Kai-Lung Hui

Opinion | Hong Kong must address the deeper digital inequalities exposed by the coronavirus pandemic

More than access to computers and high-speed internet, the divide is in what you can do with the access, particularly in critical times, such as during the mask shortage, when the digitally able bought them online while the rest queued for hours, risking Covid-19

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Kai-Lung Hui

Published: 6:00am, 27 Mar 2020Updated: 6:19am, 27 Mar 2020

Other than in public health, the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the problems of the digital divide in our society. The coronavirus is highly infectious and more lethal than the common flu. As of March 26, it has infected more than 430,000 people worldwide, with over 20,000 deaths. Many nations and cities have ground to a halt, with students sent home to attend classes online.

The quality of education received through online classes depends very much on the home environment, computing equipment, and internet access speed, all of which are related to financial strengths. It tends to favour more resourceful families.

To help students in less-privileged families receive the full benefit of online classes, the government and some charitable organisations are extending their help. For example, the Community Care Fund offers subsidies to students from low-income families to buy computers, while the Hong Kong Jockey Club is giving out 100,000 high-speed mobile data SIM cards to needy schoolchildren.

But the digital divide is about more than access to computers and the internet. The divide also shows up in usage, where people with good access to computing devices and the internet refuse or do not know how to use these technologies in their daily life.

Many of these people still queue up at bank branches and use telephone banking, instead of self-service kiosks and internet banking. Some prefer cash transactions, even though credit cards are widely accepted and we have probably the largest variety of mobile wallets in the world. Despite the convenience of online shopping, it is shunned by many who think it is unsafe and unnecessary.