COVID-19's Digital Realm: Specters of our Past

How long will the ghosts of the past haunt the present?

Without a doubt, COVID-19 has jolted the global community into an innovative and high alert mindset in order to reduce the longevity and causalities. With the decisions of global leadership came much applause, desolation or something in-between. In a span of two months, numerous countries have seen the increase of digitization and collective action and they’ve also seen an increase of inner turmoil as people adjusted, and continue to, in the new normal of global quarantine.

In Canada., ICBC decided to engage with their clients through both email and phone for renewing car insurance, telecommunications companies nationwide have removed internet data caps for the duration of COVID-19, rent increases have been halted and it has been made illegal to evict tenants during the pandemic.

Globally, Taiwan ensured the spread of misinformation was investigated by their Criminal Investigation Bureau, New Zealand demonstrated the unison of Kiwis - where residents are collectively working together for solutions as seen through PM Jacinda Arden’s decision of a 20% pay-cut among higher ranked public officials and residents being supportive of one another - and South Korea implemented patient “phone booths”, an innovative process to test residents for the virus and provide them results of testing within 7 minutes.

The global community’s respective initiatives have had numerous responses, sometimes good, sometimes not and overall, whatever the case, the information sharing cannot be refuted. For the common objective of slowing the spread, communities have reached out with one another locally, nationally, and internationally to share ideas, solutions, and outcomes.

Alongside this, a reality within the unprecedented time of substantial generation of content, whether written or otherwise, and engaging in information sharing to adapt, it is becoming much more difficult to avoid the past and this shows up in the form of specters.

These specters can be prevalent in many ways, such as the emergence of mental health issues previously ignored, increased conflict residue and increased identity issues.

Though many people are replacing personal interactions with digital ones due to innovation, it doesn’t always translate well. More connection to one another through social media is equivalent to more connection to information, whether accurate or otherwise.

Some of this information can lead to panic, as we’ve seen in the shortage of toilet paper, and some information can be triggering on a personal level, such as a meme, of which Emily Scott speaks more to this in her article, “COVID-19's Digital Realm: Alienation and Communication”, that uses a particular word or an image that isn’t censored.

So what happens to the individual whose conditions had a loud voice in quiet spaces and used avoidance coping mechanisms through the workplace to drown the noise, when they see this trigger online? What about isolation will affect the person who depended on physical interactions to avoid, distract or manage their inner turmoil? What about those who avoided their traumas by externalizing them onto someone they perceived to be weaker in the workplace? Who will be a target now?

Those who have developed avoidance and projection mechanisms may cope through finding more things to distract themselves with or perhaps their stressors will overtake them. Maybe this will be time in which they choose to develop resiliency and choose to confront that part of their life that is causing friction. However, there is always the possibility those ontological beliefs become digitized.

On the opposite side, for targeted minorities who have had systemic phobias and isms as obstacles and for those who deal with bullying and harassment in their path to prosperity, working from home holds a different meaning altogether. This would be an opportune time to increase resilience so when return to the workplace comes, dealing with micro-aggression and ignorance becomes easier although it may become very difficult to adjust to a new normal if accustomed to consistently bad treatment. Quarantine certainly provides an opportunity to rejuvenate mental health and create - or supplement - a tenacious support network.

The resiliency someone can achieve in this time can be key post-quarantine. The change management that will need to be considered can range from understanding your triggers with potential recessions to absorbing the truths from history that are becoming more absolute through historical revisionism and decolonisation efforts. What we’re experiencing in this time is acknowledging the systemic bias of healthcare systems and issues being addressed:

• Spain’s healthcare professionals believed telemedicine has become life-saving, an effort that would’ve taken months to implement

• MSF spoke to the protection of front line workers, specifically to their time in Lodi, Italy and this concern has become a worldwide movement for increased protection, rather than isolated attempts

• CIO provides an overview of the digital transformation of the health industry and privacy concerns

• B.C. announced a COVID-19 framework for rural, remote and Indigenous communities

Overall, technological transformations have indeed been quick and beneficial. With these situations in mind, which truly is only a piece of a trillion piece puzzle, I sometimes wonder as to how we can further the progression our communities have made through innovation and collective action.

One thought that has been consistently on my mind is to acknowledge our privileges, invisible or otherwise, amid the negativity that is sure to wash over us at some point or another. Many of us have the support to do well, but others do not.

Naturally, everyone’s situation in quarantine is unique with overlapping similarities and when there is overlap, there is community. The digital realm makes this easier, yes, while simultaneously, absorbing truths that are rapidly becoming overt can also be detrimental to a psyche, especially if there is a preference for projection and avoiding.

Keep well, take care and as always, feel free to reach out.