Dec 21

Big Digital Society, I Think Not

There have been a couple of articles this week which do nothing to make me feel any less concerned that we are failing to address the fundemental need for a knowledge society so that the benefits are there for everybody and not just the few.

Aug 4

Back to Basics Get The Inclusion Initiative Right

In 2011 Citizens Online and Penval undertook work to identify the potential for digital inclusion projects in parts of Glasgow. To those who have worked in the digital inclusion arena for a while the anonamised extract below would seem to be a statement of the obvious; yet, when the headline is the British obsession with smart phones rather than the exclusion of a whole sector of society then perhaps it is time to revisit the basics.

Jul 23

Therefore it’s unacceptable….

It’s a fair question, isn’t it? Government invests all that money in local government IT; then supports all of that community based activity: digital inclusion advisers, digital mentors, UK Online Centres, Race Online 2012; what does it get for its money?

Jul 18

Dear Don Tapscott

On Twitter @cyberdoyle recently re-tweeted a Chinese proverb; “The person who says it cannot be done, should not interrupt the person doing it.” I’m pleased to say that as well as @cyberdoyle I have followed Don Tapscott on Twitter for some time. I like his speculative thinking and his willingness to consider as possible those things which make others roll their eyes and shake their heads. I don’t have to agree with everything he says, but I’m happy to explore the possibilities.

Mar 14

Digital Inclusion & Public Value – Have the States Got IT?

Broadband Infrastructure must be one of the few public procurements where form does not follow function. Form rules in terms of technology, there are wireless champions, cable champions, and fibre champions yet nobody seems to be sitting down to consider exactly what it is we want to deliver. If speed were a commodity then everything would be fine, everybody agrees that they want speedy communications but given that we are embarked upon a significant public spend ought we to not at least debate what we are looking for in our communities?

Nov 24

Enter The App

The route to digital inclusion is becoming a matter of political choice: people are being included in what? A set of values, becoming one of us? Having access to the means of production? Gaining access to a channel of expression shared by like minded people? It’s no longer enough simply to say that people need to be digitally included so that they can access services or access skills; by becoming digitally included they are also being invited to take on a whole set of social values as well. There are implicit assumptions that people will want to shop in a certain way, book holidays, and communicate with people who do similar things in a similar way. Is that what digital inclusion looks like to those whose networks are survival networks? Is this one of the reasons why we fail to engage so many in the digital inclusion agenda because we are bringing with us a set of social values that are irrelevant? Are we including people in a way that is enhancing their survival networks and empowering them to deal with their own issues or will giving them them a phone and telling them to use the app just maintain a social and digital divide?

Apr 2

My Digital Inclusion Manifesto

The last two years have stood witness to an ebb and flow of initiatives and policies to a point where digital inclusion is now high on the political agenda. I have argued for and against the different views of what constitutes digital inclusion in particular I have often argued against those who would claim to have the answer. I thought it was time I put forward my thoughts as a digital inclusion manifesto.

Mar 14

Cesi n'est pas une pipe

The National Digital Inclusion Conference 2010 (NDI 10) was a better conference than last year. This was in part due to the involvement of larger numbers of individuals and groups that are engaged in delivery and in part due to the organisation of the event which was much more open than last year. Martha Lane [...]

Mar 6

Plus ca Change, Plus ca Meme Chose

In a truly digital society there is no reason why any digitally included person should not participate in society, or in the economy. Yet, because we organise ourselves on an industrial basis those who cannot join the mass movement to centres of production on a daily basis are excluded from the economy and relegated to a dependency on the state.

Feb 11

Silver Bullets

Silver bullets have a place in the popular consciousness; a silver bullet used to despatch the bad guys for the Lone Ranger, silver bullets are also useful if you need to dispense with a werewolf and silver bullets probably make great jewellery.  In “Systems Thinking, Systems Practise” Peter Checkland revisits the idea of Weltanschauung or world [...]