Digital Society

A Wall Formed by Its Intelligence

My mom wanted to have a burger so she tried to make an order at a burger restaurant but she couldn’t work out how to use the kiosk machine and came back home after 20 minutes of confused wandering. She cried telling me this story, saying that she is now outdated.” The number of people expressing negative opinions regarding the digitized society centered on social network services is ever-increasing. ‘Digital isolation’ has started to float to the surface of social problems. The biggest reason being the global pandemic, many face-to-face activities have been replaced with online activities. Thus almost excluding some people who don’t have enough digital understandings.

A non-digitized public place is now rarer than the digitized one.

Image from Hankyoreh

Nowadays even ordering a cup of coffee requires using a machine such as a kiosk. From restaurants to coffee shops, banks, movies, and so on, talking to a person to do things rather than tapping images at a kiosk is considered less common. Moreover, as the COVID pandemic hits hard, digitization is not being slowed down, rather being intensified. According to one lodging app company, starting from the point of 2020 march in which COVID started to spread full-scale, selling of kiosks increased with an average of 63% per year.

People isolated from the digital society

The voice of the excluded started to slip into our ears. One SNS user expressed the devastation and indignation of the excluded by sharing one’s parents’ experience of not being able to figure out how to use a kiosk. This story spread like wildfire, being shared nearly by 15,000 people, words of support are added up from some part. According to a survey regarding digital isolation, most people answered that they’ve felt inconvenience in this digitized society, highest in low-income persons, followed by disabled, and elders. Even some among younger generations express their difficulties too, making the problem not restricted among elders.

Korea Consumer Agency Survey on Internet Use in 2019

"Please order again because the time has expired."

According to a survey conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency, three out of five elderly consumers are buying terminal and bus tickets, and five out of five are unable to use fast food restaurant unmanned vending machines. The reason for this was that the complex stage was the most advanced with 51%, followed by the rear person's attention (49%), and the painting and writing (44%), which could be duplicated). It is difficult to ask people for help because of the difficult use of unmanned vending machines. According to a survey of 30 stores that use unmanned vending machines, seven have employees, nine have instructions, and zero have screens to help the elderly, highlighting the flip side of the digital society.
But even this result is all about people who can 'try to use unmanned vending machines'. Some people, including the visually impaired, cannot even use unmanned vending machines. They call unmanned aerial vehicles "smart walls." This is because not only do all the pictures and letters appear on the flat screen, but also the phone number and usage for help requests are not well-organized. They have no choice but to find another store with people.

The solution is policy and consideration

Regarding this situation, experts said, "The digital society itself should have been carefully introduced in consideration of the underprivileged and the weak." However, in a society where digitalization has already progressed, an employment policy that supports anyone to enjoy digital technology can be a solution. In fact, the Korea Information Promotion Agency is gradually trying to introduce efforts at the organizational and government levels, such as conducting digital comprehensive capacity education programs for the entire nation or distributing 200 digital education robots to welfare facilities for the Seoul Digital Altar.
Also, on the premise of a large framework of support from these organizations and governments, the next thing that needs to be done is consideration and help among people. A few months ago, the Public Interest Advertising Council emphasized consideration and help among people to bridge the digital gap, along with the phrase, "It's consideration, not petty." Anyone can feel unfamiliar and hopeless in this digital society. Our consideration, help, and warm heart can be another solution to melt this digital society.