Social Justice in The Digital Era with Special Reference to Covid19 Pandemic

Abstract

This article attempts to examine Social Justice as a concept, and how various developments in the ‘Digital Era’, a period of time driven by the rubrics of digitalization, triggered by COVID -19, influenced the way of life and affected the social justice. The era, which is under a massive influence of the Internet, gadgets serving as the means of communication and the digital technologies such as cloud computing, the world of Internet, mobile devices, and the virtual reality etc.is now come to be known as the digital era. The entire period of COVID -19, while exhibiting several measures taken for social justice, by way of informing, educating, controlling and supporting masses for their varied needs in terms of RT-PCR testing, frequent health advisory, arrangements for the Isolation camps, treatment of those hospitalized, free provisions, allowing work from home (WFH), Children’s on line schooling, pumping funds in the economic system for SME/MSME entrepreneurs etc. to keep in the economy afloat and organizing vaccine and pushing vaccination program aggressively, had nonetheless left adequate scope to be slipped on the part of government into its failure to meet the social justice. The consequences of the COVID-19, reinforced its continuation for the growth of the digital economy. This would for sure exacerbate the growing digital divide within, between and across developed and developing countries, for the availability, affordability and the use of Information and Computer Technologies (ICTs). The process of digitalization may have advanced the development process, but it has seemingly not facilitated bringing the international community at a common platform to develop solutions for achieving sustainable development for all, eradication of poverty, social protection of all, promotion of employment with decent work for all, and the gender equality and access to social well-being and justice for all.