Week 15 - Digital Exclusion

Question 1

Digital exclusion

Answer 1

Inability to fully participate in digital life due to limited ability, access, or affordability.
Leads to social, economic, and educational disadvantages.

Question 2

What are the 3 layers of digital exclusion

Answer 2

• Ability divide
• Access divide
• Affordability divide

Question 3

Ability (digital exclusion)

Answer 3

• Ability: the skills, literacy, and confidence needed to engage with digital technologies.
• Includes:
  − Digital literacy: navigating software, apps and online services.
  − Physical/cognitive factors: vision, hearing, dexterity, memory or learning difficulties.
  − Motivation and confidence: believing in the value of technology and feeling comfortable experimenting.

Question 4

Potential solutions to ability causing digital exclusion

Answer 4

• Training and workshops: personalised instructions or community classes.
• Inclusive design: larger fonts, voice controls, screen readers, easy navigation.
• User-friendly design: clear menus, error tolerance, accessible layouts.

Question 5

Access (digital exclusion)

Answer 5

• The ability to obtain and use necessary devices, infrastructure and reliable internet or mobile connectivity.
• Includes:
  − Infrastructure: broadband coverage, mobile data networks, public Wi-Fi availability.
  − Devices: Smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearables, other hardware.
  − Availability and reliability: stable connections speeds, consistent power supply.

Question 6

Potential solutions to access causing digital exclusion

Answer 6

• Infrastructure investment: expanding broadband to underserved areas.
• Community resources: public libraries with free computer and internet access.
• Device donations/ refurbishing: low-costs or donated devices for those in need.

Question 7

Affordability (digital exclusion)

Answer 7

• The financial feasibility of purchasing and maintaining devices, paying for internet, and covering ongoing costs.
• Includes:
  − Upfront costs: devices (phones, laptops) and setup fees (routers, modem).
  − Ongoing expenses: monthly internet or mobile data plans, software subscriptions.
  − Hidden costs: repairs, upgrades, data security and electricity bills.

Question 8

Potential solutions to affordability causing digital exclusion

Answer 8

• Subsidies and discounts: government or NGO programs that reduces broadband/device costs.
• Flexible payment plans: pay as you go data, budget devices, community-run internet services.
• Partnerships and grants: collaboration with tech companies, local councils or charities to make tech more affordable.

Question 9

Digital Divide

Answer 9

• Inequalities in access to, use of, and benefits from digital technology.
• Affects different groups based on:
  − Age: Generational differences in digital skills.
  − Income: Economic barriers to technology access.
  − Geography: Rural vs. urban connectivity.
  − Education: Digital literacy gaps.
  − Disability: Accessibility barriers in tech design.

Question 10

What are the 3 layers of digital divide

Answer 10

• Access divide: having access to internet, devices and infrastructure.
• Skills divide: knowing how to effectively use technology.
• Usage divide: who does and doesn’t benefit from technology.

Question 11

What are the 4 generational categories in the digital world

Answer 11

• Generation Alpha: First fully AI-native generation (Gen Alpha).
• Digital Natives: Born into the digital world (Gen Z, Millennials).
• Digital Immigrants: Adopted technology later in life (Gen X, Boomers).
• Digital Pioneers: Early adopters of the internet and computing (Older Millennials, Gen X).

Question 12

Silver Digital Divide

Answer 12

• Elderly people and people of the older generation struggling to adopt to and trust new technology.
• Barriers include:
  − Lack of digital skills.
  − Trust and security concerns (phishing, scams).
  − Complexity of modern interfaces.

Question 13

Solutions to the silver digital divide

Answer 13

• User friendly tech designs.
• Community training programs.
• Voice assistance and AI helpers.

Question 14

Economic Digital Divide

Answer 14

• Technology is expensive meaning not everyone can afford to buy it or to maintain it (electricity bills, internet bills, repairs etc.).
• Low-income communities struggle with:
  − Affording smartphones, computers, & high-speed internet.
  − Data costs (mobile vs. broadband).
  − School & work digital requirements.

Question 15

Geographic Digital Divide

Answer 15

• Urban and rural areas have different access or quality of access to internet and technology.
• Urban areas: Faster internet, more infrastructure.
• Rural areas: Poor broadband access, fewer public Wi-Fi locations.

Question 16

Educational Digital Divide

Answer 16

• Digital skills are now essential for employment, education, and daily life but not everyone has these skills.
• Challenges include:
  − The Homework Gap: Students in low-income areas often lack devices or stable internet.
  − The Skills Divide: Many adults struggle with digital tools, limiting job opportunities.
  − AI & Automation Shift: The digital economy demands new skills that aren’t evenly taught.

Question 17

Disability Digital Divide

Answer 17

• People with disabilities face barriers to accessing technology.
• Barriers include:
  − Lack of screen reader compatibility on many websites.
  − Inaccessible online learning platforms for visually & hearing-impaired.
  − Job applications often require digital skills but lack assistive technology support.

Question 18

Possible solutions for the disability digital divide

Answer 18

• Screen Readers & Braille Displays: Convert digital text into audio or tactile Braille (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, Orbit Reader).
• Eye-Tracking Systems: Allow users to control a computer with eye movements (e.g., Tobii Dynavox).
• Alternative Keyboards & Adaptive Mice: Custom input devices for limited mobility users.

Question 19

Digital Privacy Divide

Answer 19

• Knowledge Gaps in Online Safety means some groups are more vulnerable to online threats.
  − Older adults – More susceptible to phishing & scams
  − Children & teens – Lack of awareness about data tracking & cyberbullying
  − Low-literacy users – Struggle to navigate privacy settings & misinformation

Question 20

Gender Digital Divide

Answer 20

• Discrepancies in internet/device access, digital skills, and online benefits across gender lines.
• Global Gap: Women in many regions have lower rates of device ownership and internet usage than men, these averages can differ significantly by region, so we should avoid broad-brush assumptions.
• Contributing factors
  − Cultural or social norms (e.g., tech seen as ‘male domain’ in some communities).
  − Economic barriers (women may earn less or have less control over finances).
  − Safety and privacy concerns (online harassment, need for better safety features).
• Causes reduced educational and economic opportunities, lower digital literacy, and limited online participation.

Question 21

Digital Exclusion vs digital divide

Answer 21

• Digital exclusion focuses on why individuals may not participate fully whereas digital divide focuses on which groups/regions are left behind and how these disparities manifest.
  Recognizes differences in technology use as inequity (injustice).
• Digital divide can create group level divides (digital divide) whereas digital divide can worsen individual divides (digital exclusion).
  Recognizes differences in technology use as inequality (differences in outcomes).

Question 22

Access doctrine

Answer 22

Belief that providing basic tech access is enough to “pull” individuals out of poverty or marginalization.
Problem in that it can normalise “abandonment” of those who still face structural barriers, making inequality appear more acceptable.

Question 23

Bias in AI generated content

Answer 23

• Reinforcement Learning Bias: AI models prioritize common patterns in training data, leading to exclusion of less frequent cases.
• Data Representation Gap: Training datasets reflect dominant cultural and commercial practices, reinforcing mainstream biases.
• Mode Collapse & Algorithmic Defaulting: Overfitting to high-frequency examples leads to AI-generated content lacking diversity and inclusion.

Question 24

Bias in AI - implications for digital exclusion

Answer 24

• Marginalized Users: Diverse cultural representations, or non-Western aesthetics may be underrepresented in AI outputs.
• Limited Personalization: AI struggles to generate images reflecting diverse user needs, reinforcing the dominance of majority-represented groups.
• Designing for Inclusion: Addressing dataset imbalances and re-weighting reinforcement learning to diversify AI outputs is crucial for reducing digital exclusion.

Question 25

Challenges and opportunities of AI and inclusion

Answer 25

+ AI assistants: Can help older adults & low-literacy users navigate tech e.g., smart speakers and chat bots. - Algorithmic bias: AI tools often reinforce existing digital divides. ± Automation and jobs: AI is changing the skills require in the workforce - AI automation is reshaping industries, upskilling/ reskilling is critical.

Question 26

Technical Solutions for Inclusive AI

Answer 26

- Local-First or Edge AI: reduces reliance on high-speed internet, processes data on-device. - Federated Learning Models: train AI on decentralized data sets, improving representation without centralizing private info. - Explainable AI (XAI) and Model Interpretability: help users understand AI decisions - Bias Detection & Mitigation Tools: measure and reduce algorithmic bias - Low-Resource Language: Support Transfer learning or domain adaptation to handle languages with limited data.