Digital Transformation and the Way We (Mis)Interpret Technology

Abstract

For many people, digital transformation offers a great opportunity to keep pace with the requirements of the current age, while for others, it is all hype and needs to be approached with caution. However, be it opportunity or hype, digital transformation impacts every part of our human life, where we especially see and experience it in numerous areas of social domains, including education. Based on these arguments, this paper examines the research that has been conducted on digital transformation from the perspective of education by applying data mining and analytics approaches. Accordingly, in the examination of research papers on digital transformation, five emerging broad themes were identified: (1) strategies and technologies as pillars of digital transformation in social development, (2) digital transformation as a vision that goes beyond mere adaptation of technology, (3) innovative technologies as change agents of digital transformation, (4) the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for digital transformation, and (5) confusion in terminology - digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation. This paper argues that by ignoring the social aspects and not positioning humans at the center of digital transformation and failing to understand the philosophy, vision and mission that lies behind it, we will be at risk of writing failure stories rather than success stories.