Digital literacy and knowledge societies: A grounded theory investigation of sustainable development

Abstract

With a structurally entrenched digital divide on the one hand, and increasing ubiquity of the Internet in a techno-centric world on the other, the imperative to exploit information and knowledge for development remains a significant driver for equitable growth. It is posited that the silver-bullet for reducing this gap lies in increasing digital literacies within a society in order integrate segments who may be marginalized into the inclusive mainstream. In enabling greater and wider participation of digital citizens in their countries' socio-economic activities, the opportunities of a sustainable economy arise. This article is a study of ICT policies, applications and the resulting transformations in five mature economies committed to the vision of knowledge-based development with high levels of digital participation among their citizens. Specifically, using a multi-dimensional scorecard derived from prior work, we conduct a grounded theory investigation of how the five societies have applied digital literacies in knowledge-intensive public services such as education, healthcare and e-government, to derive best practices as well as lessons learned.