Social and digital exclusion: who, and why?

In a second report for the inclusion work package, CUO puts emphasis on risk factors and vulnerable groups for social and digital exclusion. The central question in this part of the research was which population groups run the risk of social and digital exclusion and why. Based on a literature review, we created an overview of risk factors for social and digital exclusion. Furthermore, we discussed eight groups that were presented in literature as vulnerable groups. For these groups, we investigated how their exclusion risk takes shape in practice.

Not only socio-demographical and socio-economical factors

We created our own overview of risk factors for exclusion, combining existing overviews. This was done because the existing overviews are not described on the same level. In our overview, eight categories of risk factors were selected, namely socio-demographical and socio-economical factors, handicaps, cognitive characteristics (such as literacy level, hesitation towards IT use and low self confidence), social support resources (the social networks someone is part of), motivation, lifestyles (the social status and digital skills present in a household), transitions between life phases and geographical isolation. It became clear that there is still a strong focus on socio-demographical and socio-economical factors. With our model, however, we want to show that other factors can also play a role.

Besides risk factors for exclusion also vulnerable groups for social and digital exclusion were found in literature, namely elderly people, youngsters and children, poor people, ethnic minorities, people with a handicap, insecure and unmotivated people and women. For each of these vulnerable groups, the main risk factors as well as the shape the exclusion risk takes – social and/or digital – were discussed. It appeared that risk factors often occur in combinations and that exclusion risk is often social as well as digital. This corresponds to insights from earlier research, namely that groups at risk of social exclusion are often also at risk of digital exclusion and the other way around.

Complex puzzle

Based on a literature review, it was possible the draw some conclusions. Firstly, it appeared that the distinction between vulnerable groups for exclusion, risk factors and the resulting exclusion is not easily made. Moreover, the interplay of risk factors and vulnerable groups leads to a complex puzzle that is not yet entirely solved.

Secondly, a few questions arose. The first question concerns unmotivated people, namely whether it is necessary to convince people who aren’t motivated to use IT and even possibly do not want to be included to change their minds. The second question concerns risk factors and vulnerable groups for exclusion with regard to social media. We found very little information specifically on risk factors or vulnerable groups and social media. At this moment, we see two possible explanations for this, namely that the risk factors and vulnerable groups for social and digital exclusion are the same for social media or that there is a third exclusion type besides social and digital exclusion, namely social media exclusion. Therefore, we raise the question whether it is useful or necessary to make a distinction between digital exclusion in general and social media exclusion specifically. Do social media cause additional population groups to become vulnerable for social or digital exclusion? Is it possible to distinguish other or additional risk factors for exclusion from social media? If this is the case, how will we as researchers be able to determine these risk factors? How can we investigate what the influence of social media is on people’s exclusion risk? Research questions like these could surely be considered in the further steps of our research within EMSOC when we will map the experiences of people with an elevated exclusion risk. Furthermore, we would like to raise the question whether social media could function as a way to include people digitally and possibly also socially. Certain population groups might for example not be interested in using a computer, a smartphone or the internet in general. There is a possibility that these people would want to use social media to stay in contact with acquaintances, friends, family and colleagues. For these people, social media could reduce the threshold to use IT and thus provide opportunities for digital inclusion. Not only is it possible that people are digitally excluded but might be included concerning social media. It is also possible that people are digitally included but are not included when it comes to social media.

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