Collaborate to include – tackling the digital exclusion problem

Why working together, not against, is key to creating a digitally included society.

Is digital exclusion really a thing?

In such a digitally connected world, it is hard to imagine a day without your phone, an internet connection and a good understanding of how to use it all. How would you stay connected with friends, access information, book appointments and catch up with the latest tv series. However, this is the reality for too many people in Scotland. The Audit Scotland report highlighted that 9% of households have no internet access at all and 15% lack foundational digital skills.

There can be many barriers that prevent inclusion such as poverty, language, geography, age and disability (just to name a few!). However, these barriers are not indestructible. We must work together to break them down, so that people do not lose out on the benefits that digital can bring, such as culture, social connection, education, wellbeing, financial inclusion and even entertainment.

Okay, so how can we solve it?

We need to recognise that no one person or organisation can solve digital inclusion alone, nor is the complete expert. Let’s all do our part and share our skills, knowledge and resources.

Digital inclusion is recognising that it isn’t the people who are excluded who are at fault, but the systems built around them. Initiatives such as the ALLIANCE Digital Citizen Panel, who provide lived experience expertise in the design and development of digital services, are vital. We need to work with people to build systems and services that are accessible and meaningfully listening to people’s voices.

Industry can play a strong part by providing free support, data and devices to organisations and people in need. For example, BT has a strong partnership with AbilityNet, providing digital skills classes to older people and disabled people. Additionally, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone and Three all donate to the National Data Bank which provides free connectivity across the UK. We need commercial partners to fill that gap and recognise the value in digital inclusion. 

Trust is important in digital inclusion. The reasons why people can’t or won’t access digital can be very individual. Support through trusted, grassroots organisations that understand people and communities’ needs is so important. Organisations such as Simon Community, who support people affected by homelessness, and Networking Key Services, who support older South Asian women, run tailored digital inclusion projects. We need to recognise the immense value that grassroots organisations bring to the digital inclusion table.

Strong policy backing and funding from Scottish Government is a crucial foundation. Policy can support digital inclusion to be a priority and enable more aligned thinking across Scotland. Funding such as the Connecting Scotland and Digital Lifelines initiatives provided well needed resources and collaboration to deliver effective digital inclusion projects. We need this national-level support to be ongoing to strategically drive change and tackle digital inclusion.

So, collaboration not competition, right?

That’s right, even in a landscape with budget cuts, funding competition and stretched resources it is even more vital that we work together. Collaboration can take time, culture change and real, meaningful effort. However, when it works, it can open a whole new world of opportunities for people, including entertainment, health and wellbeing and human connection. Digital inclusion is necessity not a luxury.

At the ALLIANCE we strongly believe in collaboration. We work with organisations across Glasgow that focus on digital inclusion for our Peer Network and Discover Digital project. We are also a supporter of #DigitalKnowVember2025 and #GetOnlineWeek2025.

So as part of #GetOnlineWeek, let’s all commit to doing our part in tackling digital inclusion, because it is everyone’s responsibility. Yes, that means you!

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