Digital Transformation, Happiness, and Well-Being

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This article explores our understanding of digital transformation and its implications with a focus on a case study of rural Bhutanese striving to achieve well-being and happiness through a network of community centers (CCs). The establishment of CCs has enabled the rural communities to participate in national development by providing essential services (government-to-community [G2C] services), and the government has also been able to curb rural–urban migration. In particular, the establishment of CCs or globally known as information centers enhances Gross National Happiness (GNH) by providing citizens with better choices about their lives. Through CCs, an array of services was taken to the doorsteps of rural communities. We conclude by exploring the implication of CCs for peacebuilding and conflict transformation, especially integrating urban and rural communities throughout the global civil society while simultaneously empowering local cultures. In countries like Bangladesh, Ghana, and India, the transformative changes of digital transformation have increasingly led to the long-term well-being of their citizens. The story is no different in several other developing countries. Worldwide, nations, economies, and societies that can realize the immense opportunities associated with ICT (information and communication technology)-enabled change and minimize the associated risks not only have their national competitiveness and economic well-being of citizens enhanced but are also able to make way for a sustainable change. Other countries such as Africa, Thailand, and Columbia have experienced the potential of digital transformation in alleviating poverty, encouraging economic and social growth and the narrow digital divide. For instance, in Bangladesh, the inexorable trend toward globalization even touched the lives of remote villagers, leading to new business opportunities in the ICT sector. We recognize the immense potential of media and communication technologies as an important element of stabilization, reconstruction, and peacebuilding challenges. New avenues of participation, engagement, and accountability are emerging with the advent of new technologies that provide people with the opportunity to actively participate in processes that impact them in one way or the other. It is also an opportunity for them to use these new technologies to engage in peacebuilding processes. Not only these new technologies provide people with the opportunity to bridge the gap between warning and response, but they also empower people to participate in localized conflict management efforts by offering tools that foster collaboration, transform attitudes, and give a stronger voice to the communities they live in. Some examples that we have provided in this article demonstrate the positive implications of digital media and technologies in reducing violence, facilitating peacebuilding process, and uplifting rural communities, resulting in their enhancement of well-being and happiness.