Clustering phenomenon in the digital technology age

Industrial clusters are geographical agglomerations that provide advantages to the region and enterprises in terms of innovation and competitive advantage. However, today's technological change created by digitalization provides enterprises with geographically independent cooperation opportunities and causes existing industrial cluster structures to lose their advantages. While all elements related to firms are transforming into a digital character, the fact that clusters, which are the superstructures formed by firms together (even if the interaction and communication between them is digital), do not transform into digital or virtual structures (organizations) will create a dysfunctional situation in which the functions expected from clusters cannot be fulfilled. As a matter of fact, it is necessary to seek answers to questions such as how clusters can be made functional in this situation, and which paths should be followed in order to become a "digital cluster". However, the phenomenon of "digital clustering" is not yet a stereotypical concept in national and international literature. In this study, it is aimed to define and understand the clustering phenomenon in the digital age in a broader context, to enrich the academic discussion on the subject and to provide practical information to stakeholders who realize digital industrial transformation. In this context, studies on digital clustering were analyzed by following the steps of grounded theory building with the help of text mining and machine learning techniques. In line with the findings obtained at the end of the research, the contribution of today's digital technologies to the formation of digital clusters, the characteristics that digital clusters should have, their differences from traditional clusters, and their advantages and disadvantages were tried to be explained.