THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION: WHAT DIRECTIONS SHOULD WE STEER THIS VEHICLE

Abstract

Digital transformation has become the word of the millennia with unimaginable technologies becoming a part of everyday life such as smartphones, smart-cars, smart-houses and mass consumption of online social media content. With this reimagining of the world, several scholars have deliberated on the reimagining of our political systems. We currently live in a nation-state framework where our basket of rights is predominantly determined by the territory we are born into. However, the internet herald’s ideas of free choice and self-ownership and forces many to reimagine this imposition of citizenship. Keeping these ideals in mind, we cannot ignore the problems within the current nation-state framework such as inequality and illiteracy within and among nations which have the potential of further deepening due to technological advances. Digital divide and lack of uniform access to the internet or technology is a very big concern gripping nations across the globe. Therefore, looking for a complete shift to voluntary virtual nations is a dream only the developed country’s rich can afford to have. This article seeks to highlight the current issues in the nation-state and what the ideal next steps can be for technological progress of a territory/nation. The article will use the example of Estonia’s e-government developments to highlight realistic next steps of technology-driven innovation.