This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Postmodern Sociology — most prominently associated with Jean Baudrillard — to re-read the AprIGF 2025 Kathmandu conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.
Introduction: The Problem
The dominance of simulacra analyzed by Baudrillard reaches an extreme in the digitalized present. AprIGF harbors a hyperreal discussion space yet still generates real normative effects — an ambivalent venue.
This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of AprIGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Simulacra and the hyperreal, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.
Semiotics of IGF
セキュリティ debated at Kathmandu in 2025 often circulates more as simulacra in media representation and policy documents than as actual platform events. Related debates in Nepal unfold within this chain of signs.
The conference theme "The Future of Multistakeholder Digital Governance in Asia Pacific" carries implications beyond a mere policy slogan. It can be positioned as a contemporary reformulation, in digital-era vocabulary, of the kinds of questions Jean Baudrillard problematized.
The regional IGF (AprIGF) holds a philosophically distinct position as the intermediate category mediating global universality and national particularity.
Discussion without referent
Jean Baudrillard's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2025 conference. We examine that application below.
1. Application to "セキュリティ"
Discussion of "セキュリティ" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and the hyperreal, as a central problematic. In Nepal's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around セキュリティ are particularly at stake.
2. Application to "回復力"
Discussion of "回復力" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and the hyperreal, as a derivative problematic. In Nepal's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 回復力 are particularly at stake.
3. Application to "イノベーション"
Discussion of "イノベーション" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and the hyperreal, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Nepal's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around イノベーション are particularly at stake.
4. Application to "持続可能性"
Discussion of "持続可能性" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and the hyperreal, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Nepal's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 持続可能性 are particularly at stake.
5. Application to "アクセスと包摂"
Discussion of "アクセスと包摂" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and the hyperreal, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Nepal's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around アクセスと包摂 are particularly at stake.
Implications for Executives and Practitioners
The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Jean Baudrillard perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Nepal.
First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Simulacra and the hyperreal. Second, in dialogue with regulators and civil society, it suggests dimensions of consensus formation that purely technical arguments cannot reach. Third, it indicates that the long-term ground of business legitimacy lies not so much in technical advantage or market share as in participation in such philosophical-normative debates.
Academic Positioning and Future Research
The argument of this essay attempts to graft a philosophical perspective onto the mainstream political-science and legal approaches to internet governance research. Three future research questions follow.
- Verification of the applicability of Jean Baudrillard's framework to other IGF conferences
- Comparative contrast between Postmodern Sociology and other theoretical traditions
- Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of Nepal
In particular, the third point has the potential to liberate IGF research from West-centric debate and open a more multi-layered discursive space.
Primary Sources
- IGF Secretariat. Annual Reports of AprIGF.
- AprIGF 2025 Kathmandu Conference Materials.
- Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Secondary Sources (Philosophy)
- Works of Jean Baudrillard (representative texts of Postmodern Sociology)
*This piece belongs to the academic essays (philosophy series). The author's views do not necessarily represent those of any institutional affiliation. Feedback and critique are welcome.*
更新履歴
第1稿投稿 2026年10月7日 14時14分（記事コンテンツアップ）
— 中澤祐樹
