Digital Inclusion and Exclusion: The Social Challenges of a Networked Society

Digital Inclusion and Exclusion: The Social Challenges of a Networked Society discusses the ways in which the networked society has created new forms of inequality, including digital exclusion, an element of contemporary social exclusion.

This is reflected in the fact that only 34% of the world’s population have Internet access. Even in developed countries such as the UK, access levels are at best 80%. Such figures hide wide varieties in actual use, ability, and engagement, and this book explores the social issues that arise from digital exclusion and the digital inclusion approaches taken by government, third sector, and private enterprise.

The book is based on empirical evidence from three sources: national data sets, actual local community studies and engagements, and the experiences of those at the ‘coal face’ of digital inclusion. Squaring the circle between delivering digital services, providing the benefits of digital engagement, and including those citizens and communities currently excluded is a major challenge for local and national government, as well as the third sector.