Digitalisation - A Path Towards Progress or a New Source of Income?

Digitalisation has been praised by mainstream media in the West as a way to progress as a society; however, the Global South still does not regard it in the same positive light. It has not proven to be the angel of salvation that it continues to be promoted as, but rather a conduit to greater social divisions and inequality in emerging economies. Wolton (2022), the famous French historian and social scientist, describes the profound impact of technology in the digital era, framing it as a continuation of the social ramifications observed under past communist regimes. He asserts that this impact allows governments to control and surveil civilians while also making financial profit. Through the setting of binding United Nations (UN) agendas that put digitalisation at the top of countries’ priorities in all sectors, already limited funds are further stretched thin in developing economies.

Digitalisation has emerged as a recurring theme among the UN’s open discussion agenda points of the past few months. It is presented as the solution to problems ranging from education to sexual violence in impoverished countries worldwide, particularly among African states, where the highest concentration of the world’s poor live and inequality grows larger every year (UNCTAD 2021; United Nations, 2023a). Due to pressure from overseas investors that suffer from the messianic complex of bringing technology to all corners of the world in order to create new markets, governments are forced to match such investments into big tech companies, spending money that could be put to better use, especially considering that big tech companies are usually found to contribute to inequality rather than stabilize emerging markets by sending profits back to their domestic economies (Lohr, 2022; Muro and Maxim, 2018).

How can we ask African countries such as Chad or Cameroon, where most schools still don’t have adequate bathrooms, to spend millions on introducing tablets in schools which more than half of school-age children can’t even access (World Bank, 2022)? How can we encourage women, who are victims of sexual violence in unstable countries, to share these events online in the hopes of gaining access to the judicial system, when, more often than not, disclosing such information only further silences them (United Nations, 2023b)?

Each country has its own priorities, and, on top of being at different stages of development, each also has a distinct set of values that underpin its educational andsocial structures.

When will the Global North understand that just because some practices have been fully adopted and implemented into their ruling systems, these are not compatible with other nations? By pushing technological advancements on countries that lack the proper infrastructure and development, economic divides are exacerbated, creating further tensions between social classes (Aly, 2020; Matthess and Kunkel, 2020; Myovella, Karacuka and Haucap, 2019). Instead of presenting digitalisation as a magical way to fix social and economic issues, more developed economies should suggest solutions which do not directly benefit big tech companies, whose market value contributes to already developed economies (Companies Marketcap, 2023). Simply put, the principles of capitalism must be set aside when addressing regions still grappling with hunger, violence and a lack of access to education and basic healthcare. Until these fundamental problems are resolved, digitalisation should not be a priority on the global agenda.

Sources:

Aly, H. (2020). Digital transformation, development and productivity in developing countries: is artificial intelligence a curse or a blessing? Review of Economics and Political Science, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/reps-11-2019-0145.

Companies Marketcap (2023). Top publicly traded tech companies by revenue. [online] companiesmarketcap.com. Available at: https://companiesmarketcap.com/tech/largest-tech-companies-by-revenue/.

Matthess, M. and Kunkel, S. (2020). Structural change and digitalization in developing countries: Conceptually linking the two transformations. Technology in Society, 63. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101428.

Myovella, G., Karacuka, M. and Haucap, J. (2019). Digitalization and economic growth: A comparative analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa and OECD economies. Telecommunications Policy, 44(2), p.101856. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2019.101856.

United Nations (2023a). Bridging the gender digital divide to prevent, address and respond to conflict-related sexual violence. [online] media.un.org. Available at: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1x/k1xo1a9rcw [Accessed 29 Jun. 2023].

United Nations (2023b). Commission for Social Development | UN Press. [online] press.un.org. Available at: https://press.un.org/en/commission-social-development [Accessed 28 Jun. 2023].

Wolton, T. (2022). Les nouvelles routes de notre servitude. Grasset.

World Bank (2022). Western and Central Africa Education Strategy : School Infrastructure in the AFW Region. [online] World Bank. Available at: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099925106212231325/p17614900cbd9d0fb0b76202a63fafdcab7 [Accessed 29 Jun. 2023].