational, collective, and spiritual dimensions central to Asian communication cultures. Wimal Dissanayake (1988) advocates for a communication theory grounded in Asian philosophies, particularly Buddhist and Confucian principles of harmony, interdependence, and moral relationality. Similarly, Shelton A. Gunaratne (2005), in The Dao of the Press: A Humanocentric Theory, critiques the conventional Western dichotomies of authoritarian versus libertarian media models. He proposes the “yin–yang continuum model,” emphasizing dynamic balance in media ethics and press freedom.

Developing an Asian Digital Media Theory requires theorizing from an Asiacentric standpoint while engaging in global dialogue. This approach acknowledges that digital communication is not a neutral tool but is culturally and ethically situated. It is a medium through which Asian philosophies, moral frameworks, and relational epistemologies can shape technological use, design, and understanding.

Anchors of Asian Media Scholarship
Asian media scholarship rests on several foundational pillars. First, cultural and philosophical frameworks are critical. Dissanayake (2009), in Asian Communication Studies: What and Where to Now?, emphasized that media must be understood as aesthetic, ethical, and ritual processes embedded in cultural life rather than merely channels for transmitting information. Buddhist epistemology, particularly the doctrine of Paṭiccasamuppāda (dependent co-arising), provides a useful metaphor for understanding digital networks as co-emergent systems, in which users, technologies, and cultures continuously shape one another.

Similarly, Naren Chitty (2017), in The Routledge Handbook of Soft Power, highlights the centrality of dialogue, exchange, and mutuality in Asian communication traditions. These principles, vital for ancient diplomacy, remain relevant in shaping cooperative, ethical, and culturally sensitive digital interactions.

Second, Asiacentricity and de-Westernization are critical to framing theory. Yoshitaka Miike (2007), in “An Asiacentric Paradigm of Communication Theory”, argues that Asian cultural experience should occupy the center of analysis rather than the periphery. Daya Kishan Thussu (2009), in De-Westernizing Media Studies, similarly calls for pluralizing global communication theory beyond Euro-American frameworks. An Asiacentric digital media theory would examine platforms such as WeChat, TikTok, and Sri Lankan social media ecosystems as sites of collective ethics, cultural intimacy, and moral responsibility, contrasting with the Western logic of individualism and surveillance capitalism.

Third, Asian media systems are inherently hybrid and multi-scalar. Shelton A. Gunaratne (2010), in the Handbook of the Media in Asia, observes that media systems combine state, communal, and digital forms, reflecting neither monolithic national models nor strict opposition to Western systems. Thussu (2018), in International Communication: Continuity and Change, situates the China–Sri Lanka digital partnership within a broader geopolitical framework, emphasizing the transformative potential of digital collaboration in the Global South.

China–Sri Lanka: From Historical Routes to Digital Bridges
Historical interactions between China and Sri Lanka offer instructive models for contemporary digital cooperation. When the Chinese monk Faxian visited Sri Lanka in the 5th century CE, he acted as a cultural communicator, translating and transmitting ideas and values across borders. Today, universities, research institutions, and digital media industries continue this dialogue through joint publications, student exchanges, and cross-border digital storytelling initiatives.

Under the Digital Silk Road initiative, China and Sri Lanka have implemented smart education programs, AI-driven communication training, and cultural documentation projects. These initiatives mirror the ancient Silk Route’s cultural transmission while adapting it to the needs of digital societies. By integrating technology with relational, ethical, and cultural imperatives, the Digital Silk Road represents both continuity and innovation in Asian communication.

Theoretical Implications
Drawing on the insights of these scholars, an Asian Digital Media Theory can be conceptualized through five interrelated propositions. First, interdependence over individualism emphasizes the relational and ethical dimensions of digital communication, reflecting Buddhist epistemology (Dissanayake, 1988). Second, balance over binary, inspired by Gunaratne’s (2005) Dao of the Press, advocates for dynamic equilibrium rather than oppositional media frameworks. Third, contextual ethics integrates Asian moral traditions (Miike, 2007; Thussu, 2009) into algorithmic and AI design, ensuring technological interventions are culturally and ethically responsive. Fourth, dialogic globalism, as emphasized by Chitty (2017), underscores cooperation and mutual respect in cross-Asian digital diplomacy. Fifth, hybrid epistemologies, highlighted by Thussu (2018) and Gunaratne (2010), affirm that Asian media systems are neither anti-Western nor insular but are interconnected with global digital modernity, fostering pluriversal approaches to communication research and practice.

Toward a Future of Shared Digital Humanity
The ancient Silk Route was a corridor of reciprocity and exchange rather than competition. In the contemporary context, the Digital Silk Road between China and Sri Lanka can similarly serve as a pathway for intellectual empathy, technological sharing, and cultural co-creation. By drawing on Asian ethical, aesthetic, and relational philosophies, scholars and practitioners can craft digital media practices that are simultaneously locally rooted and globally relevant.

As digital media transforms societies, the responsibility of scholars is to generate knowledge that respects cultural diversity, ethical responsibility, and collective well-being. By embracing Asiacentric perspectives, we can design digital environments that are inclusive, ethical, and participatory. This approach encourages collaboration across borders, disciplines, and communities, echoing the spirit of the Silk Route in the twenty-first century.

Conclusion
Asia’s rich philosophical and communicative heritage offers valuable insights for digital media theory, practice, and policy. From Wimal Dissanayake’s (1988, 2009) reflections on relational communication to Shelton A. Gunaratne’s (2005, 2010) humanocentric models, from Yoshitaka Miike’s (2007) Asiacentric paradigm to Daya Kishan Thussu’s (2009, 2018) advocacy for de-Westernization, and Naren Chitty’s (2017) emphasis on dialogue and soft power, the intellectual resources are abundant. By engaging these perspectives, scholars can develop a framework that is both regionally grounded and globally conversant.

Let our scholarship be the next caravan, carrying the message of connected humanity across the digital landscape. By blending historical wisdom, ethical imperatives, and technological innovation, Asia can contribute uniquely to the global digital discourse. The Digital Silk Road, like its ancient predecessor, can become a bridge for knowledge, culture, and digital diplomacy, fostering a future in which human connectivity, empathy, and shared creativity define the global information society.