October 27, 2021

In ‘Becoming digitally connected: What holds people back?’ (The Straits Times, 2021), Associate Professor Irene Y. H. Ng (NUS Department of Social Work), Professor Lim Sun Sun (SUTD Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Cluster), and Dr Natalie Pang (NUS Department of Communications and New Media) explain how fear, financial concerns, helplessness, poor self-esteem, ignorance, and mental bandwidth are key factors in complicating digital access for lower-income households.

Given the precarious financial situations the low-income households the research team interviewed were in, expensive digital devices like laptops which cost many times their monthly household income were viewed not as a new tool to benefit from, but an added responsibility. Cost concerns also extended to rising electricity bills, hefty device repair bills, children making unauthorised online purchases, and risks of getting scammed online.

For some interviewees, technology use was associated with the affluent and educated, and previously being labelled as ‘slow learners’ caused their self-confidence in learning how to use digital devices to fall. Most interviewees also did not have social networks with IT-savvy people who could help render technical support when needed. Many also did not understand why digital equipment and skills were becoming increasingly vital in today’s society. With so many problems that low-income families were facing – from financial strain, health problems, to child eldercare difficulties – digital access naturally fell lower in terms of importance to them.

The research team suggested that shifting to a model of universal digital access where devices, connectivity, and digital literacy training are made more affordable and readily accessible would be an important first step. Digital literacy needs will always be evolving, and therefore cannot be remedied with one-off workshops and activities. Fear, ignorance, and other mental barriers of low-income households must also be acknowledged and taken into account when designing public education and digital interfaces.

Read the article here.