Digital economy: stages of development and the impact of network technologies

The article examines the theoretical foundations of the formation and development of the digital economy. It reveals the evolution of the concept of the “digital economy”, analyzes the main scientific approaches to its definition, and explores its relationship with such categories as the information economy, knowledge economy, Internet economy, network economy, and the new economy. Special attention is paid to the historical stages of the digital economy development, beginning with the automation of business processes and the development of computing systems, and continuing to modern digitalization processes associated with the development of the Internet, digital platforms, blockchain technologies, and digital currencies. The article also examines the history of the emergence and spread of the Internet and its role in the formation of the global information infrastructure and the transformation of modern economic activity. The dynamics of the growth of Internet users and the main directions of Internet resource usage in the global economy are analyzed. It is concluded that digital technologies and information and communication systems are becoming key factors of economic development, forming new models of interaction between the state, business, and society.