Digital exclusion: what’s the solution?

Checking the news on your phone to see what’s happening around the world. Browsing sites like LinkedIn or Indeed to find your next job opportunity. Filling out an online form to secure an energy rebate from the government. These are all common enough occurrences, right? They’re also something many of us can take for granted. 

It’s an issue called digital exclusion, and it isn’t new. For as long as the internet has existed, there have been people unable to fully reap its benefits. But it’s currently exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.

While people not being able to access the internet might not seem like it’s linked to social value, it absolutely is. Digital exclusion is a symptom of many inequalities that social value looks to address. Issues such as homelessness, loneliness, the wealth divide, and fairness and equality in our society. Not being able to access these digital tools means not being able to lift yourself out of these situations. And if we’re looking to tackle them, it involves taking on digital exclusion.

It’s something that Impact user Places for People has explored in great depth here. Their recent survey found that 14 million people in the UK now have what’s deemed ‘low digital capability’. Two million are struggling to afford their internet bills. And a huge 18.7 million say that the rising cost of living is impacting their ability to get online.

As it stands, digital exclusion isn’t going anywhere. In fact, over the coming months and years, it’s likely to get even worse. So it got us thinking. What causes the problem? And how can our social value initiatives begin to solve it?

Breaking down the problem

Digital exclusion is an issue that’s closely linked to much deeper socio-economic inequalities. Someone’s age, ethnicity, level of education, and housing situation can all impact their ability to get online. Residents of temporary accommodation – such as homeless people or ex-offenders – will often struggle to get their own broadband contract. 

It’s also an issue that’s heavily tied to poverty, and as such is complicated by the current financial climate. As more individuals and families are edging closer to poverty due to the rising cost-of-living, their ability to get online and maximise the opportunities it presents is diminishing.

For those struggling to get online, a lack of access creates a vicious cycle. It makes it more difficult to secure a job, learn and develop skills, or find stable housing, negatively impacting someone’s financial future. And this only puts them at a further disadvantage, taking us in the opposite direction to the social equity we’re striving for as a nation and planet.

A lot of solutions for navigating the cost-of-living crisis are also online. For example, access to government financial aid, savings and deals, and advice on how to manage this difficult time. We’re at a point where digital exclusion threatens to further isolate already underprivileged groups.

The bigger issue at play

We can’t begin to overcome the glaring digital divide without first addressing the reason so many people are homeless, struggling to pay their bills, or living paycheck to paycheck in the first place. 

Local councils and housing associations can make efforts to increase digital access across their housing stock. But with something as complex and multifaceted as poverty, we’ll need a much larger, collaborative effort to move the needle.

“Housing providers will be unlikely to make tackling digital exclusion a consistent priority unless it becomes a higher profile government priority first, with corresponding support mechanisms. [There’s a] need for a stronger, joined up approach to tackling digital exclusion, across sectors and scales. Housing providers, business, individuals, charities, and the government all have an important role to play.” – Digital exclusion and the cost of living crisis

So, what can we do about it?

To tackle digital exclusion, we need digital inclusion. For this, it’s important to take a two-pronged approach: improving access for all through better infrastructure and developing digital skills to help more people thrive online. The Places for People report breaks down the necessary next steps in great detail. But, as an overview:

• Treating internet access as an essential utility.
• Making sure internet connectivity is introduced into the initial designs of new housing stock.
• Retrofitting internet connectivity into existing developments, akin to government funding for energy efficiency.
• Greater education to residents about options for internet access – for example, social broadband tariffs.
• A wider range of social tariffs for those on lower incomes and more advertising to increase awareness.

Meanwhile, developing digital skills might include:

• Providing training opportunities for people with different levels of digital exclusion. For example, in-person classes for those with no experience online, and online resources for those wanting to develop their skills.
• Making efforts to build and maintain the digital skills and awareness of the staff of housing providers who deal with residents on a regular basis.
• Improving the presence of digital skills on education curriculums and the ability for low-income families/individuals to loan devices.

Measuring digital inclusion

So where does this play into your social value initiatives? On the surface, it may look harder to measure. If your efforts set out to improve homelessness, you can simply measure the number of people helped off the street or into employment. Digital inclusion isn’t too dissimilar.

Let’s take the issue of employability as an example. Part of the problem is that so much of applying to jobs is digital. If you were to provide a digital skills training course, you can measure how many go on to use their skills to find a job. And how many achieve employment. Then use their wages to calculate a monetary value per person.

Another problem is that banking is mainly handled online. Having to physically go to a branch means transport costs. If you provide the means for someone to access online banking, you can then measure the amount of money they save on said transport costs.

This is just quantitative data; you also have qualitative data. Say you seek to improve wellbeing by ensuring people have the digital skills to connect with others, tackling loneliness. Through surveys, you can get a real story of how your initiatives changed someone’s life for the better.

The online world is no longer a luxury. And the cost-of-living crisis is making it even harder for large portions of the population to reap the many benefits being online and connected brings. So now it’s up to us to decide what we’re going to do about it.

Whether your initiatives are to combat digital exclusion, reduce your organisation’s carbon footprint, or address any number of other pressing social and environmental issues, here at Impact, we’d love to help. To find out more, schedule a demo or get in touch with the team on 0161 532 4752.