Accumulative barriers that limit opportunities

Not having affordable access or any access to high-speed, unlimited and reliable internet means people must face accumulative barriers that limit their opportunities to learn, acquire additional digital knowledge and skills and fully participate in digital environments. Those with limited digital access

• Are more likely to depend on their cellphones with data limits and pay-as-you-go plans

• Limit or avoid activities, like watching an exercise video to help recover from an injury, that could run up their data

• Are more dependent on public access in libraries and public spaces, which have time limits (often one hour) and public networks

• Might not have printers, scanners and cameras, making it challenging to complete forms or participate in online meetings

• Compared to the average Canadian, those with lower incomes and lower levels of education are far less likely to bank online, access government websites, download apps and make phone calls.

Time spent online is curtailed since it requires planning, effort and careful calculation of costs. For those privileged enough to pay for high-speed, seamless access across multiple devices, it’s difficult to imagine the frustrations and stress of not having this access. We created data-informed informational graphics to tell this story. 

Digital exclusion is also socio-economic and civic exclusion 

Public access is not a means to digital inclusion and digital literacy. At best, it is a stopgap. Worse—as demonstrated during the pandemic when public access became unpredictable—it is debilitating. Limited online engagement also means people have fewer opportunities to develop their digital repertoires. Digital usage and activity barriers fueled by a lack of affordability accumulate, preventing people from accessing vital services and fully participating in social, economic, learning and civic online spaces. Voices are not heard, benefits are not realized and new inequities compound as businesses, services and supports shift rapidly to online-only and online-first interaction and transaction. 

Already marginalized people and communities are further marginalized without having access to all elements of digital inclusion. Technology can indeed promote socio-economic mobility but without full inclusion, it can also further stratify. Once people are online they can encounter spaces, communities and content most often designed, maintained and operated by people who don't reflect the perspectives, interests and concerns of the majority of its users, including speakers of different languages. An initiative called Whose Knowledge is trying to change that by working with under-represented groups, including women, racialized groups, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQI communities and others from the Global South to represent multiple perspectives and knowledge.