Digitization

Digitization is present all around us. It is, in all forms, essentially innovation with emphasis on technology. The constantly updated smart phones in our hands and the ever-expanding resources the internet provides at our fingertips are obvious forms of digitization. There are, however, countless examples of digitization that are much more subtle, yet just as valuable. The pacemaker in the chest of a neighbor, the autopilot feature in the airplane flying above, and the smoke detector signal in every home are forms of digitization that are not always associated with the concept, but have an extensive impact on our daily lives and safety

Digitization brought with it a major shift in the means we use to communicate. Written communication underwent a transition from physical copies of text to digital versions. The digital means provide many benefits to their non digital counterparts. For example, they can be instantly transmitted via the Internet and they can facilitate many people communicating simultaneously. Additionally, digitization allows communication through means that were not easily utilized prior to digitization such as photos and video. In 2014, 37% of all our daily communication happened through digital devices. Progress is constantly being made in terms of electronic communication and as a result, it is becoming more prevalent in our lives. The effects of this change can be seen in many aspects of our lives and will be a defining characteristic of our generation.

Digitization has transformed social interactions, facilitated entirely new industries while  undermining others, and reshaped the ability of people –consumers, job seekers, managers, government officials, and citizens – to access and leverage information.  Digitization has initiated significant shifts in the market structure and significant revisions in long standing competitive behavior in newspapers, movies, and other media markets.  The costs of distributing, accessing, and sharing digital information are much lower than the costs of creating it. According to latest data from the Census Bureau, adding across various household and business markets, the Internet access market alone accounts for $45 billion in revenue. Two decades ago this market did not register more than several hundred million dollars in revenue at households (from bulletin board services). There has also been a tremendous change in the investment of business. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA, 2009), investment by US businesses in information and communication technology in 2009 was $522 billion (down from prior years)  There are also economic consequences of digitization,  such as the redesign of copyright.

The impact of digitization has clearly made its presence known in the education sector as well. Digitization in education has emerged as the future of learning due to the fact that digitization allows education to transcend the boundaries of the physical classroom, and is only limited in areas where there is an absence of technology. The learners of the future are currently growing up with technology as a part of their lives and it only makes sense to incorporate what they are familiar with into the learning environment as well. Not only is that true, but the convenience that comes with digitizing education is another driving force in why education will soon be fully digitized. A digitized form of a textbook is not only cheaper to buy and replace, but is easier to carry around and is accessible at virtually any moment. Digitization has already positively impacted other sectors of life, and it is only a matter of time before education is affected similarly as well.