#abstractfrom

[claire-desjardins-art]

“December Reds” looks to me almost like a Valentine’s Day love story, does it not? It’s the passionate reds and cool magenta’s. And yet, here we are in early January. Somehow, despite the cover of snow that surrounds us, I feel like spring is not so far off, and so I googled it: only 73 days from now... We can do this, people! My painting can be found in the GARDEN series on my website (link in bio). Here’s wishing you a passionate day! 🧡❤️💜💙 #ClaireDesjardins #Garden #GardenSeries #RedFlowers #MagentaFlowers #Red #Magenta #RedAndMagenta #MagentaAndRed #FloralPainting #Floral #AbstractFrom (at Gore (Québec)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJq5igcJ7kx/?igshid=umngsth6ppfy

[wensihe]

The Digital Divide in China's Epidemic

Since 2019, China has been taking measures to separate severely affected areas from ordinary areas and manage them separately. Therefore, many cities or regions have experienced lockdowns. However, residents in regions with different levels of development experience very different life under lockdown. Personally, this is caused by digital divide (Jan A.G.M.van DijkEnvelopeWorld et al., 2006) in different areas with economic difference.

In March of this year, I lived in Shanghai, China, and experienced a 2-month lockdown. Although prices had risen a lot at that time, our daily basic needs were fully met after a little confusion and tension in the early days. Except when nucleic acid testing is required, residents are asked to stay in their homes or rooms and not allowed to go outside of their doors. However, we can buy all the daily necessities we need through WeChat groups, online stores and online communities. Some residents have even purchased refrigerators, which will be delivered directly out of the door of the purchasers by community volunteers.

However, when the same situation happens in some small cities, everything becomes different, such as we all know, Xinjiang. Xinjiang province has a large area but a small population. As a result, residences in the city are not as concentrated as in Shanghai, making online shopping difficult. In addition, Xinjiang is not an economically developed region, which causes online trade more difficult, and the government does not have enough money to buy supplies. If a person is infected with the new coronavirus, Xinjiang cannot even provide treatment in time. Therefore, during the three months when the epidemic in Xinjiang was the worst, it was difficult for people to buy necessities like food, let alone basic medicines. At this moment, the fire broke out. Due to the rush at the beginning of the lockdown, many people were asked to stay into their apartments immediately before they had time to move private cars, so the fire exit were blocked by these cars. The fire broke out three months later, when winter was already approaching, the engine of private cars were difficult to start due to the low temperature. Then the fire exit failed to open, and it was difficult for fire trucks to enter the scene, resulting in the death of more than 10 people. The fire was like a fuse, igniting the long-suppressed emotions in people's hearts. With food shortages and living difficulties, people can no longer bear being locked down.

Both Shanghai and Xinjiang are cities in China, but their residents have experienced a completely different life under lockdown, which is due to the digital divide caused by economic differences. Shanghai is the most developed city in China, with strong economic advantages and the attention of the whole country. Since blocked in March, I can see the number of new cases in Shanghai every day on social media and related reports from the country's mainstream media. Many opinion leaders also live in Shanghai, owning social media accounts with millions of fans, which made it possible to see Vlogs recording these leaders’ lives under the ban. However, before the fire broke out in Xinjiang, I didn't even know that the epidemic was so serious. On social media, not being reported means that it did not happen and will not receive any attention, just like the Gulf War mentioned by Baudrillard (1995) in " The Gulf War did not happen ".

I feel very sorry and sad for the disaster that occurred in China's epidemic, but I still haven't come up with a solution, because the shortcomings of economic development and digital divide cannot be quickly made up. Perhaps, what kind of solutions or ideas do you have? Hope to get a reply!

Reference:

Author links open overlay panelJan A.G.M.van DijkEnvelopeWorld, DijkEnvelopeWorld, J. A. G. M., & AbstractFrom the end of the 1990s onwards the digital divide. (2006, July 25). Digital Divide Research, achievements and shortcomings. Poetics. Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304422X06000167

Walsh, J. (1995). The Gulf War did not happen: Politics, culture and Warfare post-Vietnam. Amazon. Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.amazon.com/Gulf-War-Did-Not-Happen/dp/1857422864