ABSTRACT

In this commentary, we consider the ambivalent role of ubiquitous computing during the COVID pandemic and we point to the risk that some negative, IT-related practices associated with the pandemic will endure after it. We call these lasting effects the digital scars of COVID-19. The same IT that has positive impacts for some people might have negative impacts for others – often vulnerable populations, minorities and socio-economically disadvantaged groups. Some issues stem from the longstanding digital divide that characterises modern societies. Yet, the pandemic is exacerbating these inequalities. We are worried that some debatable uses of technology will persist after the pandemic is over. We therefore point to the prominent role of the IS community in enabling positive aspects of IT use during and after the pandemic, while mitigating negative aspects, especially in the long run. Our sociotechnical background enables us to see these dynamics in a processual and holistic way. To shed light on these issues, we analyse three key technologies widely used to deal with COVID (social software, AI/ML and robotics) and identify critical topics and associated research questions where IS scholarship should focus its attention to generate novel theorising and impactful practical insights.

摘要

在这篇评论中，我们考虑了在COVID大流行期间普遍存在的计算所起的矛盾作用，并指出了与大流行相关的一些负面的，与IT相关的做法将在大流行之后持续存在的风险。我们称这些持久影响为数字伤疤COVID-19。对某些人产生积极影响的同一IT可能对其他人（通常是脆弱的人群，少数群体和社会经济处于不利地位的群体）也具有负面影响。一些问题源于代表现代社会的长期数字鸿沟。然而，大流行加剧了这些不平等现象。我们担心，大流行结束后，某些有争议的技术用途将继续存在。因此，我们指出了IS社区在大流行期间和大流行之后为IT使用提供积极方面的同时，在减轻负面影响方面（尤其是从长期来看）的显著作用。我们的社会技术背景使我们能够以一种过程性的，整体的方式看到这些动态。为了阐明这些问题，我们分析了广泛用于处理COVID（社交软件，