Blog #2: Digital Inequities
The Q&A discussion that followed the presentation given by Kristen Thompson started a conversation about digital divides among students. The majority of the families in Mb who live in rural communities or in northern communities often struggle to access adequate internet connections or on occasion any connection at all. This is not a new issue but due to the current pandemic caused by Covid-19 this issue has become much more visible.
In 2016 The United Nations declared access to the internet a basic human right. For comparison other basic human rights include a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of the person or family. This right specifically references food, clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services. Access to the internet is comparable to access to these things. Karl Bode quotes the United Nations in his article The case for internet access as a human right saying that internet is integral for humans to
"exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression." “The Internet is one of the most powerful instruments of the 21st century for increasing transparency in the conduct of the powerful, access to information, and for facilitating active citizen participation in building democratic societies,”
Canada is a first world country, according to the website Investopedia Canada has the 10th strongest economy in the world, yet so many of our citizens do not have access to basic human rights. It is worth noting that many Canadians do not have access to many other basic human rights as well, internet is not the only issue that our citizens face. The digital divide however has become a main topic of discussion because it has become increasingly more visible with the worlds shift to a more digital based society. With the majority of the country working or studying remotely the digital divide has presented many issues for individual families and companies as a whole.
The digital divide has caused issues not only in peoples professional and academic lives, but also in their personal lives. Before Covid-19 shut down the world people were able to gather for events like funerals and weddings but now we rely on an internet connection and a zoom call. I personally have had to attend a funeral over zoom and due to the hosts internet connection being unstable no one was able to actually watch the service. Instead I sat in my house and stared at a black screen with a name written on it listening to the service as best as I could. This was one instance in my life, however for many of our students we are asking them to do this five days a week.
As an adult with a strong internet connection and a new computer that is fast and reliable I still occasionally struggle with finding an online classroom as interesting and stimulating as an in person environment. I am a person who has worked hard to be where I am and is working towards the goal of obtaining a degree that I have chosen to pursue, in short I am self motivated. Many of our students however are working through classes and programs that they have been told they need to take in an online environment that is inherently less stimulating than the classroom, while facing unstable and reduced video and audio quality.
It is not just the students who are feeling the strain of the online environment. Many parents want the best for their children and the need for internet many be causing many families to up their internet plans and buy new devices and computers for their children to do their school work on. Due to the increased amount of unemployment also caused by the pandemic many families may be doing this knowing that cause more financial strain than what they are already dealing with. I know that a lot of schools have recognized this and have taken steps to try to limit this inequality but there is only so much that they can do. schools may not have enough devices to send home with every family and they likely have very little control over each families individual internet connection.
Many people have talked about this technology shift in society as a permanent change. They talk about the benefits of it and claim that this is the new way to live. These people however are typically the ones who have strong, stable internet connections and do not have to pay for expensive internet plans where they never get the speeds they are promised. These are not the people who sit in the Tim Hortons parking lot with their kids to access the free WIFI so they can attend class. It is true that there are benefits to an online system however I personal feel that the online environment is causing more challenges than benefits to our student population.
Sources referenced in this blog post; for the readers who want to read more.
article: the case for Internet access as a human right,
UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
Investopedia,
Hey Katrina, thanks for an interesting post! The map that you included is particularly striking. It really highlights how the digital divide in Canada is in many respects a south/north, urban/rural divide. But - as you hinted at - it's also a class divide. Your comment about parents driving their kids to the Tim Horton's parking lot so that they can access WiFi to attend class really highlighted that point for me. If online learning continues into the post-COVID era, much more will have to be done to address these inequalities!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review Katrina. I think you are right when you address the fact that, for those without connectivity, embracing this "new way of life is not nearly as exciting or accessible. I believe there are many steps our local and federal governments need to take in order to increase access for all.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your insightful post and the link you attached. The idea that says“United Nations declared access to the internet as basic human right” caught my thought and made me ask really? Of course, everybody has the right to access the internet if there is necessary infrastructure and ICT are available. I also read the statement says the Internet has become ‘a key means’ by which individuals can exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression
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