By Glory Lamria Aritonang, student in the M.S. in Technology Management program
My understanding of digital inclusion began in the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, where children gathered at the village hall, the only place with Wi-Fi, sharing a single tablet as they struggled to download a song. I did not realize at the time that this small scene would become the foundation of my approach to digital equity. The tablet's poor connectivity revealed the extent of unequal opportunity.
Before coming to Columbia, I worked with communities whose access to connectivity was restricted by geography, infrastructure gaps, and socioeconomic constraints. What became clear early on was that digital exclusion is not simply a technological limitation; it is a structural barrier that restricts mobility, participation, and long-term socioeconomic outcomes. The contrast between student potential in Mentawai, North Sumatra, and Papua and their limited access to digital tools revealed how profoundly digital policy shapes opportunity.
A Global Lens at One Young World
At the 2025 One Young World Summit in Munich, Germany, surrounded by more than 2,000 delegates from 190 countries, this understanding was reinforced. The challenges I witnessed across Indonesia echoed those in rural Africa, Latin America, the Pacific, and South Asia. Despite differing political and cultural contexts, the underlying issue remained the same: digital inequity is becoming a primary determinant of who participates in the global economy.
The summit convened leaders shaping culture, politics, business, and global narrative. This year’s speakers included Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Terry Crews, Leena Nair, and many others whose work has influenced leadership across sectors. Their insights grounded the conversations in real-world governance constraints and highlighted the urgency of inclusive digital transformation.
Policy Themes and Global Frameworks
In plenaries with world leaders and CEOs, it became evident that digital mobility now sits at the intersection of infrastructure investment, education systems, regulatory frameworks, and public-private collaboration. The working sessions and policy roundtables provided concrete implications. Delegates shared models of community networks, offline-first education platforms, universal service funds, and local capacity-building programs, revealing global patterns behind localized digital gaps.
These discussions helped me position my local digital inclusion work within broader policy frameworks. The community-run libraries, solar connectivity hubs, and microlearning modules we piloted were not isolated interventions, but decentralized models aligned with global best practices: community-led governance, culturally adaptive content, and inclusive design for low-resource environments. The summit clarified that an effective digital inclusion policy requires a hybrid structure integrating national strategy with local agency. Without this alignment, investments risk reinforcing existing inequalities.
Scaling Indonesia’s Digital Inclusion Model
Sharing Indonesia’s experience with policymakers, social innovators, and technologists helped refine the next phase of ChapterOne Indonesia. The initiative is expanding from a grassroots literacy program into a broader digital inclusion ecosystem aligned with frameworks such as the UN’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, ASEAN’s Digital Masterplan, and principles of ethical AI adoption in emerging markets. Insights from peers working on universal broadband, ICT regulation, and digital public goods clarified that mobility today is not defined solely by physical relocation, but by access to information, digital skills, and global networks.
Institutional Support and Global Mobility
The SPS Academic & Professional Development Grant (APD), which supports students in pursuing tailored learning experiences aligned with their academic programs and areas of interest, enabled me to participate fully in these policy discussions, bridging my field experience in Indonesia with international frameworks shaping the future of technology governance.
From Indonesia to New York to Germany, this journey affirmed one truth: digital inclusion is no longer a development project; it is the central engine of global mobility for individuals, communities, and nations navigating the future.
About the Program
The Master of Science in Technology Management at Columbia University prepares graduates to lead digital transformation, and align technology and business strategy with an ethical lens. Through experiential learning, industry partnerships, and Columbia-supported research, students gain fluency in digital platforms and emerging technologies, and learn to design human-centered solutions that drive innovation and sustainable impact.
The program is available for part-time or full-time enrollment online or on campus in NYC. Learn more about the program here.
