Digital inequalities 2.0: Legacy inequalities in the information age

Abstract

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the “digital divide.” Although a quarter century has passed, legacy digital inequalities continue, and emergent digital inequalities are proliferating. Many of the initial schisms identified in 1995 are still relevant today. Twenty-five years later, foundational access inequalities continue to separate the digital haves and the digital have-nots within and across countries. In addition, even ubiquitous-access populations are riven with skill inequalities and differentiated usage. Indeed, legacy digital inequalities persist vis-à-vis economic class, gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, aging, disability, healthcare, education, rural residency, networks, and global geographies. At the same time, emergent forms of inequality now appear alongside legacy inequalities such that notions of digital inequalities must be continually expanded to become more nuanced. We capture the increasingly complex and interrelated nature of digital inequalities by introducing the concept of the “digital inequality stack.” The concept of the digital inequality stack encompasses access to connectivity networks, devices, and software, as well as collective access to network infrastructure. Other layers of the digital inequality stack include differentiated use and consumption, literacies and skills, production and programming, etc. When inequality exists at foundational layers of the digital inequality stack, this often translates into inequalities at higher levels. As we show across these many thematic foci, layers in the digital inequality stack may move in tandem with one another such that all layers of the digital inequality stack reinforce disadvantage.

The COVID Connection: Pandemic Anxiety, COVID-19 Comprehension, and Digital Confidence

“…Studies are just beginning to put existing work on digital inequalities into dialogue with research on the pandemic, not only in terms of COVID-19’s primary effects on exposure risk and health ( Robinson et al, 2020d ), but also in terms of its secondary impacts on individuals’ distress. An early exploratory study put forward the idea that digital inequalities may influence the individual-level impacts of the fallout from the COVID-19 crisis in terms of outcomes such as social isolation and anxiety ( Robinson et al, 2020a ). Another study raised the theoretical possibility that digital resources and activities may impact anxiety or mental health, insofar as individuals may react to the pandemic with high levels of emotional distress, fear, and confusion ( Beaunoyer et al, 2020 ).…”

Digital inequalities in time of pandemic: COVID-19 exposure risk profiles and new forms of vulnerability

“…Using our ideal typical exemplars as case studies, we argue that the ways digital and analog resources are employed into these various life realms influences overall risk of exposure to the potentially deadly COVID-19 virus. As our study underscores, the conjunction of digital inequalities and non-digital inequalities are rendering certain subgroups significantly more vulnerable to exposure to COVID-19 around the world (Robinson, et al, 2020a). As the pandemic continues, digital inequalities will continue to contribute to shaping the risk profiles for each group and thereby indirectly contribute to infection and potentially death rates.…”

“…These digital tools allow individuals to mitigate their exposure risk profiles, as compared with those individuals who are constrained to analog modes of work, consumption, and social communication. For this reason, in order to fully grasp the sources of individuals' CERPs, we need to scrutinize digital inequalities, which can impact many consequential life realms (Robinson, et al, 2020a(Robinson, et al, , 2020b(Robinson, et al, , 2020c. We do so here in terms of a taxonomy of heterogeneous groups including the socially isolated, older adults, the incarcerated, students, teleworkers, gig workers, and last-mile workers.…”

Sink or Swim: Virtual Life Challenges among African American Families during COVID-19 Lockdown

“…This conflict can result in pandemic burnout in which family members become intolerant to each other because of prolonged episodes of sharing space and resources evidenced by the "infighting among children" as they wrestled over access and use of the available electronic gadgets. Even though debates around digital inequities and closing the digital divide are not new [51,52], these inequities were further exacerbated by the rapid changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights how digital access or the lack thereof exacerbated parents' feelings of stress.…”