Digital inequalities in time of pandemic: COVID-19 exposure risk profiles and new forms of vulnerability
Laura Robinson
(1)
,
Jeremy Schulz
(2)
,
Aneka Khilnani
(3)
,
Hiroshi Ono
(4)
,
Shelia Cotten
(5)
,
Noah Mcclain
(6)
,
Lloyd Levine
(7)
,
Wenhong Chen
(8)
,
Gejun Huang
(8)
,
Antonio A. Casilli
(9, 10, 11, 12)
,
Paola Tubaro
(13, 14, 15, 16)
,
Matías Dodel
(17)
,
Anabel Quan-Haase
(18)
,
Maria Laura Ruiu
(19)
,
Massimo Ragnedda
(19)
,
Deb Aikat
(20)
,
Natalia Tolentino
(21)
1
Santa Clara University
2 UC Berkeley - University of California [Berkeley]
3 Georgetown University Medical Center
4 Hitotsubashi University
5 Michigan State University System
6 UniBs - Università degli Studi di Brescia = University of Brescia
7 UC Riverside - University of California [Riverside]
8 University of Texas at Austin [Austin]
9 SID - Sociologie Information-Communication Design
10 SES - Département Sciences Economiques et Sociales
11 I3 SES - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation de Telecom Paris
12 IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris
13 CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
14 TAU - TAckling the Underspecified
15 LRI - Laboratoire de Recherche en Informatique
16 IDHES - Institutions et Dynamiques Historiques de l'Économie et de la Société
17 UCU - Universidad Católica del Uruguay [Montevideo, Uruguay]
18 UWO - University of Western Ontario
19 University of Northumbria at Newcastle [United Kingdom]
20 UNC - University of North Carolina System
21 CAL POLY - California Polytechnic State University [San Luis Obispo]
2 UC Berkeley - University of California [Berkeley]
3 Georgetown University Medical Center
4 Hitotsubashi University
5 Michigan State University System
6 UniBs - Università degli Studi di Brescia = University of Brescia
7 UC Riverside - University of California [Riverside]
8 University of Texas at Austin [Austin]
9 SID - Sociologie Information-Communication Design
10 SES - Département Sciences Economiques et Sociales
11 I3 SES - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation de Telecom Paris
12 IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris
13 CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
14 TAU - TAckling the Underspecified
15 LRI - Laboratoire de Recherche en Informatique
16 IDHES - Institutions et Dynamiques Historiques de l'Économie et de la Société
17 UCU - Universidad Católica del Uruguay [Montevideo, Uruguay]
18 UWO - University of Western Ontario
19 University of Northumbria at Newcastle [United Kingdom]
20 UNC - University of North Carolina System
21 CAL POLY - California Polytechnic State University [San Luis Obispo]
Antonio A. Casilli
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 2320
- IdHAL : antonio-a-casilli
- ORCID : 0000-0003-2025-1627
- IdRef : 14668382X
Paola Tubaro
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 8184
- IdHAL : paola-tubaro
- ORCID : 0000-0002-1215-9145
- IdRef : 086079840
Résumé
In this article, we argue that new kinds of risk are emerging with the COVID-19 virus, and that these risks are unequally distributed. As we expose to view, digital inequalities and social inequalities are rendering certain subgroups significantly more vulnerable to exposure to COVID-19. Vulnerable populations bearing disproportionate risks include the social isolated, older adults, penal system subjects, digitally disadvantaged students, gig workers, and last-mile workers. Therefore, we map out the intersection between COVID-19 risk factors and digital inequalities on each of these populations in order to examine how the digitally resourced have additional tools to mitigate some of the risks associated with the pandemic. We shed light on how the ongoing pandemic is deepening key axes of social differentiation, which were previously occluded from view. These newly manifested forms of social differentiation can be conceived along several related dimensions. At their most general and abstract, these risks have to do with the capacity individuals have to control the risk of pathogen exposure. In order to fully manage exposure risk, individuals must control their physical environment to the greatest extent possible in order to prevent contact with potentially compromised physical spaces. In addition, they must control their social interactional environment to the greatest extent possible in order to minimize their contacts with potentially infected individuals. All else equal, those individuals who exercise more control over their exposure risk — on the basis of their control over their physical and social interactional environments — stand a better chance of staying healthy than those individuals who cannot manage exposure risk. Individuals therefore vary in terms of what we call their COVID-19 exposure risk profile (CERPs). CERPs hinge on preexisting forms of social differentiation such as socioeconomic status, as individuals with more economic resources at their disposal can better insulate themselves from exposure risk. Alongside socioeconomic status, one of the key forms of social differentiation connected with CERPs is digital (dis)advantage. Ceteris paribus, individuals who can more effectively digitize key parts of their lives enjoy better CERPs than individuals who cannot digitize these life realms. Therefore we believe that digital inequalities are directly and increasingly related to both life-or-death exposure to COVID-19, as well as excess deaths attributable to the larger conditions generated by the pandemic.
Domaines
SociologieFormat du dépôt | Fichier |
---|---|
Type de dépôt | Article dans une revue |
Titre |
en
Digital inequalities in time of pandemic: COVID-19 exposure risk profiles and new forms of vulnerability
|
Résumé |
en
In this article, we argue that new kinds of risk are emerging with the COVID-19 virus, and that these risks are unequally distributed. As we expose to view, digital inequalities and social inequalities are rendering certain subgroups significantly more vulnerable to exposure to COVID-19. Vulnerable populations bearing disproportionate risks include the social isolated, older adults, penal system subjects, digitally disadvantaged students, gig workers, and last-mile workers. Therefore, we map out the intersection between COVID-19 risk factors and digital inequalities on each of these populations in order to examine how the digitally resourced have additional tools to mitigate some of the risks associated with the pandemic. We shed light on how the ongoing pandemic is deepening key axes of social differentiation, which were previously occluded from view. These newly manifested forms of social differentiation can be conceived along several related dimensions. At their most general and abstract, these risks have to do with the capacity individuals have to control the risk of pathogen exposure. In order to fully manage exposure risk, individuals must control their physical environment to the greatest extent possible in order to prevent contact with potentially compromised physical spaces. In addition, they must control their social interactional environment to the greatest extent possible in order to minimize their contacts with potentially infected individuals. All else equal, those individuals who exercise more control over their exposure risk — on the basis of their control over their physical and social interactional environments — stand a better chance of staying healthy than those individuals who cannot manage exposure risk. Individuals therefore vary in terms of what we call their COVID-19 exposure risk profile (CERPs). CERPs hinge on preexisting forms of social differentiation such as socioeconomic status, as individuals with more economic resources at their disposal can better insulate themselves from exposure risk. Alongside socioeconomic status, one of the key forms of social differentiation connected with CERPs is digital (dis)advantage. Ceteris paribus, individuals who can more effectively digitize key parts of their lives enjoy better CERPs than individuals who cannot digitize these life realms. Therefore we believe that digital inequalities are directly and increasingly related to both life-or-death exposure to COVID-19, as well as excess deaths attributable to the larger conditions generated by the pandemic.
|
Auteur(s) |
Laura Robinson
1
, Jeremy Schulz
2
, Aneka Khilnani
3
, Hiroshi Ono
4
, Shelia Cotten
5
, Noah Mcclain
6
, Lloyd Levine
7
, Wenhong Chen
8
, Gejun Huang
8
, Antonio A. Casilli
9, 10, 11, 12
, Paola Tubaro
13, 14, 15, 16
, Matías Dodel
17
, Anabel Quan-Haase
18
, Maria Laura Ruiu
19
, Massimo Ragnedda
19
, Deb Aikat
20
, Natalia Tolentino
21
1
Santa Clara University
( 316705 )
- États-Unis
2
UC Berkeley -
University of California [Berkeley]
( 563719 )
- Berkeley, CA
- États-Unis
3
Georgetown University Medical Center
( 489494 )
- Washington, D.C. 20057
- États-Unis
4
Hitotsubashi University
( 485038 )
- 2-1 Naka Kunitachi-shi 186-8601 Tokyo Japan
- Japon
5
Michigan State University System
( 566438 )
- Michigan
- États-Unis
6
UniBs -
Università degli Studi di Brescia = University of Brescia
( 310752 )
- Piazza del Mercato, 15 - 25121 Brescia
- Italie
7
UC Riverside -
University of California [Riverside]
( 300446 )
- 900 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92521
- États-Unis
8
University of Texas at Austin [Austin]
( 74980 )
- 1 University Station Austin, Texas 78712
- États-Unis
9
SID -
Sociologie Information-Communication Design
( 554668 )
- Télécom Paris 19 Place Marguerite Perey 91120 Palaiseau.
Devient NOS: Numérique, Organisation et Société
- France
10
SES -
Département Sciences Economiques et Sociales
( 554515 )
- Télécom Paris 19 Place Marguerite Perey 91120 PALAISEAU
- France
11
I3 SES -
Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation de Telecom Paris
( 420705 )
- Télécom Paris 19 Place Marguerite Perey 91120 PALAISEAU
- France
12
IP Paris -
Institut Polytechnique de Paris
( 563936 )
- France
13
CNRS -
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
( 441569 )
- France
14
TAU -
TAckling the Underspecified
( 1050019 )
- Université Paris-Saclay;
Bâtiment 660 - Shannon ;
91405 Orsay Cedex
- France
15
LRI -
Laboratoire de Recherche en Informatique
( 1050003 )
- LRI - Bâtiments 650-660 Université Paris-Saclay 91405 Orsay Cedex
- France
16
IDHES -
Institutions et Dynamiques Historiques de l'Économie et de la Société
( 243735 )
- Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense bât T., bureau 218 200 avenue de la République 92000 Nanterre
-IDHE.S-Evry - Université d¹Evry Val d¹Essonne - BD François Mitterand - 91000 Evry
- France
17
UCU -
Universidad Católica del Uruguay [Montevideo, Uruguay]
( 355246 )
- Av. 8 de Octubre 2738, 11600 Montevideo, Departamento de Montevideo, Uruguay
- Uruguay
18
UWO -
University of Western Ontario
( 318728 )
- 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
- Canada
19
University of Northumbria at Newcastle [United Kingdom]
( 336598 )
- Newcastle City Campus, 2 Ellison Pl, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, United Kingdom
- Royaume-Uni
20
UNC -
University of North Carolina System
( 566986 )
- États-Unis
21
CAL POLY -
California Polytechnic State University [San Luis Obispo]
( 73208 )
- San Luis Obispo, Californie 93407
- États-Unis
|
Langue du document |
Anglais
|
Nom de la revue |
|
Vulgarisation |
Non
|
Comité de lecture |
Oui
|
Audience |
Internationale
|
Date de publication |
2020-07-01
|
Volume |
25
|
Numéro |
7
|
URL éditeur |
https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/10845/9563
|
Domaine(s) |
|
DOI | 10.5210/fm.v25i7.10845 |
Origine :
Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
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