Kyle Scott on including everyone in the new digital landscape
I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with family and friends over the festive period. Above the food (too much!) and present opening (very lucky!), I noticed a stark contrast between myself and some of my loved ones - they were being left out.
It wasn’t because of inside jokes or relationship differences, but because they were being digitally excluded. And while it happened subconsciously, it shouldn’t be happening at all, let alone within my own family.
From struggling to work the TV remote to asking how to crop photos, technology is still an alien concept for lots of people. So, while I’m not a fan of setting new year resolutions, I do want to see measures put in place that will lead to everyone being included in our evolving digital landscape.
Beyond updating social media profiles or online shopping, there’s more worrying issues around being left out. And I’m seeing this impact everyday through my role at CAS. Last year alone, we saw a 59% increase in digitally excluded people visiting their local CAB for advice. So, what happens to those without the skills or a physical device to go online? How can they access their online welfare application? Or submit their meter reading to their energy provider?
The pace that many essential services have moved exclusively online has been fast enough to give people virtual whiplash. And while it has its benefits, particularly in terms of speeding up processes and to lessen the environmental impact, the infrastructure and education needed to support everyone is still catching up.
Governments, local authorities and utility providers are putting systems in place to be digital first but are leaving behind anyone who can’t afford a connection, people that live in rural parts of Scotland and barely get a signal, or those that simply don’t want to go digital.
Last year, Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission highlighted in their report Tackling digital exclusion that more needs to be done to make sure people can get online.
Recommendations include a refreshed digital strategy and action plan for tackling digital exclusion and how the Scottish Government should work with UK Government and Ofcom to promote and improve access to social tariffs. The report also calls for all public bodies to provide clear digital and non-digital methods, and for councils to work with partners to develop approaches that tackle digital exclusion at a local level.
Whether it’s offering digital and non-digital options, investing in training or physical technology, or amending social tariffs, urgent change needs to happen. Digital exclusion is a significant issue we’re seeing across our network in Scotland with people being left struggling to access essential public services.
Embracing digital changes has endless benefits but more needs to be done so everyone has equal access to reap these benefits.
We’ll keep a close eye to see if real change happens and whether these measures (or resolutions as I’d like to call them) are introduced. Only then will digital exclusion begin to be effectively eliminated.
Kyle Scott, policy manager of strong communities at Citizens Advice Scotland.
This column was first published in the Herald www.theherald.co.uk.
