The Impact of Digital Transformation on Society

Digital transformation has moved beyond industrial efficiency to become a holistic integration of technology that fundamentally impacts the fabric of society. This editorial introduces a Topical Collection of 15 papers that explore this shift through a Unified Model of Digital Penetration, which posits that society is undergoing a “transfiguration”, a fundamental change in lifestyle and human existence. The model provides a theoretical framework connecting Enabling Infrastructure and Governance with industrial Value Creation and societal Value Consumption. Synthesis of the research across this collection, validates the Unified Model and also identifies critical gaps, including a lack of technical “connective tissue” for global interoperability and the neglected sociological impact on “analog citizens” who remain outside the digital ecosystem. Ultimately, this editorial argues that because society is being radically reconfigured, humanity must intentionally design this transfiguration to align infrastructure and governance with human values, rather than blindly inheriting the permanent consequences of unplanned disruption.