online inclusion


become a digitally literate society”. Ofcom research shows that 11 per cent of the UK population (1.9 million households) still do not have access to the internet at home. Research by the Good Things Foundation says 11.7 million people lack the essential skills needed to use the internet, and that the barriers to engagement with digital technologies for older people include the lack of confidence and skills, cost and fear of harm. The NUJ, as an affiliate of the NPC (which has more than one million members), has been working for nearly two years through its 60+ council delegates to launch a campaign to enable more older people to get online. Success was finally achieved this November when the NPC


executive committee gave the green light to its digital working party’s report and recommendations for a campaign to be launched on February 1, Dignity Action Day. Part of the Connections for All campaign will involve informing people where they can get help and training to use digital devices from various organisations and local authorities, some of which also offer free tablet lending schemes and even provide free devices to older people. It will also strive to ensure those who cannot or do not wish to be online will always have alternative provision of services and information. Covid-19 has shone a spotlight on the impact of forced


isolation on older and vulnerable people in care homes or living alone, and the difference being able to use Facebook or other social media platforms has had on improving their lives. A report in November from the Carnegie Trust, Learning from Lockdown, says: “Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the scale of digital exclusion in the UK has been exposed and exacerbated beyond previous understanding.” It will have taken the NUJ 23 months from the day its three


delegates to the NPC’s biennial delegate conference in March 2019 got a motion for a campaign approved to the day it will actually be launched – February 1 2021. The motion, proposed by the NUJ 60+ council, called for a digital working party to be set up to research the digital inclusion policies of the four nations, look for the gaps between policy and practice, then produce a report and recommendations for a campaign to address them. This may involve forming partnerships with other organisations with similar aims, such as the Good Things Foundation. Helen Milner OBE, its chief executive, said: “Digital inclusion is no longer a nice to have but a need to have. People urgently need access, devices, connectivity, digital skills and support.” In addition, the Centre for Ageing Better’s recent briefing,


How has Covid-19 Changed the Landscape of Digital Inclusion?, notes that Covid-19 has spurred many more people to get online or to use the internet in new ways compared to before the outbreak. For example, 75 per cent of 50-70 year-olds say they are making video calls more often during lockdown and 31 per cent are emailing more than they did before the pandemic struck. “The pandemic has further exposed and deepened the


divide between the digital haves and have nots. Many activities, information and services have moved exclusively online without offering offline alternatives or with offline alternatives being limited or restricted. This has placed those without digital access at even greater risk of missing out than before the outbreak.”


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It goes on to say: “There is a wealth of resources available


In the digital world, our belief in what we see, hear and read is being distorted to the point we no longer know who or what to trust


for anyone providing digital training or support, but those new to providing support are often unaware of what is available.” It concludes by calling on the government to “create a resource bank that signposts to all the available resources from one central place”. This is something the Connections for All campaign will be supporting. The House of Lords committee report said that to protect free and open debate, online “platforms should be obliged to publish their content its decisions making clear what their actual rules of online debate are. Alongside establishing rules in the online world, we must also empower citizens, young and old, to take part as critical users of information.” They also said: “We need to create a programme of lifelong


education that will equip people with the skills they need to be active citizens. People need to be taught from a very young age about the ways in which platforms shape their online experience.” It seems the NUJ and NPC’s submissions were listened to.


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