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New Indian Express

Decoding the power of pixels

In GeoTechnoGraphy: Mapping Power and Identity in the Digital Age, Samir Saran and Anirban Sarma critically examine how digital platforms have reshaped human interactions, disrupted traditional institutions, and redefined global power structures. Through rigorous analysis, the authors introduce the concept of geotechnography, a collision of technology and geography, as a framework to understand contemporary geopolitical and social transformations. As nations struggle to assert control over digital domains, the book brings democracy, sovereignty, and international norms into a compelling framework—making its insights especially engaging in an age dominated by Big Tech. The book opens by challenging the idea that geography has lost relevance in the digital age. While digital platforms create cloud societies that transcend borders, physical geography continues to shape political conflicts, national identity, and governance. The early chapters trace geography's enduring influence on politics, governance, and development—offering a sharp, counterintuitive take that challenges the common belief in the digital age's borderless reality. A key theme in the book is how digitalisation has upended established notions of community and identity. The authors highlight the rise of mediated selves, where individuals construct online personas that diverge from their real-world identities and can sometimes lack authenticity—'Digital life has transformed our sense of self and our relationships with others. Not only do we live mediated lives ourselves; our relationships—romantic, familial, collegial and others—are all mediated as well.' Social media has amplified parasocial relationships, allowing prominent public figures to shape global narratives beyond their physical locations. However, this also produces the risk of algorithm-driven interactions reinforcing echo chambers and distorting historical memory.