The advent of the new information infrastructure brought about a paradigm shift in the way societies create, manage and distribute information in the digital era. The new paradigm is unlike the traditional infrastructures like libraries and broadcasting systems; it incorporates emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), and broadband connectivity to support the global information economy. The paper examines the technological foundation and emerging aspects of the new information infrastructure, highlighting their contributions to efficiency, automation and real-time decision-making. It also addresses critical ethical and security concerns, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, misinformation, cyber threats, and the digital divide experienced in developing countries. Furthermore, the paper highlights the political and policy implication of digital transformation, especially as it applies to governance, and sustainability. In suggesting measures like powerful governance systems, interoperability standards, capacity building and collaboration between the government and the private sector, the paper highlights the imperative to have ethical and inclusive methods of managing these infrastructures. The paper concludes that the new information infrastructure can only be successful when balance is achieved between innovation, equity, security and sustainability to make digital transformation to an informed, connected, and participatory information society.
Enamudu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.