Distributed Ledger Technology: Its Evolutionary Path and the Road Ahead

Various arguments for and against distributed ledger technology (DLT) appear in the media. By analyzing DLT-related online English news articles from 2010 to 2018, first, we use organizing visions to investigate DLT’s history of evolving and expanding. Second, following the Gartner hype cycle stages, we observe how DLT may offer ripe opportunities for future inquiry. We found DLT’s diffusion was characterized by competing arguments. While DLT was initially viewed as somewhat questionable, communities collectively have (re)interpreted it favorably. DLT provides researchers with opportunities warranting further development in the information systems field.