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A Second-Order Disaster? Digital Technologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic
1Goldsmiths, University of London, UK.
Social Media + Society
|June 30, 2021
Summary
Digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic amplified existing social inequalities for ethnic minorities and the working class in the UK, creating a "second-order disaster." This digital response increased precarity and discrimination risks for disadvantaged groups.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology of Technology
- Digital Divide
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Black, Asian, ethnic minority, and working-class populations in the UK.
- Existing social inequalities were exacerbated by the pandemic's health and economic consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze how digital technologies and data practices in the COVID-19 response amplified social inequalities.
- To investigate the concept of a "second-order disaster" created by these digital interventions.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of digital technology use in everyday life (remote work, distance learning).
- Examination of public health responses, including digital contact tracing applications.
- Analysis of data practices, surveillance normalization, and outsourcing in digital welfare.
Main Results:
- Digital technologies reproduced and amplified social inequalities in both daily life and public health responses.
- Contact tracing apps raised concerns about "function creep" and normalized surveillance.
- Outsourcing of digital public health response led to a privatized digital welfare state, increasing discrimination risks.
Conclusions:
- The digital response to COVID-19 created a "second-order disaster," further marginalizing disadvantaged groups.
- Increased surveillance and data misuse risks are associated with the privatized digital welfare state.
- Urgent attention is needed to address the digital reproduction of social inequalities in public health.
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