News and Insights
Going beyond Connectivity to Meaningful Connectivity
31/12/2022
How do we close the digital divide and when can we say that someone is sufficiently online? Although great strides have been made in terms of enabling online connectivity in the UK and beyond, many people are unable to reap the benefits of online opportunities. As Catherine Cheney at Devex – a media platform for the global development community – points out, the “key barriers to internet access extend beyond lack of infrastructure”, such as mobile or broadband connectivity. They increasingly include insufficient digital literacy, affordability, as well as a lower acceptance of internet use and engagement with online services in lower socioeconomic groups. The crux is that although many people are connected, many are not “meaningfully connected” and may encounter the key barriers mentioned above.
A number of highly prolific organisations seeking to close the digital divide have come to use this term to capture emerging challenges to digital inclusion.
Two previous research briefs at Digital Inclusion Research Hub have shed light on how a lack of basic digital skills pose significant challenges when it comes to using digital health services and reaping the benefits of employment related opportunities:
https://www.digitalinclusionuk.org/research/digital-inclusion-nhs
https://www.digitalinclusionuk.org/research/evaluation-of-local-digital-skills-partnerships
Valuable resources on Meaningful Connectivity:
https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/meaningful-connectivity-unlocking-full-power-internet-access
https://iccwbo.org/publication/icc-white-paper-on-delivering-universal-meaningful-connectivity/
https://a4ai.org/meaningful-connectivity-a-new-standard-to-measure-internet-access/
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