How Coronavirus Has Exposed the Digital Divide

Key Findings

A digital divide is present around the globe, affecting both emerging and developed markets

The digital divide is typically formed along a variety of different factors. These include rural versus urban regions, income and socioeconomic status, and a variance of the different types of access across these groups.

COVID-19 is exacerbating and highlighting the gaps that already existed in the system

The isolation at home caused by the pandemic has brought many of these disparities to light and is exposing the need to address them in order to address a permanently changing society in the wake of a global health crisis.

Corporate response will be important as we look for solutions to the divide

Companies such as SpaceX, Facebook and Huawei have been developing initiatives that address the digital divide for years even prior to the pandemic. However, new approaches will also be needed in the wake of the shifts brought on in 2020.

Government responses will be essential as we move into a new normal

The pandemic has induced widespread financial devastation. Addressing the digital divide will require national and sub-national resources to conquer both the divide and the pandemic together.

Fighting the digital divide will strengthen global connectivity as a whole

COVID-19 has likely forever changed the landscape of work and schooling. However, by highlighting disparities, it sets markets up to better meet the challenges of a future economy.