Digitization can leave disadvantaged citizens in the lurch

Digital inclusion is rarely a free choice for adults with limited basic skills. Moreover, there are many hurdles to overcome before someone can function well digitally, which can present difficulties for disadvantaged citizens. On the other hand, such people exercise a great deal of resilience and creativity to stay afloat. These are the conclusions of Alex Smit’s doctoral research. Smit investigated how Dutch adults with limited basic skills experience and navigate the digital society. Smit will receive his PhD from the University of Groningen on 29 January.

Based on observations and interviews in three contexts (vocational education, public libraries, and a community centre), Smit shows that digital inclusion rarely feels like a free choice. For many participants, digitization is a necessity, as services and policies are increasingly digital by default. This shifts administrative work to citizens and potentially reinforces existing vulnerabilities and social inequality.

Smit’s analysis identifies a layered set of barriers that reinforce each other. Social barriers relate to the availability of reliable help and network capacity. Cultural barriers are found in textual norms, formal bureaucratic language, and implicit expectations of what a ‘normal’ user can read, write, and understand. Material barriers consist of more than just owning a device: think of two-step verification, forms that work best on a computer, and unstable internet connections. Affective barriers often prove decisive, as shame, fear of making mistakes, loss of autonomy, and a feeling of not belonging undermine confidence and make it more difficult to ask for help. Political barriers arise when techno-solutionist ideals and mandatory online platforms leave little room for other routes, which can reinforce exclusion.

At the same time, people with limited basic skills demonstrate agency and resilience. They develop creative tactics and everyday forms of digital literacy through voice messages, visual and auditory cues, translation apps, scanning text with the camera, and reading or clicking together with someone else. These personal digital inclusion methods enable participation, but can increase dependency and lead to fragmented participation.

Smit: ‘The imposition of digital standards in the interaction between the state and its citizens clearly shows how disadvantaged citizens can be driven into a corner. We deliberately use the term ‘disadvantaged’. Participants in the study indicated that this is a neutral term that accurately reflects how digitization puts them at a disadvantage, rather than offering new opportunities. Existing social inequalities are exacerbated by the imposition of digital participation. This insight shows that digital inclusion is a multidimensional and layered dynamic that can both marginalize and empower people. The way it is experienced and the opportunities that it can offer depend mainly on individual contexts, limitations, and possibilities.’

Smit therefore calls for social-digital inclusion: strengthen local support structures, ensure full offline alternatives, and design services together with users, so that digital citizenship becomes an opportunity rather than an obligation.