The 21st century has been a tale of rapid technological advancement with computers getting exponentially powerful and newer and better technology and gadgets being invented daily. While we have seen rapid technological advancement in the first 2 decades of the century, the digital transformation of businesses, individual lives has been gradual.
The widening gap between the government and the citizens needs to be addressed through technology. The key aspect to citizen engagement is to create multiple channels that convey ease of use. The options are endless for the digital inclusion program and hence could not be ignored at all costs.
Most free software programs with web security, which force the administrators to work hard on developing them, depend on the technical help and knowledge of the user community. This is especially important when, for instance, the applications in question use personal data for digital transformation.
The waste management industry operates at very nimble margins and is constantly subjected to intense pressure to reduce its expenditures. To add on top of it, the digital transformation required in the industry is capital intensive and faces modernization challenges.
Digital technology has already produced innovations to combat hate speech, disinformation, and fake news stories. The biggest web platforms for disinformation campaigns are social media platforms that enable and allow people to post and share their beliefs and ideas.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, self-diagnosing, as well as telemedicine and e-medicine platforms, saw a sharp rise in popularity. People called up doctors on telemedicine platforms where they were diagnosed and prescribed treatment online and these medicines could then be ordered on apps specifically designed for ordering medicines online.
Countries like the Republic of Korea, United Kingdom have speeded up the adoption of digital technology, which has, in turn, fuelled their economic growth. The government of the United Kingdom was able to save £42 million in the initial year of the launch of its gov.uk website.
U.S health care spending is expected to cross the $5.7 trillion mark by 2026. Furthermore, thanks to technology, treatment through 5G mobile technology, virtual reality, telehealth, and wearable medical devices make it possible for organizations to treat better and observe results in real-time.
Developing nations like India are on their way to realizing smart cities. With newer technology enablers like 5G and IoT (Internet of Things) on their way to realization, the dream for a ‘government as a platform” is not far from reality.
Digital technology has been a two-edged sword in not only socioeconomic growth but also effective implementation of public policies and government’s objectives. Being the decade of fourth industrial revolution technologies such as 5G network and Artificial Intelligence, this article delineates policy-oriented strategies digital technology could be implemented in governance to achieve both national development goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
