Author ORCID Identifier
Johanna Lindberg: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6884-8230
Mari Runardotter: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0697-4570
Anna Ståhlbröst: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9468-6821
Abstract
The digital transformation of rural societies is in full swing. However, rural digital transformation is polarised into a slower one that transforms society, focused on improving rural residents' quality of life, and a faster industrial one. This participatory action research study is carried out in the four-year DigiBy project, based on the rural living labs approach, which operates in fifteen villages and three bookmobiles in rural Norrbotten County, northern Sweden. The project aims to adopt and adapt digital solutions to enhance rural retail services. Rural digital ecosystems like DigiBy aim to accelerate digital transformation so as to reduce the service gap and improve village living conditions. The key to such a transformation is an inclusive implementation of digital services, which seeks the active collaboration of various stakeholders, such as village associations, companies willing to adapt to rural situations, universities, municipalities, and residents. This article explores how low-tech digitalisation solutions in micro-organisations improve living conditions in rural societies by reducing the service gap between municipal centres and the surrounding villages. Our study is guided by social acceleration theory, providing a critical lens for understanding rural digital transformation.
DOI
10.17705/1CAIS.05616
Recommended Citation
Lindberg, J., Runardotter, M., & Ståhlbröst, A. (2025). Evolving Rural Life through Digital Transformation in Micro-Organisations. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 56, 379-398. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.05616
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