Britain needs a digital inclusion policy with concrete targets for both availability and take-up to counter the emergence of a digital underclass

Internet use and information technology seems ubiquitous throughout our society – for many, life would be unimaginable without it. But, as Ellen Helsper argues, there is a vast ‘digital underclass’ in the UK that has not benefitted from increasing rates of Internet access. New, targeted policies are needed to ensure access to digital technologies and their attendant benefits amongst the most disadvantaged groups

Digital Inclusion in Europe: Evaluating Policy and Practice

The National Digital Conference takes place in London today discussing “putting people at the heart of the opportunities digital can deliver”. Contributing to these discussions, our Ellen Helsper summarizes her recent European Commission discussion paper assessing European Digital Inclusion policies and argues that a focus on tangible outcomes linked to offline social inclusion targets is needed. She recommends a 6 step approach to more effective and sustainable Digital Inclusion policy development, implementation and evaluation

The second day at the National Digital Conference (ND11)

Here is a brief summary of what I feel was said today at the National Digital Conference (ND11) and what the unanswered questions are after the first plenary sessions. For a summary of yesterday’s conference see this morning’s post

The ageing internet: digital choice and exclusion among the elderly

We are all familiar with the headlines proclaiming the rise of the ‘silver surfer’; or now even the ‘silver tweeter’. Alongside this, services are increasingly disseminating information that is accessed purely online. So, what about the digitally-disenfranchised who, for whatever reason, do not want to or are simply not able to use or access the internet? In this next article, Ellen J Helsper explores the profile of these groups and examines what service providers and commissioners should bear in mind

Measuring Inequalities in a Digital Britain

Dr Ellen Helsper is Associate Professor of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics. In collaboration with Go On UK, she has launched the UK Digital Exclusion Heatmap, which provides a visualisation and exploration of digital and social exclusion in the UK

What has happened to the Universal Service Commitment?

This blog post comes out of my confusion and concern about what is happening to digital inclusion policies in the UK. The policies related to universal access to ICT and its contents seem to be in constant flux. The latest activity in this area is the announcement of the National Digital Conference (the largest UK event bringing together multi-stakeholder support for a “fully networked nation”). Up until last year this conference was billed as the National Digital Inclusion Conference. There must be others, like me, asking whether this name change indicates a change in direction for the policy makers, third sector and industry behind these initiatives

Book review: status update: celebrity, publicity, and branding in the social media age

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2013, p368, $27.50 (hardcover)

Digital Inequality: Disadvantaged Young People Experience Higher Barriers to Digital Engagement

Britain is rapidly digitising, increasing opportunities across a wide range of areas in our everyday lives, from interacting, to being informed and to undertaking transactions more rapidly and at lower cost. Yet, both academic and policy research show that the benefits achieved from digital engagement are not distributed equally. Dr. Ellen Helsper, an expert on digital inequality and Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Communications at the LSE, presented the findings of a study commissioned by the Prince’s Trust that looked into the socio-digital skills of young people and the relationship these have to their general well-being. The accompanying report, “Slipping through the Net”, is launched in Parliament today

Digital inequalities policies in Latin America are mostly words and little accountability, just like in Europe

Digital inequalities policies must tailor their interventions to the problems, needs, and outcomes of specific vulnerable groups if they are to move beyond good intentions and achieve real socioeconomic change, writes Ellen Helsper (LSE Department of Media and Communications)