Technology and modern web applications offer a never ending list of opportunities. They determine the way we operate and how follow our daily routine. Sometimes, they offer a glance at the past that we, both as individuals as well as a community, tend to forget.

Pictures of known places in Gozo of 50, 70 years ago regularly hit the social media. They create a sense of nostalgia for those who lived then. For those who never lived in those times, such pictures represent a romantic view of the way Gozo used to look like.

Fifty years ago, Gozo was a rural community in its totality. It was rural by any measure and indicator. Economically and sociologically it could not be classified as anything else. The daily life in the villages followed an established pattern. Victoria offered a slightly different, less rural outlook to life but could not be described as semi-urban by any means.

The communal identity centred on agricultural activities and villages in Gozo were geared to fully exploit these opportunities.

Times change and so did the natural environment and the social fabric of Gozo. During the seventies and the eighties, Gozo experienced a very limited but a relatively modest labour intensive industrialization. The industrial area that emerged between Victoria and Xewkija offered employment opportunities to hundreds of low-skilled workers.

Following this, the first steps that would eventually see the full development of the tourism industry in Gozo were taken. Hotels were built, with Marsalforn and Xlendi being particularly active zones. The Gozitan population became increasingly less dependent on agricultural activities and more on tourism and other service-oriented activities.

Sometime it is hard to account for all the change that took place during the last 50 years. Generally, we lack the time or the mental effort to try and recall how Gozo used to look just after the Second World War. Pictures and old photos that occasionally do the rounds on social media offer a glimpse of days gone by.

We cannot but reflect on the way Gozo has changed. Nowadays, the whole social and economic dimension of the island is completely different. We still value our identity, and our sense of community is still relatively strong. Our villages still offer a distinct dimension and many can still identify themselves with them. However, there is no denying that our outlook has changed.

Over the years, an increasing number of Gozitans have studied and worked outside our shores; some on the main island, some abroad. Many eventually return to live in Gozo, even if not permanently but still regularly. They brought with them a more urban view, less centred on the rural identity of Gozo.

The economic development of Gozo also impacted on the way that Gozo looks physically. The physical distance between the villages almost disappeared. The demand for housing and tourism-related accommodation consumed large spaces that once served agricultural purposes. The physical infrastructure, which is often required as societies became more economically evolved, continued to exert pressure on the rural dimension. The presence of human activities has expanded steadily.

If one is honest with oneself, one must pose the question of whether Gozo is still rural.

The answer to that question depends on what is meant by rurality. If what we mean by rurality is similar to what defined it 50 years ago the answer is no. However, definitions are not set in stone and they need to reflect the evolving nature of our society.

I believe that our definition should be less dependent on the density of our population or on the built up area of the island. Instead, it should be more on the intrinsic nature of how Gozitans live their daily life and the challenges they have to face. It should be about the prevalent sense of community and the central role that villages still play in the lives of the majority of the Gozo residents.

Thus rurality just means a more agricultural presence but rather a way of life that is consonant with nature, while still managing to continue to achieve economic growth and development. In this sense it is the reinforcement of a sense of identity which makes Gozo rural but not economically lagging behind.

It is within this context that Gozo needs to continue working to enhance its identity. The price it had to pay for its economic development should not be considered as representing its motivation. It was a means to an end and not its final destination. Gozo can retain it natural rural characteristic and yet be modern digitally and technologically.