(Re)theorizing economic geographies of digital platforms from an East Asian perspective

Digital platforms and the related platform economy and platform capitalism increasingly affect the economy at large, and are therefore also key topic in modern economic geography literature. In this commentary, we will argue that theorizing the economic geographies of digital platforms remains relatively underdeveloped. Given East Asia's—particularly China’s—leading role in various sectors of the digital platform economy, such as e-commerce, short video, and livestreaming, the region offers a promising foundation for inductive theorizing. To contribute to this agenda, we outline five emerging directions of East Asian-based (re)theorizing, which offer valuable insights for advancing and diversifying the current, largely Western-centric, platform economy literature. Here are some key highlights of our submission: • Re-theorizing Economic Geographies of Digital Platforms – The commentary challenges Western-centric perspectives in platform studies and proposes an East Asian framework for understanding digital platform economies. • Empirical Insights from East Asia – The paper draws on recent studies from China, Japan, and South Korea to highlight how different regulatory, infrastructural, and market conditions shape platform capitalism. • Beyond Spatial Inequality – Rather than focusing solely on the spatially uneven effects of platforms, the paper explores alternative models of platform governance, business ecosystems, and state-market relations. • Advancing Geographic Pluralism – The paper contributes to Information Geography by promoting geographically sensitive and inductive theorization, expanding the discourse beyond U.S.-centric narratives. • Interdisciplinary Contribution – The study engages with economic geography, digital economy, and regional development, offering insights for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners navigating the evolving digital economy.