Working in the digital industries we take so much for granted. We develop a familiarity with technology and use it at work and at home, and we thrive in this digital age as more and more of the interaction we have with business and government goes online.
There are transient annoyances of course. Technologies get out of step and don’t work as smoothly as they might. Criminal attacks through viruses, phishing and spam become ever more sophisticated. But if we are really stuck there’s usually a friend or colleague that can help.
In my business life I typically interact with people in digital technology or other companies that are relatively comfortable in the changing world, or at least know how to manage. Many of them also provide informal support to relatives and friends so that many people who might otherwise be disadvantaged are not (as an aside, there’s a resource pool there that needs to be better utilised).
I’m also a third sector volunteer - a front line generalist volunteer with the
Citizens Advice Bureau in West Lothian. Issues on debt, relationships, employment, housing, NHS and consumer problems all cross our threshold.
Oh, and did I mention benefits? For our bureau benefits and debt have always been the largest problem categories by number of cases. But with the changes being introduced to the benefit system, and the introduction of a tougher and more stringent sanctions regime, it’s an increasingly large and complex part of our workload.
Many of our clients have difficulty coping with these problems anyway but now they are being forced to come to terms with an increasingly online world.
Digital Public Services is no longer an option, it’s the default. Arguably that’s the correct route to go. It’s cheaper, offers opportunities for greater efficiency and, for the digital natives or digital immigrants amongst us, it’s the preferred route. Most of us manage OK - but we mustn’t forget the tens of thousands that cannot.
It isn’t just form filling. Job searching and job applications need to be done online. People have benefits removed – not because they don’t want to search for a job but because they cannot use the technology or don’t have ready access.
Some help is available for those who know where to go or have the self-confidence to ask. Libraries have publicly available computers, although very often they are fully booked. DWP offices have online access but often those are inconvenient or with inadequate or unaffordable public transport. Insufficient use is made of community schools and other hubs but that’s beginning to change.
There is no easy answer. The third sector picks up a lot of the slack, but often at the end of the process when problems are already at a critical point. Friends and family help. Technology itself has partly come to the rescue. Tablets have a much easier to use interface and sales to the silver surfer generation have rocketed. Physical access is becoming less of a problem as Next Generation Broadband is being rolled out with 4G promising to help resolve issues with remote locations.
Digital inclusion is for everyone and government needs to take the lead in making sure no one is disadvantaged. The delivery of help can come from all sorts of places but it needs to be properly funded and coordinated. Frankly, a huge part of the rush to digital public services is because that’s the cheapest way to deliver them. That shouldn’t be allowed to disadvantage huge swathes of our citizens who aren’t ready, willing or able to cope.
Last modified on 22 January 2020
