In contemporary modern world, sustainability is a major concern for human being. Both history and literature indicate that human being has been doing activities those challenge its own existence survival, and sustainability. Challenges such as climate change, global warming, resource scarcity, increasing inequity, social cleavages, decreasing biodiversity and an ever increasing resource-rich lifestyle (Lorek & Fuchs, 2011) have been challenging the human civilization’s sustainability. Sustainability can be explained as how natural systems function, and produce everything that meet the needs of the current generation users without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, while keeping the system remain in balance. Sustainability takes into account how we need to live in synchronization with the natural world around us. In the contemporary world, humanity uses about 40% more resources than nature can regenerate in a year (Global Footprint Network, 2010). At some day, the human civilization might be without its essential resources to survive and continue. These resources need to be optimally used and regenerated at the same rate as the rate of consumption or exhaustion. Not only the use of resources, but also every activity, practice, technology, and infrastructure has to be sustainable. Sustainability relates to equity. We can not have one without the other. Equity is about fairness among all. Inter generational equity i.e. a reasonable balance between satisfying our needs now and keeping and saving enough to provide for needs of the future generations is critical for sustainability. Furthermore, for sustainability, equity across forms of life such as humans and non-humans is as essential as equity across generations of human life.

In the goal to sustainability and equity, a digital society will play a significant role.  A digital society refers to the adoption and integration of information and communication technologies at home, work, education, business, entertainment, governance, health care and other spheres of life. Digitalisation of the society has ample of opportunities to contribute to the cause of sustainability and equity. The digitalization has considerable potential to promote freedom, fairness, diversity, inclusivity, sensitivity, responsibility and transparency. All these are strong pillars for sustainability. A digital society has the ability to make the activities, processes, technologies and infrastructures more effective, and to save and regenerate resources. While a digital economy can redefine business, consumerism, and consumption, an e-governance and e-justice can be be beneficial in fair distribution of wealth decreasing social cleavages, increasing transparency, reducing poverty and increasing system efficiency. Digital technologies can help in wide range of activities from reducing pollution, and energy consumption, to generating new sources of energy, bettering health care facilities, predicting and managing natural calamities. Well integrated technology will help in creating smart societies and cities with optimized activities and processes. This can be in terms of better infrastructure, health care, economy, governance, and a reduction in wastage, consumption of energy, pollution, use of physical assets etc. all together resulting in a higher quality of life and equity and sustainability of the system, society and the civilization at large.

However,a digital society will throw several challenges. Huge amount of information that will be stored in digital space can be used for vested interest, manipulation of opinion, and will have a risk of abuse and theft. Loss of privacy will be another major challenge of digitalization. Risk of failure of the system will always remain, as it will largely be dependant on digital space, network and technology with little use of physical assets. It is also important to understand how the magnitude, and speed of these changes impact individuals, the society, and its sustainability. Furthermore, individuals need to be developed as digital citizens who can use the digital technology responsibly. Without digital citizens and digital citizenship behaviour, a digital society is far from to be achieved and without a digital society, sustainability and equity will remain a dream.