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As society hurtles toward a fully digital future, an alarming truth is
emerging: technology is becoming less a tool for progress and more a gatekeeper
for basic human rights. Essential services, public amenities, and even access to
discounts are increasingly locked behind digital barriers, leaving the
vulnerable—particularly the elderly, poor, and homeless—stranded in a world they
are systematically excluded from. This is not a minor inconvenience but a stark
manifestation of a growing digital caste system prioritizing profit and
efficiency over humanity and equity.
The rise of app-based systems like Throne, a Washington, D.C. company that
provides public restrooms unlocked via QR codes or text messages, exemplifies
this shift. While physical alternatives like entry cards exist, they are poorly
advertised and rarely used, demonstrating the deeper systemic failure to
accommodate those without smartphones. But this exclusion extends far beyond
bathroom access. Retailers increasingly tie discounts to apps, parking meters go
cashless, and public transit systems phase out physical tickets while pretending
these "advancements" are universally accessible. They are not.
The numbers paint a grim picture. While 91% of Americans own smartphones, the
remaining 9%—disproportionately elderly, low-income individuals, and those
experiencing homelessness—are effectively locked out of essential aspects of
modern life. This 9% represents millions who cannot easily pay for parking,
claim discounts, or even navigate public services without being met with
indifference or outright hostility from systems designed without them in mind.
Often, efforts to address this divide, such as requiring businesses to accept
cash or mandating physical alternatives, are token gestures met with resistance.
Some businesses penalize cash payments with additional fees, blatantly favoring
customers who can afford digital payments. This prioritization of convenience
and cost-cutting over inclusivity signals an alarming societal shift where
technological literacy and access determine one's ability to participate in the
basic functions of daily life.
This trend is not progress; it is discrimination by design. The relentless push
for digitization without sufficient accommodations for those left behind reveals
a lack of empathy and foresight in corporate and governmental decision-making.
The promise of technology as a great equalizer has given way to a dystopian
reality where it deepens existing inequalities, creating a world where your
ability to access a restroom or buy groceries depends on owning a smartphone and
navigating an app.
This systemic exclusion is not an accident. It reflects a society increasingly
comfortable abandoning its most vulnerable members under the guise of
innovation. As companies and governments race to digitize every aspect of life,
the human cost of this transition is ignored or dismissed. The result is a cold,
transactional world where those unable to keep up are deemed irrelevant.
Until there is a reckoning—a deliberate and urgent effort to create systems that
genuinely include everyone—the digital divide will widen into a chasm,
swallowing millions without the tools to survive. This is not just a matter of
convenience; it is a matter of justice. A society that abandons its most
vulnerable in the name of progress is not advancing at all—it is regressing into
a future where technology enforces new hierarchies of power and exclusion.
This trend is not progress; it is discrimination by design. The relentless push
for digitization without sufficient accommodations for those left behind reveals
a lack of empathy and foresight in both corporate and governmental
decision-making. The promise of technology as a great equalizer has given way to
a dystopian reality where it deepens existing inequalities, creating a world
where your ability to access a restroom or buy groceries depends on owning a
smartphone and navigating an app.
This systemic exclusion is not an accident. It reflects a society increasingly
comfortable with abandoning its most vulnerable members under the guise of
innovation. As companies and governments race to digitize every aspect of life,
the human cost of this transition is ignored or dismissed. The result is a cold,
transactional world where those unable to keep up are deemed irrelevant.
Until there is a reckoning—a deliberate and urgent effort to create systems that
genuinely include everyone—the digital divide will widen into a chasm,
swallowing millions who are left without the tools to survive. This is not just
a matter of convenience; it is a matter of justice. A society that abandons its
most vulnerable in the name of progress is not advancing at all—it is regressing
into a future where technology enforces new hierarchies of power and exclusion.
Broadband For All (World Future Fund)
What is the digital divide? (TechTarget)
What Is Digital Poverty And Exclusion? (Purple Griffon, 2-23-24)
Access to services, benefits and discounts is migrating to mobile apps and leaving the needy behind (The Washington Post, 12-4-24)