Does going digital in the new normal keep us connected or is it leaving others behind a blank screen?
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As every aspect of our lives has gone online, thevnature of work, education, and even access tovour everyday needs changed overnight when the pandemic hit. Delivery apps and Zoom classesvhave made the sudden arrival of the new normal easier. But while some of us sit at home safely sheltered behindvour screens, many more offline people are sacrificing meals tovbuy “data” to attend classes and struggling to find work that willvallow them to purchase laptops or tablets that are now deemedvessential. The pandemic has pushed us into a digital revolution,vbut it has also exposed the pre-existing divide in society withvmost left behind on the other side.
The “digital divide” is a collective term that refers to thevgap that exists between individuals who have access to modernvinformation and communication technology and those whovlack access due to socioeconomic barriers. According to the Philippines Digital Economy Report 2020 of the World Bank,vmore than half of the total households in the country lack internet access, and our fixed and mobile internet penetration are relatively low compared to our Southeast Asian neighbors. The solution to this requires more than simply creating more Wi-Fi spots. The divide knows no borders and impacts people everywhere as long as equal opportunity to proper tech resources and conducive spaces at home are also not provided.
During the start of last year’s academic calendar, I had to sit down with my little brother and explain to him the concept of online school, letting him choose between modular learning wherein printed modules will be delivered to the house or online classes where everything is held in a virtual learning space. It was a long talk, and I could sense the fear and confusion he felt with the transition. As he attended his first few classes, I saw his frustration grow, from figuring out how to actively participate in class to fostering a meaningful relationship with his classmates. I couldn’t help but feel angry for him for being robbed of the joys of attending school.
A few months after, the petition #AcademicFreezeNow dominate social media after students and teachers expressed their struggles amid the implementation of the new “blended” learning system. These stories included teachers and students in provinces going to the extent of climbing up hills to get a decent signal. Friends of mine studying in the medical field are sharing memes on social media about graduating unprepared, partly as a way to cope with the very real anxiety they are feeling about handling a patient when all of their experiences are based on a D.I.Y anatomy class with things found at home. “School is just a matter of compliance and not about learning,” a viral online statement. Some raised that suspension of classes can also leave teachers unemployed and delay education, but the counter solution of #LigtasNaBalikEskwela isn’t also viable with cases still rising. In the working world being digitally literate isn’t considered a skill anymore but rather a requirement that spells the difference between getting hired or being passed over.
Because of this shift, we are witnessing that tech has become a privilege when it should be a right. And these are just a few of the exacerbated existing inequalities that the digital divide is causing in the new normal. While we all might feel that we have successfully stayed connected through the pandemic, there is a whole other side that has no access to this new reality. Connectivity is a spectrum and if we aren’t able to bridge the widening digital divide, who else will fall between the cracks?