Digital divide must be tackled

Last year, the number of 'non-users' was down to 1.3 million adults. The Digidel campaign runs from 2011 to 2013 and is an initiative based entirely on voluntary participation. Sixteen stakeholders, led by public education and libraries, have committed to work towards getting an additional 500,000 adults online by the end of 2013.

Why is this important? The Internet is where we meet love, find our home, pay our bills, book our trips, get information and convey our heart's desire. The internet has almost become a prerequisite for participating in society. The alternative is expensive and impractical.

Half of the campaign period has passed. Nearly 300 partners from the public, non-profit and private sectors, as well as a number of individuals, are contributing with concrete actions, ranging from one-on-one tutoring in a library to a large-scale regional project. Last year, the number of 'non-users' was down to 1.3 million adults, a decrease of 200 000 in one year.

There is a Digidel collaboration in all counties in Sweden. The Digidel efforts are made by many committed people; usually voluntarily or on the margin in regular jobs. Project grants, for example from the Internet Infrastructure Foundation and the occasional region, free up working time for essential efforts. However, it is increasingly clear that targeted commitments from local and central government are needed. It would not be unreasonable for authorities such as the Employment Service and the Social Insurance Agency to get involved.

The target group is becoming increasingly difficult to reach. Non-users come in all ages, often with the common denominators of low education and thin wallets. Many times unemployed people lack digital skills, while it is a requirement for work. Social isolation, which means increased demands on municipal services, can be partly broken with digital services. For people born abroad, the opportunity to get to know their new home country online can help them integrate into society. These are three examples of effects that reduce social costs.

The municipalities' commitment should be self-evident, without it having to cost a lot of money. It would be desirable for the government to make greater efforts than encouragement, for example by taking a more long-term, strategic approach to these issues.

It is high time to discuss how the work to increase digital inclusion will be conducted after 2013. Voluntary funding can by no means be taken for granted. There will be a need: some million Swedes will still not be using the Internet, while the development of the Internet means that new skills are required.

Volunteers are keen to continue, and will do so if the financial conditions are right. But there must also be support - not necessarily in the form of large sums of money - from central and local government.

By nurturing and developing the digitization issue, we create the welfare society of the future. Decision-makers at all levels have a great responsibility to capture the experiences from Digidel and create strategies for more people to join the game.

Mikael von Otter, Chairman Digidel 2013

Christine Cars-Ingels Head of Digidel 2013