From Hegemony to Emancipation: Alleviating Geographic Constraint on Digital Innovation Ecosystems

Abstract

The discourses essential to effective coordination of digital innovation ecosystems are subject to constraints. If wider-scale geographic constraints play out in digital innovation ecosystems, this deprives us collectively of technology-in-production and technology-in-use knowledge that furthers innovation. It, of course, also reinforces social inequalities. Combining critical discourse analysis with computational theory construction, we ask (1) to what extent and how does geography constrain discourse within digital innovation ecosystems and (2) how can these constraints be alleviated? To answer these questions, we analyzed 3.3 million tweets pertaining to digital innovations by 1,476 accounts from 66 countries. We used computational analysis, i.e., text mining of tweets and social network analysis (SNA) of the geo-tagged accounts authoring and retweeted, replied to, and mentioned in the tweets, and qualitative analysis of tweets and SNA graphs to abductively theorize how constraint occurs and how it can be remedied. We thus surfaced (1) the extent of discursive constraint by the Global North; (2) two mechanisms through which this geographic constraint is exercised—through constrained authoring and citing; and (3) two remedies for constraint — constructing and participating in innovation ecosystems that are complex and novel. By responding to calls for critical discourse analysis to not only shed light on conditions of hegemony, but also to identify routes to emancipation, we contribute to source literatures on digital innovation ecosystems and offer insights for practice and policy aimed at emancipation.