Abstract:
This study aims to identify changes that have taken place in the Asian technological creativity
after the post-communication revolution of digital technologies. After examining the utility patent
applications forwarded to the US Patent Office by 24 Asian countries between 1965 to 2007, the
study partially supports the claim that the “digital communication revolution have influenced the
competitive creativity development in Asia.”
However, the development growth model is shaped like a snail shell, and digital technologies
have not been the silver bullet that promoted the leapfrogging of creativity in stagnating countries.
Information and communication technologies (ICT) should be considered as a means of
technological learning rather than the end of creativity development. The challenge of
strengthening stagnating Asian countries to become competitive and innovative nations will
continue until the next decade. Unless necessary steps are taken to improve technological learning
and local innovations in stagnating countries, their technological dependency will increase and
thus deepen the marginalization in the coming eras.
