Coronavirus is the first global epidemic in the era of the smartphone and social media. The rallying cry from authorities to concerned citizens is “self-isolate”. And how apt a phrase that is for the times we live in.
n healthcare terms self-isolation means that people who suspect they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus should avoid contact with others, stay home from work or school, avoid public places and public transport. Minimise contact with others.
But haven’t we been at this for some time? Covid-19 is a very legitimate driver of this behaviour, but technology is the great enabler of isolation in developed societies. Smartphone solipsism means people are incentivised to self-isolate, to remove themselves from circulation, to replace real-world connections with virtual groups, communal experiences with digital ones.
Need exercise? Don’t play sports or join a gym. Buy a Peloton and exercise at home. Want to be entertained? Don’t go to the cinema, watch Netflix at home. Don’t go to live music, listen to Spotify at home. Don’t go to the shops, buy online and have your groceries delivered to your home. Technology allows us to prioritise convenience over community any time we want.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Especially when authorities are cracking down on public gatherings. In France, any event of more than 5,000 people has been banned. Italy has closed all schools and colleges, and sports events will be held behind closed doors until April 3. Even the Church has outlawed the sign of peace.
In China (where else?) technology and policy have come together in a truly dystopian way. Chinese workers are being encouraged to return to work. But the Chinese authorities are using a sister company of Alibaba on citizens smartphones to decide whether workers should be quarantined or allowed into subways, malls and other public spaces. China’s official news media calls it the Alipay Health Code. People in China sign up through the popular wallet app Alipay which assigns them a colour code based on their health status. Different permissions are allotted to those with different colour codes. The irony is that the isolation technology provides is very different from privacy. You may be alone, but your movements can still be tracked and your data can still be shared. Maybe with your permission, maybe not. Maybe for the greater good. Maybe not.
Misinformation about the virus is definitely not in the common good. And it can spread unchecked on digital channels. The same companies that have undermined the commercial feasibility of traditional media outlets are also responsible for creating online echo chambers, and rewarding alarmist, enraging content, regardless of whether it’s true or not.
Facebook insists it’s trying to be the good guy. “We’re focused on making sure everyone can access credible and accurate information,” Mark Zuckerberg says. And he’s certainly trying. Anyone searching for coronavirus on Facebook and Instagram is served a pop-up directing them to the World Health Organisation, or a local health authority. Facebook has also given free ads to the WHO and is trying to block any ads that aim to exploit the coronavirus or create a sense of urgency. But fake news still spreads in Facebook and WhatsApp groups.
The Washington Post reported that WhatsApp groups in Nigeria, Singapore, Brazil, Pakistan and yes, right here in Ireland, were full of false cures for Covid-19, like garlic, salt water and tea. And as Facebook continues to integrate its platforms and push end to end encryption, it will continue to isolate pockets of user from the truth and create hidden groups where dangerous nonsense can flourish. Like Facebook, Twitter has banned ads that try to exploit the situation and is serving messages from health authorities. But it’s not doing much to stop users spreading false information. YouTube is rife with conspiracy theories. QAnon theorists on Reddit are propagating the propaganda; it’s all part of a deep state plot to overthrow the US government, they say.
Honourable mention must go to the visual bookmarking social network Pinterest which has consistently hit the right notes relating to numerous social issues. Covid-19 is no different. All searches for coronavirus on Pinterest exclusively give users results from the verified WHO account. But Pinterest is the exception.
As a result of all the misinformation, it’s easy to assume that lies and hysteria are the prime non-medical enemy. In the short term that’s probably correct. But in the longer term, the real enemy may be loneliness and isolation – fuelled by fear, but driven by digital technologies.
We’re all in it together. Thanks to technology, it just doesn’t feel that way.
