Digital Home Strategy

Categories Of Users Based On Age

Information technology in the 21st century is used in economic, political, and socio-cultural ways for production and communication purposes. People with better access and more technological knowledge are, therefore, better able to exploit the full potential of information and communication technologies (ICT). Those with the latest technical experience benefit more, resulting in a higher socio-economic status. The skills involved in using the internet can be defined based on the number of websites visited, the time spent on the internet, proficiency in internet use, and the ability to use the internet in a variety of ways. Those who possess these skills benefit more from using ICT, resulting in a divide between information “haves” and “have nots”. Furthermore, the skills used to access the internet are more complex than those used to access oneself. This indicates a paradigm shift in the commonly understood definition of digital exclusion, that is, who has access and who does not (Barupal, 2017).

The new definition of digital exclusion is now based on user skills and access quality. This division can be assessed in terms of the age, educational qualifications, and economic status of a person, which in turn are influenced by one’s geographical location and government policies. According to a report by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), people with internet access doubled worldwide in five years (2012-2017). The number of households with internet access was 16% in developing countries and 66% in developed countries. Therefore, there is an apparent digital exclusion between high-income and low-income countries. The former provides higher speeds, higher bandwidth, and better access quality, while the latter offer lower speeds, lower capacity, and worse access quality. Therefore, digital exclusion has changed from mere access to including both user skills and access quality (Barupal, 2017).

Keeping in mind the consideration of how information affects wealth, let us move on to consider the criterion of age, which plays a significant role in mastering the use of computers in the private home.

The model of user categories classified by age is given in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Model of user categories by age

Strategy For User Y- Younger Uninformed Users

This category of users includes young people and children, including those who are either out of school or are studying but have a limited budget.

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  Purpose of computerization: Gain access internet and email

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  Digital strategy: take possession of used equipment, such as smartphones, tablets, or PCs. If that is not possible, use digital hardware in a library or internet café.

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  Adverse effects: there is a concern that fake news and data may influence the minds of users with limited training and those who have few relationships with people other than data maniacs.

Young people and children who grow up digitally excluded feel increasingly deficient and hopeless, with no chance of a better life.

Figure 2.

Smartphone rescue for digital exclusion (Photo: Toby Morris)