Navigating Digital Transformation in Pakistan: A Discourse Analysis of the Media Representation of the Digital Pakistan Initiative.
This article explores how media narratives in Pakistan, specifically through Dawn and the News International, engaged with and reshaped discourse surrounding the Digital Pakistan initiative, which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government launched in 2019. Guided by Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theor...
| Publicado en: | Asian Studies Review Vol. 49; no. 4; pp. 798 - 818 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Dec2025
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| Sumario: | This article explores how media narratives in Pakistan, specifically through Dawn and the News International, engaged with and reshaped discourse surrounding the Digital Pakistan initiative, which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government launched in 2019. Guided by Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory, the article identifies and explores two key themes in the media coverage: a shift in the Pakistani media's perspectives from initial optimism about digital inclusivity to concerns over the digital divide, and the challenges related to governance, stakeholder tensions, and civil liberties. By moving beyond a technological focus, the analysis reveals how media discourse reflects and contests the socio-political realities of the Pakistani government's initiative on digital transformation. The article highlights the need for a context-specific approach to digital policy that addresses deep-seated socioeconomic inequalities, stakeholder collaboration, and the safeguarding of civil liberties. It thereby contributes to discourse on digital transformation by emphasising the role of the media in shaping national projects and broadening the scope of media studies in developing countries. 本文以巴基斯坦媒体《黎明报》和《国际新闻报》对由巴基斯坦正义运动党政府于2019年发起的"数字巴基斯坦"倡议的报道为切入点, 探讨媒体叙事如何介入并重塑这一政策话语。基于拉克劳与穆夫的话语理论, 本文分析了媒体报道中的两个核心主题:一是媒体视角从最初对数字包容性的乐观期待逐渐转向对数字鸿沟的担忧; 二是围绕治理, 利益相关方矛盾以及公民自由的复杂挑战。本文区别于单纯的技术探讨, 通过分析媒体话语揭示了"数字巴基斯坦"政策在实践中反映的社会政治现实及其争议。研究强调, 数字化政策的制定需要结合具体国情, 关注社会经济不平等的深层次问题, 利益相关方之间的协作以及对公民自由的保障。本文不仅为数字转型的研究提供了新视角, 同时也拓展了发展中国家媒体研究的领域, 凸显媒体在塑造国家项目中的重要作用。 |
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