Technology is not reaching the disadvantaged, according to FreshMinds report by Rebecca Thomson An increasing number of socially excluded people are also digitally excluded and are missing out on the benefits of technology, research has shown. Seventy five per cent of those who are out of work, in poor health, live in social housing, live alone or have a low level of qualification are missing out on the opportunities computers and the internet provide. The research, by FreshMinds - Understanding digital inclusion - shows the problem to be deep-set, with those stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide deeply excluded and hard to reach.
Helen Milner, managing director of UK online centres, said, “Technology is opening new doors for 61% of the population, connecting them to better paid jobs, instant information, new forms of communication and government services. “But for a stable 39%, those benefits remain firmly out of reach.” The report brings together information from the Office of National Statistics, Ofcom, the Oxford Internet Institute, and government departments.
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