Rapid review maps how digital technologies reshape meaning and knowledge

A rapid review of 18 peer-reviewed studies suggests that digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, the Internet of Things and the Internet of Everything, are reshaping how people construct identity, exercise autonomy and search for meaning in their lives. The review, published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, examined how these technological transformations affect meaning-making and knowledge management in the digital era.

The researchers applied a rapid review methodology to studies indexed in Scopus and published between 2010 and 2024, analysing their relevance to existentialism, meaning-making and human existence in the context of digital technologies. Thematic analysis of the 18 studies identified five key themes: AI and existential concerns, technology and human experience, embodied cognition and technology, digital literacy and knowledge management, and technology and meaningful interaction.

According to the findings, digital technologies substantially reshape identity, autonomy and individuals’ search for meaning. Digital literacy emerged as a central capability for navigating these changes and supporting effective knowledge management. The authors argue that strengthening digital literacy is essential to foster more meaningful interactions with technology and to mitigate potential negative existential and cognitive effects, with implications for both research and practice.

The review’s authors, led by Leili Babashahi and colleagues including Jano Moreira de Souza, note that the rapid advancement of AI and related technologies has raised existential questions and challenged traditional sources of meaning. The study frames its central problem as how technological transformations affect individuals’ processes of meaning-making and the management of knowledge, focusing on the relationship between digital technologies, digital literacy and knowledge management and their implications for existential inquiry and meaningful engagement with technology.

The authors also report limitations that may affect the generalizability of the results, including potential selection biases in the reviewed studies, reliance on self-reported data, and cultural and socioeconomic constraints. The article is published open access as a review, with the shared version subject to further edits before the final Version of Record.

Subject of Research: How digital technologies affect meaning-making, existential inquiry and knowledge management

Article Title: Knowledge and meaning in a technology-driven world: a rapid review

Article References: Babashahi, L., Barbosa, C. E., Nóbrega, L., Martinez, L. F., Argôlo, M., & de Souza, J. M. (2026). Knowledge and meaning in a technology-driven world: a rapid review. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-09296-0

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-026-09296-0

Keywords: digital technologies, artificial intelligence, meaning-making, digital literacy, knowledge management, existential inquiry, rapid review, embodied cognition, identity, autonomy, virtual reality, Internet of Things