Navigating the Digital Shift in the Cultural and Creative Industries

Digitalisation has significantly influenced the field of creative industries, reconfiguring production processes, product designs, trade, and consumption patterns globally. The rapid integration of AI and specialised software has automated various aspects such as design thinking, significantly affecting labour-capital and labour-creativity dynamics. While e-commerce platforms have expanded the market reach for immaterial cultural goods by overcoming geographical constraints, they have simultaneously driven the rise of neo-localism and place branding. Existing value chains within the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are continuously being disrupted, with sectors such as advertising witnessing the ascendancy of influencers, and design thriving on collective cross-border collaboration. Nevertheless, challenges such as digital divides, copyright conflicts, and market saturation of similar goods threaten traditional artists' and crafts persons' livelihoods.

This Research Topic aims to examine the transformative impacts of digitalisation on creativity, cultural goods, and market structures. It will explore key questions surrounding changes in labour dynamics, AI's role in creativity, and the implications of design automation. Moreover, it seeks to assess the balance between globalisation and neo-localism, as well as the disruptions within traditional value chains. By investigating the evolving nature of creativity and consumption under digital influences, this Research Topic will contribute to understanding how digitalisation reshapes cultural and creative industries, emphasising opportunities and potential adverse effects on traditional practices.

To gather further insights into the interplay between digitalisation and creative industries, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• AI and automation in design thinking and creativity
• the rise of e-commerce and its impact on cultural goods
• neo-localism and place branding in a digitalised world
• globalisation versus traditional value chains in CCIs
• challenges and opportunities for traditional artists amid digitalisation.

We encourage contributions comprising original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and case studies, providing diverse perspectives within this dynamic and complex domain.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Cultural and Creative Indudstries (CCIs), Digital Platform, Authenticity, Storytelling, Disruption, Trade Geography, Digitalisation, Cultural Heritage, Craftsmanship, Economic Sustainability, Export

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.