Digital Divide in Mexico in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The goals established in the 2030 Agenda recognize persistent and urgent problems governments, companies, and societies face. The 2030 Agenda sets the goal 10, “Reduce inequality within and among countries,” and the specific goal 10.2, which aims to, “by 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, regardless of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic, or another status.”

One of these problems is inequality in all forms, such as access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This inequality between those who access and benefit from technologies has been called the Digital Divide, which is considered a multidimensional phenomenon, i.e., there are several ways of studying its causes and consequences. Governments have designed public policies to overcome the Digital Divide, and although the advances are notable and satisfactory, they are not sufficient in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case of Mexico is an example of this. Since the beginning of the millennium, the fight against the Digital Divide has been on the Mexican government’s plan with concrete results. In 2000, there were 100 million inhabitants and only 5 million Internet users; in 2020, there were 126 million Mexicans, of which 86 million had access to ICTs. The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the social distancing measures led to the suspension of face-to-face activities, so ICTs were the means to maintain essential aspects such as trade, economy, government, education, leisure, and social relations. These actions further highlighted the existing Digital Divide and deepened the need to continue efforts to close the gap between those who do and do not have access to technologies.