Introduction

In the world of technology and accessibility there have been many questions concerning how society is developing. Mainly when the world shifted to online in 2020, the gap between technologically sound and incompetent became evident as without the internet and computers the world became a very difficult place to live in. How could you work or go to school without technology? How could you support your family, or how could you go to the doctor if you were sick? These questions became a reality for many individuals who either lived in rural areas with little internet access, or for impoverished families who could not pay for good enough internet to fully support their needs. For example, kids needed laptops for school and parents needed laptops for work meaning either parents were giving up work, or kids were giving up school further widening socioeconomic gaps and access alike. Since 2020, and the world reopening, the reliance on tech has shifted away some but that time period also made us realize that there was a large gap in society and technology. However, we also realized that there were more efficient ways to learn, and work. Namely in medicine with some hospitals switching from keeping every specialty on call, to many telehealth physicians (from around the country) taking over for staffed in-person physicians. We can assume that this technological shift in the world is not going to slow down. Technology does not flow backwards, rather it exponentially grows and it will continue to change the systems we have in place. In other words, telehealth isn’t going anywhere and with the current systems in place, many people are set to be left behind and without easy access. However, there is new and promising technology to provide access to these individuals.

Connection to STS

Science, technology, and society is a topic that explores not just the evolution of human thought and progress, but how progress affects the lived experiences of everyone. In a vacuum, technological development would always be seen as good, but including societal norms and morality sometimes questions are raised about progress being good or bad. In this chapter we explore the effect of the internet, which is arguably the single most important development ever, and how inequality to accessing it can pose a threat to one’s quality of life. See technology is not just expansive and inclusive for everyone. Sometimes people get left behind by technology and the resources that they are used to vanish. This idea can be encompassed by a theory in STS called technological determinism, which suggests that a society’s technology drives its social structure and cultural values.

An example of this is rural areas where many people may not be concerned about internet connectivity. However, with the development of society and everything moving to computers, internet access is becoming paramount. A problem plaguing the rural communities already is the lack of access to healthcare and a great solution for this that many hospitals have adapted is telehealth (Herman, 2019). This is where the inequality of technology becomes clear. The NIHCM claims that 80% of rural America is medically underserved, and that people in these areas suffer higher rates of heart disease, cancer, and strokes (NIHCM, 2021). According to Michelle Croft with the ACT, rural students also have less access to education than their urban counterparts yet making up nearly 1 in every 5 students.

These issues were amplified during the COVID pandemic and as we will explore in this chapter internet access is going to be vital to closing the gaps that I have presented. More specifically internet access from satellites, that are cheaper and can reach anywhere in the world. A program to supply this service is called Starlink, and it will revolutionize the rural experience, lifting these areas into the modern world of technology (Croft & Moore, 2019).

Information on the Topic

The resolution to these access issues is exemplified by the capabilities of Starlink. In many hospitals there are examples of telehealth, such as specialists that the hospital doesn’t have on call, but they can zoom in to give live diagnoses and consultations with emergency department doctors. While hospitals often don’t need help with their internet, the general populous that has lesser access to healthcare does. In a healthcare world where patient visits are becoming shorter and shorter, and doctors are being replaced by PAs and NPs at the forefront of your visits. It is hard to ignore the possibility that regular checkups may be going to telehealth. However, as mentioned earlier this is not quite possible for users with poor internet access. The resolution to this gap can be seen by the capabilities StarLink has shown.  StarLink is capable of providing access to anyone in the world anywhere on the world, and for a cheaper price than regular internet. This technology has the possibility to revolutionize healthcare (including the future of healthcare) and education alike.

For example, Ida Bagus Kresnasandi and her team conducted a study in Indonesia that showed StarLink had a significantly positive effect on dementia and Alzheimer’s care due to improved connectivity to physicians and more “visits” (Kresnasandi & Johnson, 2025). We can extend this study to other rural areas and understand that this technology not only improved the patient experience for this small study, but for the whole world this can provide healthcare access to the parts of the world that have been lacking it for so long. The power in this is simple, rural areas have always fallen short in technology. Less infrastructure, less funding, or aging populations but all the same, less access. StarLink provides the opportunity to close the gap mentioned earlier and make access equal for the first time in modern technological history. This idea is supported by another study from Pam Baker DeGuzman and her team which found that telemedicine greatly improved the quality of life for cancer patients in rural areas (DeGuzman et al., 2020). The applications of this technology are limitless and many haven’t been researched yet because of how new this technology is.

A study conducted by Janessa Graves found that rural students did in fact have much less access to internet and connectivity during the 2020 pandemic which brought this issue to light (Graves et al., 2021). However I want readers to reason with me, if the students had issues accessing class for zoom meetings then how are they doing homework? Most school assignments are shifting to online and studying is moving away from books and towards computer books, videos, or notes. This shift may be fine for urban students with access to technology and internet, but for the rural students they may not even be able to study.

According to schoolteacher Devlin Peck in his blog with data from Oxford College there has been a staggering 900% global expansion of online learning since 2000 which signals more than just a trend in learning; it represents a fundamental systemic pivot (Oxford, 2022). This growth underscores a definitive departure from traditional learning methods toward a landscape where technological integration is now the primary engine of educational delivery. However, as discussed in the beginning of this chapter, while technology is spectacular and development is inevitable, without StarLink, rural students are going to fall behind.

Missing voices

While the expansion of Starlink may come with great opportunity and advancement, there are important voices that are being left out of the conversation that need to be explored. Many indigenous North American tribes have forms of astronomy that are sacred to their cultural identity and being. In a study conducted by Ciara Finnegan, she explores the effect of increased satellites and the effect that this practice has on indigenous astronomy (Finnegan, 2022). Much like other technological advancements, and as mentioned earlier in the chapter there are many people in society that the biased decision maker would not think to include. Yet, leaving missing voices out of conversations about STS leads a dangerous path, where science and technology for one culture can wipe out another. This aligns with the idea of technological determinism, except oftentimes governments and powerful societies use their advanced technology to determine the society of others. So when having a discussion about StarLink and the great opportunities it may provide, it is necessary to include cultures and people that you may not be aware of, as the way it should be in an STS conversation.

Conclusion

To close this chapter it is imperative to emphasize one thing. The world we live in is changing. This changing world is a product of humans’ relationship to science, technology, and society and there are great successes that come from this progress. However, progress isn’t equal. It doesn’t stop and wait for others or slow down because of changing situations, or comfort. In a way technology is an unforgiving byproduct of a capitalist society that focuses on progress. So to adapt to an evolving technological world we must make access to this technology equitable, for the greater good of the human experience. StarLink can do that. This technology not only will drive progress, it will also allow the people who are already behind the ability to catch up in a world that is evolving to the digital landscape. StarLink will allow rural, elderly patients an opportunity to go to the doctor easily and it will allow kids in rural areas the same access to the everchanging world of education. The opportunities and gaps that this technology could provide and fill are limitless. So simply, as the world changes around us, are we willing to change with it?

References

Kresnasandi, I. B., & Johnson, B. B. (2025). Establishing a remote patient monitoring infrastructure with Starlink in Indonesia for the aging population to improve Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 20(S7), e093132. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.093132

Graves, J. M., Abshire, D. A., Amiri, S., & Mackelprang, J. L. (2021). Disparities in technology and broadband internet access across rurality: Implications for health and education. Family & Community Health, 44(4), 257–265. https://doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000306

National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). Elementary and secondary education: Shifts in enrollment and instructional mode. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/annualreports/topical-studies/covid/theme/elementary-and-secondary-education-shifts-in-enrollment-and-instructional-mode/#tf3

Oxford Learning College. (2022). Online education & e-learning statistics UK. https://www.oxfordcollege.ac/news/online-education-statistics/

Balasubramanian, S. (2020, November 27). Elon Musk’s Starlink may potentially revolutionize healthcare. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2020/11/27/elon-musks-starlink-may-potentially-revolutionize-healthcare/

National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation. (2021, July 14). Rural health: Addressing barriers to care. https://nihcm.org/publications/rural-health-addressing-barriers-to-care

Looker, E. (2022, November 1). Preparing rural students for college and beyond by improving access to coursework. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/preparing-rural-students-for-college-and-beyond-by-improving-access-to-coursework/

Croft, M., & Moore, R. (2019, February). Rural students: Technology, coursework, and extracurricular activities. ACT Research; Center for Equity in Learning. https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/R1734-rural-equity-2019-02.pdf

DeGuzman, P. B., Baker, P., Sigdog, A. L., & Jain, N. (2020). Beyond broadband: Digital inclusion as a driver of inequities in access to rural cancer care. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 14(5), 643–652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-020-00874-y

Finnegan, C. (2022). Indigenous Interests in Outer Space: Addressing the Conflict of Increasing Satellite Numbers with Indigenous Astronomy Practices. Laws, 11(2), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11020026

Herman, C. (2019, May 21). The struggle to hire and keep doctors in rural areas means patients go without care. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/21/725118232/the-struggle-to-hire-and-keep-doctors-in-rural-areas-means-patients-go-without-care