Ivan is a professor at the graduate program in social communication of the Universidade Metodista de São Paulo, Brazil. He researches at Midiato/ECA-USP and is the co-creator of “Vaza, Falsiane!”. He also holds a PhD in communication sciences from the Universidade de São Paulo.
What can be done?
The 2020 pandemic has been an almost tolerable experience for the few who already had the structure and skills to keep living, working, and socializing online. But so many more people could not reach this safety bubble. Internet connection (and media literacy) should be guaranteed as a universal right, and this last year only proved how urgent it is for states to invest and regulate internet access in order to assure that everybody has the same chances in the online pursuit of happiness. As William Gibson said, “the future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed”. We need to start sharing the educational and professional opportunities for a better future right now!