What is it about?
This literature review investigates the complex relationship between digital technology and the cultural survival of Tibetan refugees who are scattered across the world. A fundamental paradox is that while Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) often act as a massive force leading to global standardization and homogenization, for Tibetan refugees, these same tools serve as a vital medium for preserving their distinct culture and identity. The paper explores this dynamic using three theoretical viewpoints: modernity (seeing technology as a force for progress, order, and structured systems), postmodernity (seeing technology as a force for fragmentation, decentralized networks, and challenging old hierarchies), and the crucial lens of post-postmodernism (or metamodernism).
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Why is it important?
The research goes beyond viewing technology through the traditional binary lenses of modernity (seeing tech as a rational force for order and standardization) or postmodernity (seeing tech as a fragmenting, ironic force). Instead, it uses post-postmodernism (or metamodernism) to capture the complex reality of the Tibetan diaspora's digital life. The core contribution of the research is its shift in perspective: it moves away from viewing the Tibetan diaspora through a "deficit lens" (focusing on what they lack due to displacement) toward an "agency lens" (focusing on what they are actively building and creating with technology).
Perspectives
The review is more than academic. It is a mirror that shows their digital improvisations are not stop-gap fixes but a sophisticated cultural strategy. Ultimately, I hope the paper provides a shared conceptual map and a new vocabulary. By legitimizing both sacred practices (like monastic livestreaming) and modern youth culture (like meme remixing) under the banner of oscillation, it can help defuse the authenticity wars that often paralyze community projects and bridge generational divides within the diaspora.
Wenwen Ding
University of Arkansas Fayetteville
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Digital Diaspora Oscillation: A Literature Review on ICT's Impact on Tibetan Refugees Through Modern, Postmodern, and Post-Postmodern Lenses, ACM SIGMIS Database the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, October 2025, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3774330.3774335.
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