Towards a Digital (Societal) Infrastructure?

Abstract

In what ways might informational techniques and information technology alter the infrastructure of society? The approach employed in this paper involves a number of fundamental, almost historically determined, conditions for the emergence of an increasingly societal infrastructure. This discussion is then related to analyses of the significance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in terms of ubiquities, agglomerations and clusters. Are there grounds for assuming that these trends are having an impact on the systems of towns and cities of differing sizes and at varying distances? In conclusion, the discussion turns to the issue of whether developments in informational techniques over the past 20 years are leading towards what has been referred to as a digital division of labour and, by extension, also towards a ‘digital (societal) infrastructure’.

Recontextualising remote working and its HRM in the digital economy: An integrated framework for theory and practice

“…Digital platforms are simultaneously deterritorialising (or 'unfixing') labour practices and re-entrenching spatially uneven patterns of the precarious positioning of workers in value chains that reflect global coreperipheries (Graham et al, 2014). In their review of existing literature on digital geographies, Ash et al (2018) reveal that the focus of much geographical enquiry has been on inequalities in access to digital technologies, with a smaller number of analyses of the reconfiguration of labour in the gig economy (Graham et al, 2017a;2017b), the rise of digital labour ( € Ohman, 2010) and the uneven global geographies of micro-work (Lehdonvirta, 2016).…”

Exploring the Symbiotic Relationship between Digital Transformation, Infrastructure, Service Delivery, and Governance for Smart Sustainable Cities

“…[92,93]. The adoption of digital tools and platforms enhances transparency, efficiency, and decision-making, creating In parallel, the material and societal facets of infrastructure, as emphasized by Öhman (2010) [109] and Ablyazov (2021) [110], play a crucial role in shaping spatial development and socioeconomic factors. The integration of digital technologies into physical and virtual infrastructure, for example, by the use of IoTs and smart technologies, enhances efficiency, resilience, and adaptability [115,117].…”

“…Öhman (2010) [109] and Ablyazov (2021) [110] underscore the societal and material facets of infrastructure, highlighting its role in shaping spatial localizations and influ-encing various socioeconomic factors, which was also supported by several other scholars [111][112][113][114]. Digital technology has broken the physical barrier and become a pervasive presence across space and time.…”

“…The integration of digital technologies including AI transforms both physical and virtual infrastructure, enhancing efficiency, resilience, and adaptability, aligning with the demands of modern society and the dynamic forces embedded in economic structures. This transformative evolution shapes the interconnected and intelligent world in which the systems are built, operated, and interact with infrastructure [109][110][111].…”