1. Addressing the Digital Divide What is the ‘Digital Divide’ and why is it important? Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

2. The Problem In less than 10 years, the world wide web has revolutionised information provision and commerce. In a few minutes it is possible to search and find information on almost any subject, access documents stored at the other side of the world, book a holiday, use financial services or order food from the supermarket for delivery to your home. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

3. The Problem This is very useful for those who can access it. Those who cannot, because of lack of money, education, PCs, and credit cards will become increasingly excluded from the rest of society. Those who have home Internet access are predominately in the more affluent sections of society. For example, professional households are over three times more likely to have Internet access than those of unskilled manual workers. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

4. The Problem It has been estimated that some 13 million people in Britain today have little or no IT skills, and that soon 90 per cent of jobs in the UK will require direct interaction with IT. Those who live in areas of multiple deprivation are most likely not to have either IT skills nor Internet access. Others likely not to have access include elderly people and members of ethnic minority communities. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

5. The Problem As well as being excluded from many jobs, those without IT skills and access to the Internet will find themselves increasingly excluded from many other services as more and more businesses and services go online. Already deprived communities are finding that their local branches are being closed down as the banks increasingly concentrate on online services which can cost a tenth of the cost of traditional services to operate. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

6. The Problem Supermarkets are moving to ever bigger, and cheaper, out-of- town sites and launching online delivery services. This is leading to the closure of smaller, less profitable, stores and the sidelining of local communities. Those who do not have transport or Internet access are having to rely on small local shops (if any have survived the competition of the supermarkets), which often have higher prices, less choice and poorer quality of fresh goods. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

7. The Problem The move towards Internet access through television sets and mobile phones will increase access, but the cost is still likely to be beyond the reach of many and also purchases online can usually only be made by credit card, which many people are unable to obtain because of lack of income. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

8. BECTA Survey A BECTA survey found that: people in class D/E are less likely to have ever used a computer or the Internet 25 per cent have access to a computer at home compared with 44 per cent of all adults 2 per cent have access to the Internet at home compared with 14 per cent of all adults 9 per cent used the Internet in the last 12 months, compared to 43 per cent in the AB group. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

9. BECTA Survey BECTA noted that: many people in these categories are unemployed and therefore do not receive the practical ICT training that many obtain through work some may have had unpleasant educational experiences and are not attracted to anything that resembles formal training or that takes place in a formal environment. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

10. BECTA Survey BECTA noted that: there is a higher proportion of people with disabilities or long term health problems some deprived areas have high proportions of black and ethnic minority groups. These may require special language facilities if English is not their first language women are generally less likely than men to be interested in ICT. This may be exacerbated by cultural background. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

11. Addressing the Digital Divide The Internet can be of particular benefit to people with disabilities and people who live in rural communities, but only if they can afford to access them. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

12. Closing the Digital Divide BECTA noted that: special arrangements to provide childcare, home outreach and women-only groups may be necessary children with no access to computers and the Internet at home or in the community may find it difficult to keep up at school most keyboards are based on English letters and cannot be used if the language uses other characters. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

13. Closing the Digital Divide BECTA noted that: many computer programs use English instructions much of the information on the Internet is in English computer literacy can be important for adults re-entering the labour market. Context for Communities: Addressing the Digital Divide

14. The Problem In this section, we will look at how some community groups are working to address the problem of the ‘digital divide’ and how the methods they have developed can be applied to other community groups.