What are Internet Shutdowns?

Access Now, an international organisation working to end internet shutdowns, defines it as, “intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to exert control over the flow of information”.They are always imposed by the state, however, they can be both National and local level disruptions. The reasons for imposition may range from the prevention of a possible conflict to reduce the intensity of the ongoing conflict. According to the SFLC report, there are three primary legislation’s being used to impose these shutdowns. They include:

• Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973
• Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885
• Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services( Public Emergency and Public Safety) Rules, 2017

Why should you care?

The early instances of internet shutdown in the world were witnessed in Egypt in 2011, during the Arab Spring. The autocratic government tried to suppress the voices of the citizens and cripple the anti-government movement by imposing an internet shutdown. Since then, the number of internet shutdowns have risen every year and have spread to several countries, including democracies, around the world. In 2019 alone, India witnessed 106 internet shutdowns, earning it the title of the internet shutdown capital of the world. Included among these was the world’s second-longest shutdown, a 213-day shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir. 

According to the United Nations, despite the justifications provided, disruption of internet services is a violation of Article 19, Paragraph 3, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In addition to the question of the legality of the shutdowns, these digital disruptions can be counterproductive to the United Nation’s efforts to use technology to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. At the surface, the shutdowns just appear to impact our leisure activities of using social media, and their curtailment for the maintenance of law and order appears to be justified. However, when analysed deeply, these disruptions have the potential to impact fundamental rights like Freedom of speech and expression, to affect the smooth working of the society and to make citizens vulnerable to human rights exploitation.

Impacts of Internet Shutdown on the Economy

Increasing internet penetration has the potential to boost the economy. According to the World Development Report, the major benefit of the internet for the business community includes increased efficiency at a lowered cost. Lower transaction costs raise the productivity of existing factors of production. It has led to improved supply chain management and resource planning. It has made it easier for businesses to communicate better and more confidently. E-commerce platforms have allowed small businesses access to a wider market and better advertising. It has also benefitted the customers, who can now shop from around the world, thus leading to inclusion. The current health scenario has propelled a shift towards e-commerce instead of the brick and mortar business models. Internet is, thus,  an indispensable tool for a country’s economy during the current times. 

Internet shutdowns put all this at risk. The benefits of the shutdown have not been proved yet, but its crippling effects on the economy have been made visible more than once now. Brookings Institute, in its report, claimed that India suffered a loss of US $968 million in 2016. Adding to this, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, projected a loss of US $3.04 billion during the period of 2012-17. Another report by Deloitte found that a medium-level connectivity country could lose 1% of its daily GDP in case of an internet shutdown. 

With huge investments in digital India and e-payments, the government increased the dependence of the economy on the internet by manifolds. Internet shutdowns, thus, have the potential to harm these businesses and other stakeholders involved. They are unable to manage their supply chains and payments, resulting in chaos. Businesses that run only through their online platforms, suffer huge losses, forcing them to even shut down their enterprises. It can be a big blow to the Make in India initiative, wherein startups are being encouraged. Not all startup enterprises can invest in a physical presence and usually start functioning online. But with regular internet shutdowns, there is a loss of trust in the digital infrastructure of the country and new enterprises feel discouraged. Small E-Commerce businesses and online freelancers then face the maximum damage.

Internet shutdowns also take away the momentum of trading businesses and are a major issue for the stock market. According to The Centre for Internet and Society, the shutdowns break contact with the lifeline of the stock market: stock market information. The price volatility and need for quick reactions make it very difficult for the market to work without an internet connection. It also leads to disputes between traders and brokers about the price of the transaction. In the long term, such volatility can lead to reduced foreign investments as well. Tourism-related businesses also depend on the internet for their survival and these shutdowns can cripple their functioning. People are unable to communicate with the travel agents and book travel tickets/ hotels etc. Thus, the digital disruption imposed to stop the activities of miscreants can end up being a blanket punishment for all citizens.

Impact of Internet Shutdown on Gender

Over the years, patriarchy made sure that women were confined only to the private space- working inside the house, taking care of household chores. Men took complete control over the public space i.e. the political and economic sphere of the society. With domestic power not being related to productive labour (Cornwell and Chou 1986) and no political voice, women faced the issue of reduced self-esteem and self-confidence, giving patriarch a stronghold over them. According to a United Nations report internet, however, has the potential to be a powerful catalyst for political and social empowerment of women. It can increase their access to health, nutrition, education, employment etc. Internet shutdowns, however, may result in decades of effort being lost and women being left increasingly vulnerable. It, therefore, becomes imperative to analyse internet shutdowns through the spectrum of gender.

With the burden of domestic work and child care being shared disproportionately by women, the internet provides them with meaningful ways to access education and employment opportunities from home. Women have been working as home-based freelancers to balance their work and family life. They have access to online courses to improve their employability. Internet shutdowns can result in loss of these opportunities and a return to economic dependence on the male earner of the family. Internet shutdowns can, thus, be a source of gender-based economic disadvantage.

Internet shutdown aims to socially isolate people, as the internet today is an important means of communicating and connecting with each other. According to Access Now, women face restricted socialisation with respect to their participation in public life. Internet, with social media in particular, then becomes their sole means to access the world outside their social boundaries. Internet shutdowns can bring this to a crashing halt, further their isolation and lead to psychological distress. With movements like #MeToo, the internet has also become a platform for raising voice against the atrocities being faced by women.  Past pieces of evidence indicate that women are at their most vulnerable during periods of conflicts and would require internet the maximum at that time.

Women also depend on the Internet to protect their physical safety. In cases of domestic violence, the internet provides them with an alternative platform to reach out to online support services. But, Internet shutdowns, sometimes lasting for 200 days, can cut down the operations of activists and support organisations. Since these shutdowns are mostly imposed during periods of conflict, they are accompanied by restrictions on movements too. Digital disruptions during such times can result in an increase in physical and sexual abuse of women by intimate partners. Now since the networks are jammed, the victims of such crimes cannot even ask for help via call or other digital mediums which makes their situation even more horrifying which might subject them to even more pain and trauma.

Is there an Alternative to Internet Shutdown?

After assessing the socioeconomic disadvantages of internet shutdowns, the next obvious question is, ‘ do the governments have an alternative that is less restrictive but still more beneficial ?’. The answer is yes! Research indicates that the government, in fact, can overtake its opponent in reaping the benefits of the internet in the conflict sphere. There is a need to train the leaders in the usage of the internet and in its favourable application in conflict situations. The French government, for instance, did not take to internet shutdown despite rising terrorist attacks. They instead developed an app with an alert button which allowed people to send alerts to the police. This way they could help people in the fastest way possible. According to Facebook’s Public Policy Manager, the internet was used effectively by the Bangalore police during the Kaveri River water dispute. They used it as a channel to reach out to people, reassure them during times of emergency and ensure law and order. The state can also mainstream cyber threats and make them part of the national security policies. More investment is required to improve the capacity of security officials to investigate and prevent cybercrimes. The state can also make sure that there is a better internet policy brief that states clear consequences for fake news and hate speech. The digital communication giants like Facebook, WhatsApp, or Twitter, need to take responsibility for the content being shared and take proactive actions against rumours and hate speech.

Conclusion

Internet shutdowns have made their entry into the conflict control/prevention toolkits of governments around the world. This reality needs to be viewed in light of the fact that the internet has become indispensable for the functioning of a healthy society. The need for assessment of the impacts of this virtual disruption on the real world has become imperative. There is a need to analyse whether the goals for which the shutdown is imposed are actually met and if better alternatives exist to meet the agendas. A tool meant to control the miscreants should not end up becoming a blanket punishment for all citizens alike.

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In India, four months have passed since the initial nationwide lockdown implemented by the Government of India on 25th March 2020 and now preparation for Unlock 2.0 is beginning, with relaxed restrictions barring a few services such as of Cinema halls, theatres, bars, educational institutes, swimming pools, and other similar services.

Amidst the new policies announced and regulations updated, the role of women, and the economic impact on them is undervalued at an unprecedented rate in India. In a recent policy brief on ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Women’ by the United Nations on 9^th April 2020, it was stated that “Women will be the hardest hit by this pandemic but they will also be the backbone of recovery in communities.” 

The threat of the pandemic worsening the pre-existing gender inequalities is rising, with a risk of erasing the limited gains of women liberation made in the past few decades in India and worldwide. It is widely known the abysmal manner in which the center handled the migrant labour situations, but often the cases of women migrant labours are overlooked in the broader term of this case.

Women’s Position in Coronavirus

Unpaid care work has increased for women, within households, and informal care jobs. Established gender norms have added responsibilities to women performing the majority of the household chores and care work, and sadly these are not paid and invisible in the economic sense of nature. Women perform 9.6 times more unpaid care work than men, according to a report by the International Labour Organization.

Teachers and nurses are underpaid in the formal care sectors, and even though educational institutes are closed, some teachers still have to go to school for administrative purposes. Sanya Bannerjee, a preschool teacher in a well-reputed school in Vadodara, Gujarat is a single mother of an 8-year-old son. She recounts her experience, “We teachers don’t have to go to school every day, maybe twice or thrice a week. I have to leave my son with the neighbors as the school crèche is closed. I cannot avoid my work as it is my only source of income now. Earlier, I used to take tuitions, but that has stopped since March. I am worried about the health of my son, but I have to go to work for both of us.”

Around the world, women earn less than men and are more likely to be employed in the informal sector, especially in south-Asian countries. With reduced social security and entrenched gender norms, their ability to absorb economic shocks is less than that of men. The pandemic and the economic crisis in India has created a detrimental atmosphere for the single-parent household.

Deepali a domestic helper from Khar, Mumbai says, “I haven’t worked for three months. Out of four houses, only one house paid my salary all these months. In the beginning of the year, I had got a job for washing dishes. But you know, these rich people get to know everything first, and they made some absurd reason and asked me not to come to work in the middle of February. Now I cannot go looking for jobs. Many societies here have rules not to allow people like us to enter because we come from Jhopar-Patti areas. It has been very difficult for me to make ends meet. I am desperately in need of work.” Deepali worked in houses in Santa Cruz and Bandra. She adds that once she was given 3kg of dal and rice from an NGO, but now Deepali and her daughter survives on rice water and boiled vegetables.

According to a recent article on the New York Times, it was reported that female labour participation decreased to 21% from 32% from the year 2005 to 2018 in the country. Women are at a much higher risk of losing their existing jobs and the lack of employment opportunities is said to make it tougher for Indian women to re-enter professional workspace.

Women and girls perform three times more unpaid care and domestic work than men. In the informal sector, they have limited access to social protection and paid sick leaves. While this invisible economy has a positive impact on the formal economy, it has a much greater negative impact on women’s lives.

The mental strain on women worrying about their job security is causing major anxiety-related mental health issues. Due to a low or negligible support system, they are truly in a vulnerable position. The social distancing rules have induced an undesirable effect of a safety norm since it has created a greater physical divide for women to reach out for help. Lack of a support system and negligible safety nets has created a catastrophic environment for women like Deepali and Sanya. 

The discussion of the drawbacks of policies by the government in this period of the pandemic in gender-neutral terms has downplayed the economic impact on women’s lives.  The national media and prominent political figures often wash away the unique issues and situations faced by women due to the systemic social disadvantage. It is imperative to address challenges faced by women and form policies keeping their needs at the center of it.

Conclusion:

A major economic recession announced by the International Monetary Fund, and it is deemed to be unique than any previous global recession. This likelihood will bring challenges to the vulnerable and weaker members of our society, especially women. The progress in women empowerment over the years is likely to be erased in these difficult times as women are burdened with more unpaid care work, domestic labour and gender pay gaps. Women are distanced from NGOs and other organizations for help in current times, which is likely the cause of the rise of domestic violence. Policies should be formed, taking the sensitive issues faced by women, as they have comparatively weaker social safety nets.

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Since then, the world news has been dominated by the rapid spread and far-reaching impacts of COVID-19. However, the pandemic is much more than a global health crisis. The novel Coronavirus has the potential to create crippling and devastating social, economic and political effects on each of the country it touches and leave deep and long-enduring scars. 

MULTIFACETED CHALLENGES IMPOSED BY COVID-19

Creating a monumental challenge on the public healthcare system, the pandemic brought turmoil on the global market, livelihood, trade, economies, different institutions and the like and integrating all, affecting human life. 

The lockdowns confined millions of citizens to their houses shut down, businesses left large groups of migrant workers jobless and homeless and ceased almost all economic activities. Consequently, the recent days witnessed the sharpest economic pullback and a huge spike in unemployment all across the globe. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the global economy is expected to shrink by over 3 per cent in 2020 – the steepest slowdown since the Great Depression of the 1930s. This global economic downturn, coupled with the financial crisis, is bound to have a negative impact on the behavioural and mental health of the society. 

Quite a few start-ups came to a temporary or permanent halt and the organisations that could operate had to identify and overcome several challenges for ensuring business continuity. One such challenge was quickly adapting to the work culture change and instigating remote working practices that reflected this new environment in order to maintain business continuity. With this shift in working cultures, people not only lost a routine and structured daily schedule, but also social interactions with the wide variety of supportive, friendly, casual relationships at work and in public that make for a rich social texture. Moreover, middle-aged working individuals experienced greater levels of stress due to overlapping family and work responsibilities. These factors compounded with the responsibilities they have towards their children and/or ageing parents as caregivers might have triggered feelings of despair, frustration and loneliness. 

With the shutting down of schools and playgrounds, lack of outdoor activity, aberrant eating and sleeping habits, children have also been exposed to great psychological sufferings because of COVID-19. Although children have been largely spared from the direct health effects of COVID-19, the crisis is having a profound effect on their mental well-being, their social development, their safety, their privacy, their economic security, and most importantly, their education. This disruption of lifestyle has given rise to feelings of distress, monotony, impatience, annoyance and various other neuropsychological manifestations. There is an even greater threat of domestic violence and child abuse now. The children from marginalized communities are particularly susceptible to the infection and may suffer from extended ill-consequences of this pandemic, such as child labour, child trafficking, child marriage, sexual exploitation and death.

Campus closings and the overall response to the Coronavirus fundamentally brought a shift in how college students think about their sense of belonging. In addition to depression and loneliness, college students were also likely to face increased rates of anxiety, fuelled by the uncertainties surrounding the virus. 

The elderly, however, face special challenges because of this pandemic and constitute an especially vulnerable group. Firstly, their age is a predisposing factor to mental and physical health issues and the presence of comorbid conditions make them even more susceptible to infections and accompanying mental distress. The elderly are always advised for maintaining social interactions for their mental and emotional wellbeing, but this has seen a drastic disruption because of the current situational demands of social distancing. Nowadays, not visiting ageing relatives, with the intention of not exposing them to the virus, has become a symbol of love. Thus, the lack of social interactions can precipitate and worsen anxiety, loneliness, feelings of being a burden on their children and various other psychological issues. Thirdly, the lockdowns have aggravated the issues of access to basic medications and healthcare facilities which the elderly face owing to their physical health problems. If they are unable to obtain a sustained supply of medication, they are bound to experience deterioration in their mental state. The constant streaming of news related to the pandemic may become a source of their stress and anxiety because most news outlets highlight the increased mortality rates of COVID-19 in older people. Thus, the regular exposure to such disturbing information can trigger episodes of anxiety, depressive moods and eating and sleeping disturbances. This, in turn, can have a detrimental effect on their quality of life.

Besides these age-related problems, the collateral damage of COVID-19 has been suffered by relationships. These times have witnessed a tsunami of divorces, the dating scene is on its knees and thousands of couples have consulted therapists after months of staying indoors together during the lockdown. All of this has triggered feelings of isolation, loneliness, anxiety and depression. 

Thus, with the spread of COVID-19, the world has been witnessing and experiencing the parallel spread of anxiety, worry, stress and frustration because of the instability and ambiguity of the current situation. Having little idea about what the post COVID scenario looks like and experiencing a lack of control has been a major stressor in recent times. Indeed, in a crisis like this, our mental state seems to deteriorate and it becomes very essential for each one of us to learn ways of staying mentally healthy and be able to cope with the surrounding negativity and stress. 

RESILIENCE: THE KEY TO OVERCOME HARDSHIPS

Remaining calm at a time when we are all in high alert due to COVID-19 can be a challenging task and people exhibit varied responses to the outbreak.  However, during these challenging times, building psychological resilience is vital for the ability to cope effectively with hardship, uncertainty, and change. The ability to withstand setbacks, adapt positively, and bounce back from adversity is described as “resilience” (Luthar and Cicchetti, 2001). Very simply explained, mental resilience means managing our minds in a way that increases our ability to face the situation and prevent psychological distress from affecting our daily functioning. Resilience is the skill which starts with noticing our own thoughts, then unhooking them from the non-constructive ones, and rebalancing quickly. This is a skill that can be built internally, nurtured and trained. 

In research by Marin Seligman, the former president of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the father of the positive psychology movement, seven habits of the happiest people had been identified – 

1. Relationships— Consistent with all the other happiness research, relationships are absolutely vital to a sense of joy and meaning in life. This is why regularly investing in, and carefully working on close relationships is very important, especially during such uncertain times. Connecting with close ones over a phone call or social media can help reduce stress and depressive moods. 

The present climate of fear can also create stigmas and judgments about who is to be avoided or who is to be kept at a distance. Thus, forming and maintaining compassionate, meaningful bonds and relationships has become even more important. 

2. Kindness— Seligman found that people, who volunteer or regularly care for others, are happier and less depressed than other people. Not surprisingly, research shows that giving and receiving kindness can protect one from disease, and may even help the person live longer. 

In the COVID times, where people are translating social distancing into physical distancing and mistreating people affected by the virus, little acts of kindness can not only help others but the society overall. 

3. Physical Exercise— Exercise and a good diet are primary factors for lifting depression. Keeping the body healthy by moving every day is a basic building block of happiness and can also act as a form of healthy engagement during these times. 

4. Purpose, meaning, and spirituality— Studies demonstrate a close link between spiritual practices and happiness. Spiritual thinking can also help people cultivate hope, compassion, and self-reflection. Spiritual engagement can also keep one’s mind off the surrounding negativity and help the person stay calm and relaxed. 

5. Identify and use greatest strengths— People who identify what they are great at and try to do more of it every day—are much happier. Developing strengths and concentrating on positive qualities can also boost mental wellbeing. 

6. Gratitude, mindfulness and hope— Happy people focus on what they have, not on what they don’t have and live in the present as much as possible. Hope has been linked to a better immune system and less chronic disease. How we explain bad events to ourselves also plays a large role in how we move forward. These attributes are deeply linked to happiness, and they are skills that can be learnt, practised and deliberately cultivated. 

7. Flow States— A fascinating work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, “flow” activities are those in which people become so engrossed and absorbed in that space and time seem to not exist. Research shows that people are happier when they regularly engage in “flow” activities. These are activities that people simply enjoy doing voluntarily. They are moderately challenging, but not so challenging that they produce stress. 

With the gift of time, we have received due to COVID-19, we can rediscover our long-lost talents and spend productive time behind cultivating them.

This calm and present state is crucial. It helps keep the mind from wandering and getting hooked, and it prevents us from being susceptible to stress and worry. Moreover, taking some time off from work and family commitments and engaging in self-care and introspection can help us think clearly. More importantly, the continued practice of calming our minds builds a muscle of resilience. When we practice bringing ourselves back to the present moment, we deepen our capacity to cope and weather all sorts of crises, whether global or personal. 

Resonating well with Seligman’s research, a recent study by Killgore, W. D. S., Taylor, E. C., Cloonan, S. A., and Dailey, N. S. (2020) on Psychological resilience during the COVID-19 lockdown proved that social support from family, friends, and a special caring loved one were each independently associated with greater resilience and during periods of shelter-in-place orders, it is important to foster these relationships and to find creative ways to stay emotionally connected with those we care about. Their research also highlighted the importance of daily activities. Exposure to the outdoors and sunlight for a few minutes each day and getting a bit more exercise were both also associated with greater resilience. Finally, spiritual health was another facet of well-being to consider, as more frequent prayer was independently associated with greater resilience. It was thus found that those who actively engaged in these vital activities and nurtured their relationships tended to be the most resilient to the challenges to mental health imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In addition to these, World Health Organization (WHO) also published a document on “mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak” which addressed age-specific concerns and highlighted similar points related to building resilience. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also highlighted the significance of enhancing community resilience to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.

Thus, individuals building internal reliance can definitely contribute to the building of community resilience and create a better situation for all, because the overall resilience of a community rests on the extent to which community members practice healthy lifestyles and are aware of the community’s health-related functional needs. 

CONCLUSION

Looking through the lens of positivity and optimism, one can see a silver lining on the dark COVID cloud. Despite all the obvious hardships, most of the people are learning to adapt well to these challenging circumstances and deal with all the ordeals. We’ve started engaging in healthy habits, connected with long lost friends, rediscovered old talents and understood the value of time. We’ve become more aware of our emotional needs, we’re understanding people better and we’re bonding with each other like never before. It’s true that the current times are uncertain and we have a very hazy idea about what the future looks like, but in spite of all this, humans are known to be resilient beings and this innate human capacity of resilience has always helped us overcome the hard times. After all, when life gives us lemons, we’ve got to make good lemonade and enjoy the drink! 

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