Heinrich Hertz discovering radio waves, from Raymond Francis Yates, Louis Gerard Pacent (1922) The Complete Radio Book, The Century Co., New York, p. 32
I have the privilege of being a facilitator for the Leeds Poverty Truth Commission. Through it, community commissioners who struggle against poverty work with senior leaders from all sectors within the city to address issues of poverty together. It relies on building strong, trusting relationships so that difficult conversations about contentious issues might be conducted. So, when lockdown happened it presented a challenge. The only way to keep the commission going seemed to be to go online but in doing this, we knew we would have to bridge the digital divide.
The digital divide is the gap between those who do and those who do not have access to information and communication technologies. In the UK, 11.7 million people lack basic digital skills and an estimated 1.9 million households are without internet access (Lloyds Consumer Digital Index 2020). The vast majority of these households have low incomes. The University of Cambridge report ‘only 51% of households earning between £6000-10,000 had home internet access compared with 99% of households with an income of over £40,001.’
The lockdown has shone a light on this digital divide. To survive, it seems Wi-Fi has become a basic need. A few years ago, I saw an adapted version of Maslow’s hierarchy for teenagers. Below the physiological needs of water, food, shelter and warmth was added a new box labelled Wi-Fi. What was meant as a joke, for parents who are keen to reduce the negative impact that the conditions of lockdown impose on their children’s education, Wi-Fi seems like a basic need. Education delivered over the internet is a costly business for parents and guardians. To add to the usual outgoings there are additional data costs, ensuring all the children have a device to access lessons alongside what you may need to access the internet for work. If you simply can’t afford these, the digital divide exacerbates the inequality you already experience.
It’s not only education that is impacted by the digital divide in lockdown. For adults needing to access benefit claims, the closure of community centres and hubs has meant increased insecurity of not knowing about their financial status. For people isolated and on their own, the inability to get online increases loneliness and disconnection from others. If you are shielding, no internet makes online shopping impossible. In lockdown, the social implications of digital exclusion have been brought into sharp relief.
Trying to take the work of the Leeds Poverty Truth Commission online has highlighted a number of these dynamics and revealed others. For many of the civic and business commissioners their work went online. OK, it was a huge challenge for their organisations to ensure that everything worked smoothly, but within a matter of days they were able to continue with their work and connect with others. For the community commissioners it was more of a challenge. Many of them had devices that would enable them to stay connected. Some had the right devices but not enough internet. Others, living in council properties had the data but didn’t have the devices, and a small group had neither device nor internet.
Somehow, we managed to get all the right equipment and data in place for the whole group. Yet, by trying to hold commission meetings on zoom we have experienced other dynamics at play within the digital divide. Here are four that have become apparent to me during this time.
Having the equipment is the easy part. Being able to use it is the hard part. For one of our community commissioners, furnishing them with a device and internet was one thing, being able to access zoom was something else. Before every meeting I would go and log him onto the call before returning home to join the call myself. His obvious pride the first time that he logged himself on is one of my own highlights of lockdown.
Logging on is the easy part, “showing up” is the hard part. Entering a zoom call is an anxiety inducing activity. If you are struggling with self-worth, turning the camera on is a challenge. If your confidence is low, speaking for the first time in an online conversation is difficult particularly when others appear experienced and skilled in engaging this way.
“Showing up” is the easy part, paying attention is the hard part. Whilst video conferencing has seemed one of the best ways of surviving lockdown it is hard work. The little social queues that give us a clue as to how someone is feeling are harder to detect. Simultaneously looking at multiple people can be overwhelming and means it can be demanding to pay attention. These limitations of online conferencing have reminded me of the gift and importance of meeting “in person.”
Being on zoom is the easy part, turning off is the hard part. An Anglican Priest shared with me that for some of her parishioners who live alone, leaving the zoom service or conversation was painful. That may well be the last human interaction that they have for a number of days.
As a commission we are determined to think through and find ways in which we can respond to the digital divide. One of our community commissioners has built a connection with a tech company who are now helping some of his ‘offline’ neighbours to have internet access. Another community commissioner has worked with Digital Leeds to ensure that a number of refugee families are able to loan devices so that their children could do homework. Incidentally, the children were concerned about telling their teachers that they hadn’t got internet access for fear of how this reflected on Mum and Dad.
Yet, if the world is going to be increasingly online, we are going to need to find more comprehensive solutions. As the Cambridge report claims, ‘the pandemic has already changed the way we interact: it looks set to have a lasting effect on the way we communicate.’ If the impacts of the digital divide are to be taken seriously then the collaborative creativity of a wide range of organisations is necessary. Yet, getting the infrastructure is only part of the story. As with so many issues for people who are struggling at the “wrong end” of the divide, we will need to pay attention, offer personalised support, and build their confidence to “show up” in a digital age.
Andrew Grinnell is a member of Urban Life, and a facilitator for the Leeds Poverty Truth Commission - an organisation that brings together people who struggle against poverty and leaders from within public, private, third and faith sectors. His doctoral research addressed the political and societal implications of the practice of Christians relocating to low-income neighbourhoods in the UK.