Digital Revolution Ignores Disabled and Older People, Study Finds
- slingshotmagazine
- Mar 7, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 11, 2019
by Jekaterina Drozdovica
Around 10% of the UK population aren’t using the internet, an ONS study has found. Most of the internet non-users are disabled and adults over the age of 65, especially those living alone.
The ONS data showed that among all age groups, more than a half (56%) of people who don’t use the internet have a disability. “People who are vulnerable are most likely to be offline, and yet, they’d have the most benefit from digital technology,” says Irene Mackintosh, the director at Mhor Collective.
“The opportunities for people with a disability are life-changing. For example, the voice activated devices such as Amazon’s Alexa, or mobile camera applications such as TapTapSee for people with visual impairment.”
An increasing number of elderly people aren’t using the internet too. Since 2011 the number of adults over the age of 75 who don’t use the internet has risen from just over a third (36%) to over a half (55%) last year. Adult people over the age of 65 who live alone are three times more likely to be digitally excluded, than those living with a family member.
Joyce Williams is a successful online blogger at the age of 83. She says that the world today pushes old people to use the internet. “You’re really deprived if you’re not online. Banks, energy bills, getting shopping delivered - everything’s shifting to online. Without thinking, society excludes people who don’t have the necessary skills.”
From those respondents who don’t have internet access at home, the majority (64%) said they simply don’t find the internet interesting or useful. Irene Mackintosh thinks that the rapid change to online might be the reason why people see the internet as purely negative.
“The systematic change across the public services and industries forces people online whether they want it or not. These people often experience the negatives, such as long online forms. Many feel angry about that,” she says. “They need someone to show and explain to them the benefits being online can offer, such as following their passion or connecting with a distant family.”
Joyce Williams also believes that having support is crucial for people to explore the internet positively. “It’s like learning a new language – it’s difficult and they feel stupid. Most people get a family member to get them online and show them the basics. Otherwise, they don’t do it at all.”
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