What is Digital about Digital Innovation? An Ontological Discussion of Digitality

Abstract

“Digital” is a popular adjective for concepts related to electronic, computerized or networked processes in current research and practice. From an ontological-theoretical perspective, the prevalence of digital things triggers the question, how Digitality itself could be conceptualized. This article studies the ontology of Digitality and consequently discusses Digital Innovation (DI) from a new perspective. First, literature on Digitality is analyzed. Based on the findings, an ontological conceptual framework of Digitality (OCFD) is proposed. It describes four layers of Digitality: physical foundations, virtuality, digital culture and world, and digital metaphysics. From a human perspective, requirements to grasp and embody Digitality are highlighted, as well as the expansion of reality. Finally, Digitality is discussed as a paradigm of DI and exemplary digital phenomena are projected onto the OCFD. This paper contributes to DI research and practice through theory-building towards a better understanding of ontological characteristics and practical implications of Digitality in DI