digitization

American  

[dij-it-ahyz-ay-shuhn] / ˌdɪdʒ ɪtˌaɪzˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the conversion or adaptation of something, such as data, an analog display, an activity, or a process, to a digital form or environment.

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Explanation

The process of converting pictures, sound, or information into a form that a computer can easily read is digitization. Before the digitization of music, people listened to their favorite songs using record players. In order to interpret information, a computer needs that information to take a particular form — specifically, binary code, which represents data using only the digits 1 and 0. Converting analog information (like a photograph or words on the pages of a book) into this digital form is digitization. This process is necessary in order for you to read your favorite book on an e-reader or to watch your parents' old home movies on a laptop.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

digitization

Just a couple of days before that now-infamous blog post, the firm inadvertently provided a different, no-less-perfect example of the perils of mass digitization.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

After all, digitization means that tech is now enmeshed with the rule of law, trade, and economics.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

Last month, Nolan told “60 Minutes” that in this age of digitization and AI, shooting his films with a 70mm Imax camera is “a human process, an analog process.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

Also, digitization and online competition have shortened the lag time between cost increases and price increases, and that means companies are making price decisions more quickly than in the past, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026

As I detail in the next chapter, we are entering a phase where we are going to see the digitization, virtualization, and automation of more and more everything.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman