Closing the digital divide post-pandemic
Perhaps no group faces greater online isolation than older people, write Amanda Turnbull and Kenneth Grad.
As we stand poised at a critical moment in the fight against COVID-19 with a vaccination program underway, we know that the return to normal will take time. As we “reboot” society, our reliance on the use of information communication technologies (ICTS) will continue to be indispensable. The premise behind this is simple: They restore normalcy to our lives during a health crisis.
But ICTS are only available to those who can access them. The pandemic has cast a spotlight on the digital divide — the imbalance between those who have use of ICTS and those who do not. Acknowledging the urgent need to close the gap, the Canadian government recently pledged billions of dollars of additional funding for high-speed internet access through the Universal Broadband Fund and the Canada Infrastructure Bank, adding to a mishmash of funding sources aimed at decreasing the digital divide.
The government has focused on rural communities. When announcing additional investments through the Universal Broadband Fund on Nov. 9, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized that the fund will be targeted almost entirely toward rural and remote areas. This is laudable. While 85.7 per cent of Canadians have access to internet connectivity of at least 50/10 Mbps, this is true of only 40.8 per cent of rural communities.
However, the digital divide is not only territorial; it is also demographic. Indigenous peoples, racialized communities and individuals with lower incomes face significant barriers associated with a lack of reliable internet. And perhaps no group faces greater digital isolation than older persons.
Age has been identified as a central factor associated with the digital divide. Canadian statistics show that the overall rate of older adults who access the internet grew from 32.2 per cent in 2007 to 68.2 per cent in 2016. But this contrasts with internet use of those aged 15 to 64 at 97.2 per cent in 2016.
As a general matter, COVID-19 has revealed the neglectful way we treat older persons. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the staggering numbers of deaths of older persons living in long-term care facilities. Older persons have also faced increased stigma and discrimination. COVID-19 has even given rise to age-related hate speech. The spread of coronavirus has led to Tweets and internet memes calling the virus a “boomer remover” or “boomer doomer.”
Moreover, older individuals have faced increased pressure on their mental health. Loneliness and associated mental health impacts of social distancing and isolation have been particularly acute for older persons. The pandemic has thus likely exacerbated already-high rates of depression and anxiety.
Which brings us back to the digital divide. Access to ICTS provides a vital link to society, thereby lessening the social, physical and mental health impacts of the pandemic. By ignoring the digital divide as it pertains to older persons, we risk, yet again, neglecting older individuals by leaving behind the segment of society that arguably needs ICTS the most.
During COVID-19, many older adults could have benefited in myriad ways from increased use of ICTS — for example, having the ability to access services such as telemedicine, online grocery shopping and e-banking during periods of isolation and physical distancing. Greater ICT access might even have mitigated age-related hate speech by providing older adults with an amplified voice.
ICT use will continue to play a vital role in health, education and socio-economic outcomes as we emerge from COVID-19 into a post-pandemic world. Increased access to ICTS will improve health outcomes among older persons and save lives. As we work to close the digital divide, it is imperative that we mind the age gap.
Kenneth Grad is a lawyer and PHD student at Osgoode Hall Law School studying the criminalization of hate speech. Amanda Turnbull is PHD law candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School and former assistant dean in the faculty of law at the University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on the legal and philosophical challenges posed by creative Artificial Intelligence technologies.