What it’s like to be digitally excluded in 2024

Almost every aspect of modern-day life relies on the internet and digital technology. So much so that many of us barely think about it. It’s just part of life.

 

For example, when you go grocery shopping you might use the store’s App to scan the items you’re purchasing to speed up the checkout process. You may also use the App to access special offers on certain items that they know you buy often because they have the data on all your purchases. At the till you might use your smartphone to pay for your groceries using Apple Pay or Google Pay.

 

The digitally savvy among us, with access to technology, often love how easy it is to shop using just your phone. But there are people who won’t use technology instore at all. They won’t scan anything. They won’t use the self-checkout tills and they’ll pay using cash or a bank card. This may be their choice, but they may also be digitally excluded.

 

The 2023 UK Consumer Digital Index from Lloyds Bank shows that 2.1 million people in the UK are offline and 4.7 million people cannot access the internet. Technology and digital can enrich lives in so many ways. It’s vitally important that we bridge the digital divide.

 

 

What is digital exclusion?

 

Digital exclusion simply means that someone is not using digital technology in their day-to-day lives and there could be a number of reasons for this.

 

One reason is a lack of infrastructure where the availability of the internet is limited. Another is digital poverty, where someone can’t afford the technology (a smartphone) or the costs associated to use it, such as buying data and Wi-Fi. Others may be digitally excluded because they lack the skills to use technology.

 

 

A definition of digital inclusion

 

According to the UN, digital inclusion is defined as “equitable, meaningful, and safe access to use, lead, and design of digital technologies, services, and associated opportunities for everyone, everywhere”.

 

NHS Digital helpfully breaks down digital inclusion into three categories:

 

Digital skills: The ability to use digital devices, such as smartphones, computers, tablets, smart TVs, and having the knowhow to access the internet.

 

Connectivity: Being able to connect to the internet through mobile data, Wi-Fi, and broadband. This is both an infrastructure issue and a cost issue.

 

Accessibility: Technology and services that are designed to meet the needs of users.

 

 

Who is digitally excluded?

 

In the UK, the largest digitally excluded group are people over the age of 70. However, around 4% of the population cannot connect to Wi-Fi – for various reasons, one of which currently is the Cost-of-Living Crisis and the need to cut back on expenses, such as Wi-Fi.

 

A report by the Digital Poverty Alliance found that approximately 13–19 million people over the age of 16 are experiencing some form of digital poverty, 20% of which are children. People who are unemployed are 2–3 times more likely to be in digital poverty.

 

Globally, almost three billion people are digitally excluded. Around 96% of those people live in developing countries where there is a lack of digital infrastructure.

 

So digital exclusion applies to many people of different ages, backgrounds and cultures.

 

 

Stories of digital exclusion

 

What’s it really like to be digitally excluded? Below are real life stories of people, from different backgrounds, who are digitally excluded and how it impacts their everyday lives.

 

 

Meet Amer

 

Most asylum seekers come to the UK with very little as they often leave their country very suddenly. This could be because of war, the fear of persecution or they are unsafe.

 

When they arrive in the UK they are given somewhere to live as well as a weekly cash allowance of £49.18 per person in a household. This is barely enough money to buy food, yet along data for a phone.

 

Yet access to the internet is vital in helping them to stay in touch with loved ones, to start or continue their studies, as well as researching services that they may need.

 

When Amer came to the UK as an asylum seeker, not only did he not have internet access, he also didn’t have a digital device. Thankfully he found Job4Me, a community organisation that gave him a free laptop and free mobile data. This meant that Amer could complete his English course and settle into life in the UK. It also gave him the freedom to be able to make important appointments, which he wasn’t able to do before.

 

 

Meet the Bennetts

 

During COVID-19, the Bennett family, who are farmers living in the Forest of Dean, couldn’t get 4G reception. Not only was live schooling via Zoom inaccessible to them, so was any video learning and tutorials. The children could only learn via printed documents, which at that time locked them out of education and put them behind their peers who could access better Wi-Fi.

 

 

Find out more

 

Our 2024 Digital Inclusion Summit revealed how charities can help can make the digital world a safer, happier, more inclusive place, from improving access to digital devices to demystifying cyber security. Click here to watch the session recordings for free.

 

Our report, ‘Digital inclusion in the UK charity sector’, uncovers charity practitioners’ attitudes towards digital inclusion, including the challenges charities face in reaching out to service users and how they are making the most of the digital technology they use. Click the link in the orange box below to download the report.

 

Our Digital Inclusion Hub features regular articles, podcasts, and webinars to help charities reach across the digital divide. Click here to learn more.