"Digital divide" describes the unequal access to virtual space. This can be denied in several ways. Going digital requires a functioning end device with compatible software and an internet connection. Both incur costs. Technology alone is not enough: users must also be able to operate it independently and implement innovations.
As you are probably reading this text on your mobile phone or computer, please ask yourself: How often do you use your device every day? How do you know how to use it? And: How do you finance your access to the Internet?
Being in the virtual world is no longer just about not missing out on your neighbours' holiday photos on Facebook. It's about being able to find information online, dealing with the authorities independently online or having equal access to work and training. If this is not the case, people are excluded from equal participation.
Without the internet? Almost no longer possible.
The internet has become almost the most common source of information in Germany: Just under 78 per cent of the population aged 14 and over used the internet to get information in 2023. The only other more frequent source of information was through relatives and friends. With the growing importance of digital services, more and more processes are moving to the virtual space, which is evident in the decline in the number of branches of banks, health insurance companies and retailers, among others. Job advertisements, information services and social interaction are also increasingly taking place in the digital space, meaning that people without access are being excluded. At the same time, even in 2023, five per cent of the population aged between 16 and 74 in Germany were still offline, meaning they had never used the internet. These 3.1 million people therefore have no access to what has become a central space for social interaction.
The reason for this void may be a free decision to live an analogue life. However, many people lack this freedom of choice because they are unable to enter the digital space. Access to the internet and the ability to use the benefits of the internet and digitalisation depend largely on various factors such as income, age and personal skills. These determine how easily people can access online applications, how they have to integrate them into their everyday lives and whether they can use them at all.
Poverty closes off access
In order to be present online, the necessary hardware and software is required, as well as sufficiently secure Internet access. As incomes fall, it becomes more difficult to finance this infrastructure. in 2019, 20 per cent of adults living in poverty stated that they did not have an internet connection in their own household. A third cited the cost as the reason for this. Among people above the poverty threshold, only 8.5 per cent of households did not have an internet connection. This was hardly ever due to cost reasons.
A lack of access to virtual space has a consistent effect on the practice required for confident use. Unemployed people and those working in the low-wage sector are less likely to use a computer in their everyday lives. To put it simply: people who put away shelves don't need to check their emails. This means that income and working methods have a negative impact on the type and extent of digital presence. Those affected lack daily practice, meaning that they can only implement technical innovations with more effort. This makes it difficult for them to adapt to changes.
This is also reflected in their online presence: only 41 per cent of unemployed people use online banking, compared to 67 per cent of employed people. The situation is similar when it comes to participating in social media and searching for information online. The unemployed use the internet significantly less. As the choice of profession is also largely determined by one's own education, a link can also be established between education and income and attitudes towards digitalisation: The lower one's education, the more negatively this development is perceived.
Outlook
This structural discrimination means that poor and low-income people are less able to benefit from digitalisation and are underrepresented in the digital space. However, digitalisation can bring us many advantages: Processes are accelerated, networking is made easier, information can be shared more easily. However, this development must be socially inclusive. The voices of those who only speak quietly or not at all in the digital space must also be heard. This also means creating access for those who are unable to embrace new developments on their own, as well as keeping analogue paths open.
