“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” – Christian Lous Lange
While online methodologies offer paperless, and boundary-less world, they simultaneously create a “digital wall” of exclusion.
Advantages and disadvantages
Ethical issues for vulnerable sections
Digital exclusion – “digital apartheid” for rural students during COVID.
Privacy risks – Eg- Aadhar data breach
Children face mental health issues due to increased screentime, exposure to child pornography etc
Informed consent erosion – Eg- Vulnerable users often click “Agree” without understanding data-sharing terms.
Surveillance concerns -Constant AI monitoring can turn a “Welfare State” into a “Surveillance State”.
Difficulty in ensuring accountability for mistakes.
Loss of “Compassion” and “Conscience”- Eg- It cannot “bend the rules” for a starving widow whose paperwork is missing.
Dependency exploitation – Eg- Middlemen charge to fill forms.
Cyber fraud – Eg- rise of digital arrest cases
Cultural barriers – Language issues in online platforms.
Disability access – Apps not accessible to visually impaired.
Psychological Distress- The “Digital Divide” causes a sense of “techno-inferiority” and alienation among the elderly and rural populations.
Online methodologies should be a bridge, not a barrier. The way forward is not to reject technology, but to adopt a “Phygital” (Physical + Digital) approach.