Lessons learned from Taiwan and South Korea's tech-enabled COVID-19 communications

In exploring the principles behind democratic health communications around the world, South Korea and Taiwan stood out for their use of technology both to understand what their citizens were thinking and to prevent the health disinformation spreading as it did in Europe and North America. Their experiences in dealing with the infodemic provide five important lessons for policymakers:

1. Communications strategies are key
2. The importance of openness and transparency
3. Equitable information access — The Taiwanese government has spent nearly $7.5 million on digital infrastructure, such as improving cellular and internet services for rural areas. The South Korean Ministry of Education lent internet devices and laptops to many of the over 200,000 students who did not have access to that necessary hardware for online schooling. Because both countries are already highly digitized, they could spend comparatively little to reach near 100% digital access in their populations. These efforts to ensure equitable access to information stand in marked contrast to the United States, where an estimated 42 million Americans lack access to broadband.
4. Guidance for online resources
5. Spotlight public-health officials