Connected in Isolation: Digital Privilege in Unsettled Times

What life during lockdown reveals about digital inequality.

The  vast majority of people in wealthy, highly connected, or digitally  privileged societies may have crossed the digital divide, but being  online does not mean that everyone is equally connected—and digital  inequality reflects experience both online and off. In Connected in Isolation Eszter  Hargittai looks at how this digital disparity played out during the  unprecedented isolation imposed in the early days of the coronavirus  pandemic.

During initial COVID-19 lockdowns the Internet, for  many, became a lifeline, as everything from family get-togethers to  doctor’s visits moved online. Using survey data collected in April and  May of 2020 in the United States, Italy, and Switzerland, Hargittai  explores how people from varied backgrounds and differing skill levels  were able to take advantage of digital media to find the crucial  information they needed—to help loved ones, procure necessities,  understand rules and risks. Her study reveals the extent to which  long-standing social and digital inequalities played a critical role in  this move toward computer-mediated communication—and were often  exacerbated in the process. However, Hargittai notes, context matters:  her findings reveal that some populations traditionally disadvantaged  with technology, such as older people, actually did better than others,  in part because of the continuing importance of traditional media,  television in particular.

The pandemic has permanently shifted  how reliant we are upon online information, and the implications of  Hargittai’s groundbreaking comparative research go far beyond the  pandemic. Connected in Isolation informs and expands our understanding of digital media, including how  they might mitigate or worsen existing social disparities; whom they  empower or disenfranchise; and how we can identify and expand the skills  people bring to them.