Toward a better digital future: Balancing the utopic and dystopic ramifications of digitalization

Abstract

This paper discusses two opposing narratives of digitalization. Both these narratives are found in existing literature, and the paper understands them as the utopic and dystopic narratives of digitalization. The former expresses unbridled enthusiasm about the bright side of digitalization, while the latter is predominantly pessimistic, and primarily focuses on the undesirable aspects of digitalization. Observing that scholars tend to subscribe to either one or the other narrative, this paper proposes a more middle ground where these competing narratives can be balanced to usher in a better digital future.