This story acts as a reading response for my New Media for Technical Communication course. The article I respond to is titled "The digital divide is impeding development" (opinion/project-syndicate/news/the-digital-divide-impeding-development-1652299). It's short and fairly straightforward if you want to read it.
Once again, I am using fan fiction to do my homework. At least this isn't as complicated as "Central Place Theory!"
The year is 2030, and the effects are becoming evident even to the most obstinate.
"I don't get why we had to call a World Meeting today. It's almost Christmas! The hero has way more important things to worry about!"
That, of course, is America. Self-proclaimed hero of the world. A good man, in general terms, but even the best men have fatal flaws. His happens to be the egocentrism that dominates his thinking.
America. Still a young country, and arguably the world's most successful.
Truly, he is blessed.
"Calm down, America. You don't even know why the meeting was called, do you?" asks Canada, the aforementioned nation's long-suffering brother. "We need to discuss the rapidly growing economic crisis among third-world nations."
"Oh, is that all?" says America, "I've got a solution for that!"
"Do you now?"
"Yes! They just need to trade with us more. Especially me."
Canada stares at his brother for a long time, willing himself not to hit the slightly older nation over the head with his hockey stick.
America grows nervous in the silence.
"I mean, that's what's helped them before, right?" he tries.
He's aware of his own tendency to be oblivious to world affairs, and he's genuinely been trying to improve. But the look on Canada's face tells him that he has once again said something terribly ignorant.
A sigh eventually ensues from his northern neighbor's lips.
"America, if your economy suddenly crashed- No, if your economy were suddenly decimated, brought lower than ever before, would trading with everyone else solve all of your problems?"
"Um...No, not if my people weren't generating at least some wealth on their own."
"So you would need to be self-sufficient."
"Yeah, that! Oh...So you're saying that countries like Haiti and El Salvador need help getting on their feet rather than us just trying to carry them everywhere."
Canada smirks. "See, you can be smart when you want to."
"Shut up."
"That's only one part of it though," the northern nation continues, "Trading is a temporary solution, contingent on self-sufficiency. But thanks to the worsening digital divide, even that's becoming a challenge for developing countries."
"Digital divide? You mean like when I went to visit Estonia, and he still had that stupid dial-up internet thing going on?"
"Well, yeah. Kinda. A lot of people in developing countries still don't even have access to the internet, let alone the largely unrestricted high-speed internet that we enjoy."
"Okay, but what's that got to do with trading?"
"It's 2030, bro. How do we conduct nearly all of our commercial exchanges?"
America blinks, then smacks his forehead. "E-commerce. Barely anyone buys stuff in person anymore."
"Right, so when our people exchange currency with developing countries..." Canada starts.
"...Only a few of their citizens reap the benefits," finishes America, a troubled expression creasing his brow. "Wow, I'm an idiot. Is that why Guatemala's been so ill recently? I thought he'd just caught the flu or something."
"It's inflation, not influenza."
"...Was that a pun?"
"Sorta. I tried."
The two laugh for a few moments until an alarm goes off on Canada's phone. Glancing at it, the northern nation says, "Meeting's about to start."
"'Kay," responds America, activating his VR headgear, "See you in a moment."
Canada's reply goes unheard as the world around America (and the living room that the two brothers had been chatting in) falls away.
A moment later, he finds himself in a large assembly room, sitting in front of a desk with the American flag carefully painted onto its surface in bold colors.
"Let us all come to order!" calls Germany from his own desk, eyes scanning the room to verify which nations were in attendance and which were absent. "We gather to discuss how the disparity in technological advancement across the world, commonly referred to as 'the digital divide' has negatively affected the health and function of those nations still developing their economies and global status. Mexico will speak first."
America catches Canada's eye from across the room and offers a grateful nod. Usually in these meetings, "the hero," would make sure to speak as much as possible and draw the rest of the world's attention to his own affairs. (He's still getting over the "America first" ideology that had grown so toxic among his people around a decade ago.)
This time, however, he prepares to listen. To observe carefully.
Taking up the pen and paper on the desk before him - any notes he transcribes will show up on his laptop when he returns to reality - and knowing without looking that Canada has done the same, he turns his attention to their sister Mexico, clearly weak from affliction but standing tall and proud as ever.
"Buenos Días. And thank you for taking the time to come here today. Last week in Mexico City, my president..."
Hopefully, by the end of this meeting, they would all be a little closer to each other.