Digital Colonialism and Cultural Identity in South Asian Literature

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital technologies has transformed the ways cultures are represented, preserved, and negotiated across the globe. While digital platforms promise greater connectivity and democratized access to knowledge, they also reproduce unequal power structures rooted in colonial histories. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as digital colonialism, enables multinational technology corporations to dominate data, communication infrastructures, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic governance, thereby influencing cultural production and identity formation. In South Asia, where colonial histories continue to shape linguistic, cultural, and political realities, digital colonialism presents new challenges to indigenous knowledge systems, regional languages, and literary traditions.

This paper examines the relationship between digital colonialism and cultural identity in South Asian literature. Drawing upon postcolonial theory, digital humanities, and cultural studies, it explores how contemporary South Asian writers respond to the growing influence of digital capitalism and algorithmic power. The study analyses literary representations of identity, language, memory, migration, and resistance in the works of Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Kamila Shamsie, Mohsin Hamid, Perumal Murugan, Bama, and Jhumpa Lahiri. It argues that literature functions as a critical space for resisting digital homogenization while preserving cultural plurality.

The paper further discusses the implications of artificial intelligence, data extraction, platform capitalism, and algorithmic bias for South Asian cultural identities. It concludes that literature remains a powerful medium for challenging digital neo-imperialism and for imagining more inclusive digital futures that respect linguistic diversity, cultural sovereignty, and indigenous epistemologies.