COVID-19 and digital inequalities: Reciprocal impacts and mitigation strategies
COVID-19 and digital inequalities: Reciprocal impacts and mitigation strategies
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DOI：
10.1016/j.chb.2020.106424
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发表时间：
2020-10-01
影响因子：
9.9
通讯作者：
Guitton, Matthieu J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Beaunoyer, Elisabeth;Dupere, Sophie;Guitton, Matthieu J.
随着超过30亿人处于孤立状态，数字空间的地位正在从一种舒适性转变为一种必需品，因为它们不仅成为获取信息和服务的主要方式，而且也是经济，教育和休闲活动以及社会互动的唯一载体之一。然而，在访问网络或连接设备方面，或者在最佳浏览计算机化空间所需的技能方面，并非所有人都是平等的。数字不平等已经存在，但COVID-19危机正在急剧加剧。一方面，这场危机将加剧人口内部的数字不平等。另一方面，数字不平等是易受病毒感染和危机造成不卫生后果的主要风险因素。因此，本文旨在探讨COVID-19危机和数字不平等的相互影响，并提出可操作的解决方案，以帮助应对危机的恶劣后果。我们首先描述数字不平等如何成为健康的决定因素。然后，我们研究了COVID-19如何加剧数字不平等，以及数字不平等如何加剧对COVID-19的脆弱性。最后，为了有助于缓解这场危机，我们提出了一套多层次的战略，重点是可操作性，可以在多个结构层面，从政府到企业和社区层面实施。
With more than three billion people in isolation, the status of digital spaces is switching from an amenity to a necessity, as they become not only the main way to access information and services, but also one of the only remaining vectors for economic, educational, and leisure activities as well as for social interactions to take place. However, not all are equals in terms of access to networks or connected devices, or when it comes to the skills required to navigate computerized spaces optimally. Digital inequalities were already existing, yet the COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating them dramatically. On the one hand, the crisis will worsen digital inequalities within the population. On the other hand, digital inequalities represent a major risk factor of vulnerability for exposure to the virus itself, and for the non-sanitary consequences of the crisis. Therefore, this paper aims at exploring the reciprocal impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and digital inequalities, and to propose operative solutions to help fight the nefarious consequences of the crisis. We first describe how digital inequalities are a determinant of health. We then investigate how COVID-19 can potentiate digital inequalities, and how digital inequalities potentiate vulnerability to COVID-19. Finally, in order to contribute to the mitigation of this crisis, we propose a set of multi-layered strategies focusing on actionability that can be implemented at multiple structural levels, ranging from governmental to corporate and community levels.