THE OTHER SIDE OF CONVENIENCE

What would happen if all of our digital devices suddenly stopped working? Would we be able to go back to paper road maps to get home from unknown places? Would we look up everything that we normally search for on Google in encyclopaedias? Going back to the analogue way of doing everything that we used to do so easily with our devices would take us a lot of time, and would be frustrating – not to mention the fact that we surely wouldn’t understand the reason for this change.

Well, that’s a little like the reality that thousands of people have been facing for years, one sped up by the pandemic, producing a sense of indignation and exclusion over a sudden shift that has made them change how they interact with technology. Everything shifted overnight. Suddenly everything was “100% online” – as if this were an advantage! Online banking, online healthcare, online roadside assistance, and much more.

Devices and applications that, for those of us who have grown up with them, seem helpful, practical, and easy to use. Thanks to technology, we can see the faces of our relatives whenever we want, and we no longer have to wait for a letter to arrive, and get news 4 days late (although this was much more exciting). We can work for a company in New York, but live in Lanestosa. And we can choose where to live, a luxury that should be within everyone’s reach.

ONE STEP FORWARD... THREE STEPS BACK?

When our life began to no longer know barriers between the online world and the physical one, and Augmented Reality started its boom, who among us didn’t hunt Pokemons along the river? Then, when the fad had blown over, and we’d gotten used to living with Augmented Reality, the Metaverse appeared, a new concept that promises to be the next generation of the Internet, an immersive and multi-sensory experience through technological devices and developments.

It’s something that we’ll get used to quickly and that we’ll welcome as just one more type of experience in our lives (if we’ve not already done so). Not all that glitters is gold, however. We run a major risk of further broadening the digital divide. If we don’t do things right, the unifying potential of the Metaverse, where one can interact with whomever they want, could become the next nightmare for those who don’t have access to the necessary technology or knowledge to use it.

PUTTING YOURSELF IN OTHERS’ SHOES

For those of us who already have a certain level of technological literacy, and who flirt with new technologies almost by default, it’s easy to understand how these technologies work and to take advantage of them, but we’ve to get our heads out of the sand. After all, there are many people for whom new technology requires a huge effort if it’s not designed to be accessible. “I’m older, not an idiot” is a movement spearheaded by Carlos San Juan de Laorden that collected more than 350,000 signatures on the Change.org platform, and sparked a debate on the closure of bank branches. Despite its emphasis on banking, the movement encompasses all areas that are being digitalised and, as a result, ceasing to offer “real-life” analogue alternatives to online/technological variants. These are movements that are a slap in the face for those of us (myself included) who work with these matters. Our much-touted digitalisation doesn’t address other types of needs; in this case, those of the elderly... but their same problems can be extrapolated to many others who are being left out in the cold.

This divide, which we sometimes see as generational, and almost a side effect of “new things” supplanting “old things”, is also a social divide. If I don’t have access to a computer and I can’t afford the Internet every month, I can’t connect to my online classes... and if I can’t connect to my online classes, I may lose my scholarship. This is a big snowball that is engulfing many – and this is just one example.

For those of us who work in an office with a computer as a basic tool, it’s difficult for us to appreciate the importance of access to technology. It’s easy to think that the divide is narrow, a mere crack that has no consequences, and that every family surely has one or two computers, a tablet, and a high-speed Internet connection (due to our habit of projecting our limited realities outwards). The pandemic, however, has taught us how much remains to be done so that we all have access to technological devices and the Internet all across the region.

CLOSING THE DIVIDE AND BLAZING NEW TRAILS

We’re advancing to close the divide and blaze new trails. We’re doing so slowly but surely, which is how most new trails are blazed. All of the region’s areas, especially the most rural corners, will benefit from a 10-million-euro investment to promote the expansion of the latest generation of the Internet. For the Government of Biscay, it’s important to guarantee this type of infrastructure so that everyone has the same access opportunities.

Effort, planning, and investment are needed to close the divide; there are still many people who want to (and should) be able to stay in their villages and at their local businesses. Just as we have public access to healthcare and education, the Internet and technology are becoming essential if we don’t want to be left behind. Thus, it’s important (and urgent) for everyone who is interested to be able to be connected.

We must be able to create accessible digital experiences using adapted and secure devices. If older people are just learning to use tablets to make videocalls to their loved ones, how can we not be capable of designing digital experiences based on the fundamental principles of accessibility and inclusion? At the same time, we must teach them to interact with technology in a secure way in order to avoid possible privacy concerns, technological attacks, and/or online theft.

EXPLORING WITH PEOPLE AND THE PLANET IN MIND

The future is yet to be written, and we’ll be able to develop everything that we’re capable of imagining now. We have to try to design a future in which the old channels that we’re used to and the new ones that are just emerging complement each other, so as to provide the best possible experience for each moment and the person. What if the same TV on which our amona (Basque for “granny”) watches westerns could also be used to FaceTime with bank staff? Or maybe her adapted mobile could have a button to call for medical assistance. We would achieve a dual benefit: first, these people wouldn’t have such a hard time getting used to new features, because they’d know how the basic device works. Second, we’d reuse devices and avoid generating more electronic waste, which is harmful to the planet, and we can minimise if we act with a mindset geared towards sustainability.

We must have a critical and inclusive perspective. If you don’t adopt something new, sometimes it’s not because you just don’t want to, or because you think “the past was always better”. In fact, that isn’t the case. As William Gibson said, “The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed”. Sometimes we’re simply left sitting on the sidelines and can’t figure out how to get even a minute on the field. Time doesn’t stop, but sometimes it should in order to help all these people who aren’t quite up to speed.