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Covid-19 and the digital revolution

Author

Listed:
  • Linda Hantrais
  • Paul Allin
  • Mihalis Kritikos
  • Melita Sogomonjan
  • Prathivadi B. Anand
  • Sonia Livingstone
  • Mark Williams
  • Martin Innes

Abstract

Since the 1980s, the digital revolution has been both a negative and positive force. Within a few weeks of the Covid-19 outbreak, lockdown accelerated the adoption of digital solutions at an unprecedented pace, creating unforeseen opportunities for scaling up alternative approaches to social and economic life. But it also brought digital risks and threats that placed new demands on policymakers. This article assembles evidence from different areas of social science expertise about the impacts of Covid-19 in digitised societies and policy responses. The authors show how the pandemic supported changes in data collection techniques and dissemination practices for official statistics, and how seemingly insuperable obstacles to the implementation of e-health treatments were largely overcome. They demonstrate how the ethics of artificial intelligence became a primary concern for government legislation at national and international levels, and how the features enabling smart cities to act as drivers of productivity did not necessarily give them an advantage during the pandemic. At the micro-level, families are shown to have become ‘digital by default’, as children were exposed to online risks and opportunities. Globally, the spread of the pandemic provided a fertile ground for cybercrime, while digital disinformation and influencing risked becoming normalised and domesticated.

Suggested Citation

  • Linda Hantrais & Paul Allin & Mihalis Kritikos & Melita Sogomonjan & Prathivadi B. Anand & Sonia Livingstone & Mark Williams & Martin Innes, 2021. "Covid-19 and the digital revolution," Contemporary Social Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 256-270, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:rsocxx:v:16:y:2021:i:2:p:256-270
    DOI: 10.1080/21582041.2020.1833234
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jiaojiao Liu & Shuai Liu & Xiaolin Xu & Qi Zou, 2022. "Can Digital Transformation Promote the Rapid Recovery of Cities from the COVID-19 Epidemic? An Empirical Analysis from Chinese Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-14, March.
    2. Marina Everri & Mattia Messena & Finiki Nearchou & Laura Fruggeri, 2022. "Parent–Child Relationships, Digital Media Use and Parents’ Well-Being during COVID-19 Home Confinement: The Role of Family Resilience," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-12, November.
    3. Khlystova, Olena & Kalyuzhnova, Yelena & Belitski, Maksim, 2022. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the creative industries: A literature review and future research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1192-1210.
    4. Galetsi, Panagiota & Katsaliaki, Korina & Kumar, Sameer, 2022. "The medical and societal impact of big data analytics and artificial intelligence applications in combating pandemics: A review focused on Covid-19," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    5. Ivaldi, Marc & Palikot, Emil, 2023. "Sharing when stranger equals danger: Ridesharing during Covid-19 pandemic," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 221-231.

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