In Focus: Digitalisation—The Effects on the Society

The first issue of the third volume of the magazine is focusing on one of the key questions of the 21st century; that is, the effects of digitalisation on society. Technological development has never been quicker and more complex in the history of mankind than in the past few decades. In the next years to come, technology will develop so fast, and not the least reach such a global coverage, that it will compel us to rethink the opportunities available in many areas of life. The fourth industrial revolution (according to some the third IT revolution) can have many advantages, but it is also imperative for us to be aware of its effects and consequences. The real question is then: what will happen to us, humans? How will we handle the effects the technological boom has on our jobs, health, leisure time, social relations, and social processes? We have smart devices, but how smartly can we use them?

To be able to answer these questions, we invited economic actors and experts to share their insights on the topics at hand. I would hereby like to say thank you to all authors for their contributions. The current issue is released on the occasion of the third instalment of think.BDPST, an international event and Hungary’s largest conference on innovation.