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Anderson was more sanguine, arguing for a compromise. ‘If people don’t want it that should be fine, provision should be made for them.” In addition to the safety net of an analogue back up, it is clear that dignity, as much as the availability of cash, banking facilities and analogue alternatives, should be preserved as much as possible, for as long as possible. But what of the demographic themselves? Anecdotally my own late parents were not particularly interested in being digitally included; they did the bare minimum to get by and no amount of intervention by well-meaning charities would have changed that. The resistance experienced the digitally excluded isn’t just belligerence. It will be rooted very reasonably in a lack of confidence and fear: fear of the unknown, of getting it wrong, of scams and cyberattacks. Resistance can also be explained away as a simple ‘if it ain’t broke,’ mentality, but most of all, a perceived lack of need. Reed was keen to point out that while technology advances at a relentless pace, and humans are adaptable, aging is a gradual, inevitable decline. Keeping up with all this technology is a skill in itself for older adults and will get harder as you get older. What we can do today we might not be able to do tomorrow; that affects everybody. “QR codes weren’t really known by the broad population until the pandemic and look how they have mushroomed since then. It’ll be the same with AI next five years; the AI scenario will be far different than it is today. It’s not a generational thing.” Emma Stone raised the issue of enjoyment at design stage as key to persuading the reluctant to engage. “How can we make the experience genuinely affordable, easier and safer? Let’s put the onus on those who are designing and delivering online services to make sure that they are easy to use, they’re secure, we can trust that when we’re using those services, that we’re going to have a good experience. That’s how you ensure inclusion and equality. Remove the barriers that some people face – when it’s not well-designed, it’s unclear, it’s frustrating. They end up feeling like they’re the ones that are not getting it, rather than realising actually, this is just a very badly designed website.”
Where do we go from here? I began my research wondering how to reach those digitally excluded, how to get them online and ensure we are all comfortable with AI, digital ID cards, online banking etc. I was looking for happy-ever-after quick fixes, imagining this is a temporary blip, a by-product of digitisation that with all these initiatives underway we will get over soon enough. By the end I found myself persuaded by Dennis Reed’s argument against an all- digital future with no analogue back up. There is no one-size-fits-all, nor should there be. I am concerned by Elizabeth Anderson’s assessment that digital exclusion impacts gravely on children, what it means for their futures and ultimately all our futures. I worry that the total lack of critical thinking at play allows for bad actors and misinformation to take an even greater hold than it has already. I am certainly not sure keeping all my data in one easy-to-read ID card on my phone is the answer to anyone’s prayers except the government and future governments; trust is not exactly at an all-time high amongst the public after all. And not while cyber-attacks become more aggressive and sophisticated with every year that passes. Dennis Reed had the last word. “I hope that there will be some reset of it, after the initial thrill of everybody going digital, and doing away with the human element. I hope that there’ll be a turn in the circle where good business and good public services means reintroducing that human element, reintroducing an alternative to online engagement. They did it at Booths, the northern supermarket chain. They removed the self-checkouts and brought back cashiers and it has been hugely popular. That would be a good marketing move for a lot of people to take.”
not realising that access to broadband is actually a way to find a job, and ultimately a way out of poverty. Can’t engage, won’t engage It is encouraging that cross-party committees, the House of Lords, Secretaries of State, UK businesses and charities are making digital inclusion a priority, and not in the usual, siloed manner, but the concern is that the digitally excluded may not even be aware there is so much activity – and worry – taking place in boardrooms and on podiums around the country on their behalf. Some may not even be aware how excluded they are, or that it is even a problem. They will probably not be putting their hands up to be counted. Pinning down those numbers is not an exact science either. Estimates vary from 4 million (FCA) to upwards of 12 million people (House of Commons) depending on how you define ‘digitally excluded’. Some definitions extend only to lacking basic skills, others consider it ‘not using the internet at all’. As far as older adults go, we are an aging population; the UK has 13m pensioners currently. That number is projected rise to 19m by 2075; whippersnappers comfortable ordering their Sainsburys shop online today may not be in 50 years’ time. There is also an imprecise, silent number of unengaged people in the UK, without hardware, skills or connectivity, and content with that. At this point a schism emerges, between those agencies who feel this group remain an untapped demographic who must eventually embrace technology, they just need nurturing. Age UK promotes this approach in a campaign (ironically, online) containing footage of smiling pensioners extolling the thrill of training and their improved their quality of life. Meanwhile, others feel their wishes should be respected, and at all costs, analogue versions of banking, retail, entertainment and healthcare should be preserved. ”Some charities encourage older people to embrace the digital technology, and they try and establish safeguards and training. In a way, they’re cooperating with the change because they’re not fiercely arguing for some analogue alternative,” Reed said, feeling a point is being missed, that this is a retrograde step.
Volume 47 No.4 DECEMBER 2025
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