ABSTRACT. This chapter grapples with the context how being on-line provides unprecedented freedoms and challenges within the amorphous, postmodern hyper-real landscapes of socio-digital communication. The fluid rules for being and belonging on-line in contemporary settings are aligned with the multiplicity of competing subjectivities and narratives. In this paper we draw on the discursive presence of contemporary digital relations to trace the risky business of how competing subjectivities and narratives of identity are digitally done over for those of us who reside outside of categories of normalcy on-line. How might the internet look and feel if designed and constructed by those that are marginalised? Drawing on the critical work of W.B. Du Bois (1973), we consider: ‘How does it feel to be a digital ‘problem’?’, ‘What does it mean to digitally belong or to be an outsider?’ and ‘How does it feel to speak, out of an abjected digital epistemic space?’ Inhabiting reviled bodies on the social networking app for LGBTI+ people, ‘Grinder’ and professional network ‘LinkedIn’, can be a risky business. Methodologically, we draw on our summoned selves (Ricoeur,1992), constituted and defined by our position as respondents on these platforms, to focus our critical inquiry onto what extent specific digital entanglements speak to the ways in which hegemonic cultures constitute the becoming of the digital Other. Situating dissident and non-normative readings as a way of world-making and self-making our analytic gaze is crystalised from an understanding of how “[m]eanings do not exist in objects or activities; they are assigned to events by people who perceive and interpret their context’ (Smircich, 1983, p. 165). We consider digital connections as a queer man on Grinder and a fourth wave feminist on LinkedIn, as a social practice that constitutes a form of belonging. We look to the routinely reified and represented being at the digital centre, to consider how narrative resist-stances are being articulated by those who inhabit the digital borderlands.

References Du Bois, W. B. (1973). My Impressions of Woodrow Wilson. The Journal of Negro History, 58(4), 453-459. Ricoeur, P. (1992). Oneself as Another. trans. Kathleen Blamey; Chicago. Smircich, L. (1983). Concepts of culture and organizational analysis. Administrative science quarterly, 339-358.

ABSTRACT. Digital platforms have been posited as alternative spaces providing equitable opportunities for digital entrepreneurship to all genders. However, little is known about how women and men experience the state of liminality while adapting or transitioning to digital entrepreneurial careers and how their experiences differ from each other. To comprehend this, we undertake a qualitative study and analyze narratives of young entrepreneurs who transitioned from employment to digital entrepreneurship. Our findings confirm that liminal thinking facilitates risk-taking ability, empowers entrepreneurs, and enhances resilience. However, these experiences are subjective and permeated by gender stereotypes. Owing to this, women as compared to their counterparts face wider gender issues and professional challenges during this paradoxical phase of transition. Women are expected to multi-task and often become vulnerable to societal pressures of getting married, having children, managing a home, or giving up their careers. This leads women to experience a constant sense of self-doubt and exclusion throughout their entrepreneurial journey. In contrast, men who also deal with anxiety, precarity, and constant family pressure during the transition period receive more respect and professional acceptance in digital spaces. Despite their initial challenges, men deal with lesser inhibitions in their path to creating a possible future. Therefore, our study argues that digital entrepreneurs are not a homogenous group and that there is a contrasting difference between how women and men structure, plan, and organize their careers as entrepreneurs in digital spaces which are envisaged to be neutral for all.

ABSTRACT. In society dominated by heterosexuality, LGBT remain marginalized. With the development of new media technology and social media platforms, they have entered the public eye through the internet, and more and more normal, rather than single negative, images of LGBT are presented on social media platforms. After several years of self shaping and other shaping through online media, the problem of digital integration of sexual minorities in the online society has been addressed to a certain extent. Therefore, this article aims to explore the reporting framework of LGBT constructed by media on social media platforms through content analysis, and to critically analyze the discourse strategies through text analysis, revealing how this reporting responds to the marginalization of LGBT, while also conducting emotional analysis of corresponding public feedback, to further reflect on people's cognition and emotional identity towards LGBT in cyberspace. The article concludes by calling for more balanced news reporting by the media, more sound data literacy among the public, and more thorough anti discrimination policies by the government to provide digital intervention practices to address the digital barriers of LGBT, which have a significant impact on social cohesion and national security. The data of this study is from Sina Weibo's reports on LBGT issues from 2012 to 2022, taking China News Network, Southern Metropolis Daily, New Beijing News, Surge News, Phoenix Weekly, Sohu News, Sina News, NetEase News, Beijing Youth Daily as samples, with the keywords of "homosexuality", "sexual minorities", "gay", "lesbian", "transgender" and "bisexual", author searched for 259 related blogs. The analysis found that compared to traditional mainstream media with shallow entertainment reporting themes, centralized news sources, imbalanced reporting angles, and provocative and exaggerated reporting content, social media platforms are much more open, inclusive, and comprehensive. They not only provide a platform for ordinary netizens to understand marginalized groups in society, but also provide opportunities for LGBT groups to speak out. Compared to traditional media using suggestive words to construct biased social images of minority groups, social media platforms have gradually moved towards "decriminalization" and "non pathology", showing a relatively mild attitude when reporting on constructive LGBT. However, some media reports have always struggled to escape the legal rights framework, moral and ethical framework, human sentiment framework, pathological framework, and conflict framework. Through discourse analysis of the selected texts, it was found that LGBT groups often appear as others in reports, and labeling and stereotyping are still common. Behind this is the attachment to a naturalized ideology, implying some opaque domination, power, control, and discrimination. This marginalization is mainly achieved through the form of "immoral discourse, alienated discourse, pathological or medical discourse". The practice of social media in gender equality for LGBT groups is far from achieving the effect of eliminating bias. By studying the empowerment and integration status of LGBT as marginal social groups on social media platforms, as well as the public's attitudes and views on them, this paper finds that the social exclusion of LGBT has been alleviated to some extent, and LGBT are no longer hidden in new media. However, in general, compared with the mainstream heterosexuality groups, They are still in a relatively passive and disadvantaged position in media coverage, and digital equality for LGBT is bound to have a long way to go. To change society's one-sided, erroneous, and biased understanding of the image of LGBT, they still face many challenges. Strive to break through the catering to heterosexuality cultural hegemony in many ways, so as to realize the pluralistic and equal presentation of the value demands of LGBT in the social and cultural field as soon as possible.

ABSTRACT. The Australian Digital Inclusion Index (Thomas et al. 2021) reports that overall improvements are being made to Australians’ access to and use of affordable technology. However while improvements are being made for groups who have been the focus of dedicated policy and programs - like seniors - other groups remain highly excluded. People on low-incomes are one group of Australians who are persistently excluded, and addressing the opportunities for improving their digital inclusion in light of rising costs of living is a pressing need.

The proposed paper presents findings from a three year Australian Research Council project that explored the intersecting factors that affect low-income families digital inclusion and participation. Working in and with communities, families and national charity partners, the research focused on the key areas of children’s home and school learning experiences, school leavers’ transitions into work, and parenting in digital times. We found that low-income families are complex, with some families creatively using digital technologies, while others remain highly excluded. We outline the challenges and benefits of working with families over an extended period of time, and present community case studies and key family personas that demonstrate low-income families varied access to and use of technology. The proposed paper then presents opportunities for addressing identified gaps in supporting families access to and use of technology, in the Australian context.

ABSTRACT. With the increasing degree of aging in China and the prevalence of misinformation, information fatigue, and information avoidance brought about by social media, how the elderly cope with health information risks in the social media environment has become an important issue.

1.Research Background and Research Question Information avoidance is an important component of people's information seeking behavior. From the perspective of health communication, especially from the perspective of health communication through social media, the elderly's health-information avoidance behavior and its influencing factors have begun to attract scholars' attention. Scholars from different countries and regions have explored the influence of individual factors (disease experience, habits, information literacy, psychological factors, etc.), social environment (values, health concepts, etc.), external environment (information environment, interpersonal relationship, etc.) and other factors on information avoidance. However, how to explore the unique influence variables in different cultural contexts is still worth exploring. On the other hand, in the process of health digital inclusion of Chinese elderly, the academic community recognizes the synergy of social support paths such as generational backfeeding, family, community, and market forces, but also points out that currently generational back-feeding of children is an irreplaceable means of social support and solution in China, and back-feeding of elders is one of the responsibilities of Chinese children. Current research on digital back-feeding in China has not paid enough attention to its effect. In terms of the health-information avoidance behavior of Chinese elderly, some scholars have found the phenomenon of “back-feeding resistance” in the elderly through qualitative studies. Among them, parents' concerns based on generational relations are an important reason for their “back-feeding avoidance” behavior, which is also a unique phenomenon in the context of Chinese “family culture”. In summary, this study explores the effect of generational back-feeding from the perspective of information avoidance. Based on the core topic of “health-information avoidance of the elderly in the social media environment”, it explores how children's generational back-feeding willingness and behavior influence parents' information avoidance behavior against the backdrop of Chinese family culture and generational relationship. Based on the results of the study, this thesis provides localized thinking to better understand the health-information avoidance behavior of the elderly in China, and puts forward effective strategies and suggestions for generational back-feeding.

2.Research Design Specifically, this study takes the elderly over 60 years old as the research object, and employs the structural equation model method based on questionnaire data to explore the complex relationship between the type of generational back-feeding health information, parent-child back-feeding willingness, family generational relationship (family closeness and family power structure) and the elderly's health-information avoidance.

3.Expected Research Findings In a pre-test study, we found that both the children's back-feeding willingness and the children's family status were significantly positively correlated with the elderly's health-information avoidance, which means that the stronger the children's back-feeding willingness and the higher the children's family status, the more likely it is to lead to the elderly's health-information avoidance behavior. This result fully demonstrates the family authority structure and order concept with Chinese characteristics. Based on the findings of previous studies, this study endeavors to explore how the cultural dimension variable of "generational relationship and family structure" influences the relationship bet

ABSTRACT. Compared to the urban population's aspiration for a less mediated rural environment, there is an emerging trend among rural communities, particularly among left-behind children, wherein a deep-rooted reliance on digital media is becoming increasingly difficult to break. In fact, when left-behind children in rural areas cease their usage of digital media, they are not provided with the same compensatory educational resources, such as supervised education, tutoring classes, and extracurricular activities, as their urban counterparts. Consequently, digital media becomes an essential intermediary for rural left-behind children to establish emotional connections and receive educational training. This study highlights the fact that internet addiction among rural left-behind children reflects the existing disparities in social caregiving structures. This paper identifies a notable discrepancy in the consideration given to rural and urban areas during China's social development process, particularly regarding issues such as wages, childbirth support, and transportation infrastructure. Despite this, there has been an indiscriminate allocation of substantial digital support to rural areas, leading to an increased reliance on alternative means of emotional compensation, educational supplementation, and supervision for left-behind children in rural communities where parental figures are absent. Consequently, this exacerbates the existing gap in social caregiving structures. This paper argues that rural left-behind children are compelled to depend on digital media for access to educational resources and to maintain emotional connections. However, there is a lack of effective pathways for disengaging from digital media and a deficiency in mechanisms that compensate for education and emotional needs after disengagement. The relative lack of inclusivity and structural imbalance in rural development policies further widen the disparities in social caregiving structures, resulting in an unequal urban-rural digital detoxification process. In conclusion, this study calls for addressing the issue of internet addiction among rural left-behind children by not only incorporating media literacy education in rural schools but also by considering structural adjustments in social caregiving practices. This comprehensive approach aims to achieve holistic digital compensation and support for rural family units.

ABSTRACT. The pandemic highlighted the critical need for accessible and affordable healthcare services, especially for those living in poverty. The lack of access to essential health information and services has made it challenging for many people to manage their health and well-being effectively. One simple and immediately sustainable solution to this issue is the use of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) as a means of messaging to help alleviate digital poverty in healthcare.

ATMs could be used to deliver vital health information to people who may not have access to the internet or digital devices. For instance, healthcare providers could send text messages to patients reminding them of upcoming appointments, medication schedules, and health checkups. Additionally, ATMs could be used to deliver promotional messages, such as advice on healthy eating and exercise, and the importance of preventative healthcare.

As a scaleable service, ATMs could be integrated with healthcare services to offer patients greater convenience and accessibility. Patients could use ATMs to request a repeat prescription, for example. This would be especially beneficial for those living in rural or remote areas, where healthcare services may be limited.

The use of ATMs for messaging could also promote health equity by reaching underserved populations. For instance, messages could be sent in multiple languages, making it more accessible to people who do not speak the dominant language of their country. Furthermore, ATMs could provide a platform for people with disabilities to access healthcare information and services more easily. In research, it was noted that people with dementia were able to effectively use ATM’s, whilst they’d struggled to use handheld or desktop devices.

The use of ATMs as a means of messaging has the potential to immediately address the digital poverty that many people face in accessing healthcare information and services and establish a foundation for future community systems on which to grow. It would provide a simple and accessible platform for people to access essential health services.

ABSTRACT. Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) is an essential aspect of health research and ensures that the creation and development of interventions correspond with the needs, requirements, and perspectives of the populations for whom they are intended. PPI participation can be limited for some and characterised by inequalities amongst diverse population groups relating to socioeconomic position, gender, ethnicity, geography, and health status, which are all associated with lower capacity to engage in PPI activities. Such involvement is vital and inclusive approaches are needed to reach such groups, which are likely to be most in need of support to manage their health. A Service User Advisory Group (SUAG) was established to support digital inclusion for a project developing a range of digital platforms for blood disorders. The SUAG aimed to address digital inequalities by involving and supporting people who experienced digital exclusion to contribute their perspectives. The SUAG consisted of 9 members, 3 male and 6 female between the ages of 40-80 years old, living with one of three blood conditions. The content of each meeting was structured around a presentation of a particular work stream from the overall project followed by a discussion. All SUAG meetings were recorded, and recordings were analysed following each meeting using rapid qualitative techniques, often utilised in applied health research contexts. Analysis of the SUAG feedback identified three overarching themes that could shape the digital platform: communication, application content and patient empowerment. These three overarching themes gave rise to further sub-themes that encapsulate a collective perspective that will be used to inform development of a digital application for the self-management of long-term conditions. The perspectives and feedback from the SUAG have the potential to increase appropriateness, usability, and uptake of the digital interventions by the diverse populations for they are intended for.

ABSTRACT. This report seeks to understand how people who have lived experience of poverty and ongoing health concerns are impacted by health inequalities in a digital context. We took a participatory approach to ethnographic research, co-producing interview questions and training six people with experience of poverty to become peer researchers. Peer researchers then conducted 25 interviews with others in their communities across England and Scotland about their perspectives on digital health services and health data.

We found that: - Digital health services are being implemented without consideration of lived experience for people who are digitally excluded. Many feel these services are eroding the doctor-patient relationship, and ability to access healthcare in a way that suits different needs. The inflexibility of many digital platforms is widening the health gap for those with complex needs.

- What health data says about someone often doesn’t reflect reality, and is devoid of important nuance, which can have a greater impact on people experiencing multiple disadvantages, multiple health conditions, or who feel stigmatised in a healthcare setting.

- Digital postcode lotteries exist – access to and use of digital health services is shaped by the constraints or opportunities that exist at a local level: regional capacity building for digital connectivity and health data analysis is good in theory, but not if it only benefits some areas while others are left behind.

By amplifying voices that are often marginalised in policy and research, this paper exposes a misalignment between priorities for digital health services in policy and industry versus what economically disadvantaged people (often with chronic or complex health issues) need and want from healthcare.

Our findings suggest that people who are responsible for designing, developing, and deploying digital health services need to find ways to better engage with and respond to different viewpoints throughout that process.

ABSTRACT. Numerous facets of contemporary society have undergone radical change due to the quick spread of digital technologies, creating previously unheard-of potential for communication, economic growth, and information access. Digital disparities, a new type of societal difference brought on by the extensive use of digital media, have emerged. This bibliometric study intends to thoroughly analyse the research environment surrounding digital inequality, illuminating the major themes, significant figures, and forward-looking movements in this area. This study's literature is gathered from reliable academic databases, Scopus and WOS. The analysis produces a well-honed corpus of pertinent studies, starting with thoroughly examining keywords and subject headings and then creating an intellectual structure of the field, identifying key works and their links using citation analysis, co-citation analysis, co-authorship, and co-word analysis. The results of this research highlight several important aspects of the literature on digital inequality. The analysis shows a significant focus on socioeconomic differences in internet access and usage, with studies looking into and putting forth numerous characteristics like income, education, age, gender and many more. Researchers have also looked at regional disparities and the effect of national policies on digital inclusion, which further emphasises the global character of digital inequality. This study also highlighted key researchers and practitioners in digital disparities. It identifies intellectuals who have significantly contributed to our understanding of digital inequality by analysing citation networks and promoting information sharing and collaboration among researchers. The study emphasises the increased interest in examining how digital literacy and abilities shape access and usage patterns. It also highlights the growing attention being paid to marginalised groups, such as people with disabilities or those who reside in rural areas, highlighting their difficulties and opportunities. This bibliometric analysis adds to the knowledge of digital inequality by giving a thorough picture of the research landscape. It provides quick and helpful insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners looking to address the ubiquitous problem of digital disparities by highlighting major themes, significant authors, and developing trends. This study aims to promote a more equitable and inclusive digital society where everyone may use its benefits.

ABSTRACT. The paper primarily examines the role of algorithms in addressing digital inequality and the spread of false information. Due to their reliance on social media platforms and unreliable websites, some people with digital inequalities have limited access to trustworthy information sources, which contributes to the spread of fake news. People with poor digital literacy may find it difficult to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of internet content, leaving them more open to misleading information. Digital inequality can result in people becoming isolated in particular online communities, or "echo chambers," where they mostly engage with other people who share their opinions and only absorb material that supports their preconceived notions and biases. Fake news can spread more quickly in localised contexts or regional languages as a result of digital inequities. AI has a crucial role to play in resolving the digital inequalities that fuel the spread of false information. AI-powered algorithms can identify and filter out false information and harmful content by scanning content for signs of untruths, biassed information, or malicious intent. By analysing and comparing data from numerous sources, AI can also help automate fact-checking procedures. The correctness and credibility of news stories, claims, or assertions can be evaluated using natural language processing (NLP) techniques. AI systems can tailor news recommendations for that user. AI can help neutralise filter bubbles and echo chambers by diversifying news sources and exposing consumers to a wider spectrum of viewpoints, lowering the likelihood that people will only be exposed to false information. Digital literacy instruction can be delivered interactively and on a personalised basis using chatbots and virtual assistants driven by AI. AI can help with content localization and false information detection in regional languages.

ABSTRACT. New records were set during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown with the average adult spending four hours daily online. Our reliance on and increasing use of digital media highlights the advantages of being digital under lockdown conditions, but also gives the illusion digital engagement has been high and consistent across British society. We find there is relative silence over digital inequalities experienced by Black, Asian and other minority ethnic (BAME) populations who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. To gain initial insight on how the largest non-White ethnic population in the UK comprising of South Asians (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Sri-Lankan people) use the internet, we surveyed over a hundred South Asians in England and conducted nine interviews during the months of the first lockdown. We found: (1) increased encounters of misinformation online, often shared by family and friends on social networking sites which pertained to the South Asian culture as cures for Covid-19; (2) the struggles South Asian children report to verify misinformation their parents encounter relating to Covid-19 as well as the support they offer to help them benefit from being digital. We argue with local lockdowns it became apparent the need to ensure ethnic minorities who are often marginalised are not further left disadvantaged by a lack of support needed to benefit from going online or misinformation they encounter. With scarce data on BAME groups we know little about the digital divides they experience, our data hints on possible areas that require further investigation as well as difficulties and solutions with conducting research with hard-to-reach groups.

ABSTRACT. In many underserved communities in Africa, like slums and rural communities, young people face significant barriers to accessing digital opportunities when compared to their contemporaries in urban communities. This presentation aims to explore how Paradigm Initiative’s Lifeskills, ICT, Financial readiness, and Entrepreneurship (L.I.F.E.)Training: A digital inclusion program that has, in the past 16 years, surmounted barriers to connecting young people from underserved African communities to digital opportunities that have helped them improve their livelihoods and that of the people around them.

The session will begin by highlighting the impact of the digital divide in Africa, especially in underserved communities, bringing to the fore the forms that the divide takes in Africa and how it affects different demographics in their education, economic and social life. We will delve into various government and civil society and others’ efforts in confronting these challenges and the outcome of these efforts.

The presentation will unpack the Paradigm Initiative LIFE training model, how it has been used to make impact in the educational and socio-economic life of communities where it is being implemented, and the recorded outcomes in those communities. Attendees will get insight into what makes the model thick and why it has worked over these years. They will also learn how they can integrate aspects of the model into their digital inclusion program to get results.

Furthermore, the session will share notable success stories of individuals who have benefited from digital inclusion programs. Through digital skills training, these individuals have gained employment opportunities, launched successful businesses, and become advocates for digital rights in their communities.

In conclusion, this presentation will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the Paradigm Initiatives digital inclusions program, showcasing its transformative potential, addressing key challenges, and outlining strategies for its successful implementation. By understanding the opportunities and challenges associated with the implementation, participants will be better equipped to contribute to bridging the digital divide gap and connecting more people to digital opportunities.

ABSTRACT. Digital inequalities present significant challenges for socially, culturally, and economically marginalized communities, including digitally excluded minorities like Roma children in Europe. This paper aims to provide specific policy responses and recommendations to address digital inequalities and promote digital inclusion, with a particular emphasis on Roma children who face significant barriers to accessing digital technologies and opportunities.

The research methodology employed in this study consists of a comprehensive literature review and an analysis of relevant case studies (especially cases before the ECtHR). The literature review explores existing research, legal frameworks, and policy initiatives related to digital inclusion and the specific challenges faced by Roma children. It delves into the legal and policy issues surrounding digital inequalities and examines the effectiveness of various interventions.

Additionally, the analysis includes case studies from different European countries that highlight successful policy interventions targeting digital inclusion for Roma children. These case studies shed light on the legal and policy frameworks implemented, the strategies adopted, and the outcomes achieved. They provide valuable insights into the impact of specific interventions and their potential for replication in different contexts.

Legal and policy issues are a crucial focus of this paper. It examines national legislative measures and international platform regulations aimed at addressing online harms, hate speech, and discrimination faced by Roma communities. The analysis emphasizes the importance of supranational policies in combating online harm and misinformation targeting Roma children. It underscores the need for comprehensive legal frameworks that protect minority rights and foster digital inclusion.

The findings emphasize that policy responses to digital inequalities must prioritize addressing the unique challenges faced by digitally excluded minorities, including Roma children. Bridging the digital divide requires a multifaceted approach that encompasses legal and policy measures, alongside initiatives to ensure equal access to digital infrastructure, devices, and resources. This paper highlights the significance of digital skills development programs, culturally relevant content, and multi-stakeholder partnerships in promoting digital inclusion for Roma children.

Consequently, this paper offers a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and potential solutions regarding digital inclusion for Roma children. The research contributes to the existing knowledge base and provides actionable recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders working to address digital inequalities and empower marginalized communities.

ABSTRACT. Essential services in the UK are digitalising at a rapid rate. However, relatively little research has been undertaken into the impact of digitalisation on racialised minorities. Further, some government bodies appear to be underestimating the likely impacts of digitalisation on minoritised groups. For example, a recent NHS Race & Health Observatory report asserts that ‘digital exclusion is less of an issue within minority ethnic communities’ than within the White population as internet usage is similar for all ethnic groups. However, the ONS data used to support this claim were not disaggregated by age or specific ethnic group. The disaggregated data demonstrate that internet usage among older (55+) individuals who identify specifically as Asian or Asian British is significantly lower than for White individuals from the same age groups.

In this context, the UKRI-funded ‘Protecting Minority Ethnic Communities Online’ (PRIME) research project (2022-25) is exploring the experiences of minoritised individuals when accessing digital services and developing tools to mitigate online harms. To date, interviews have been conducted with 100 individuals who identify as ethnic minorities including approximately 30 over-55s who identify as Asian or Asian British. The majority of the subsample of 30 stated that they struggle to use digital health, social housing and/or energy platforms due to inadequate access to technology and connectivity (the first level of the digital divide) and/or limited digital skills (the second level of the digital divide). Taken together with ONS data on internet usage among over-55s who identify as Asian or Asian British, our findings demonstrate that the digitalisation of essential services is in fact likely to disproportionately exclude at least some demographic groups from some minoritised communities in the UK.

1. Office for National Statistics 2. NHS Health & Race Observatory, Digital Apps and Reducing Ethnic Health Inequalities: Driving Progress Through Digital, Design, and Organisational Transformation, January 2023 3. i.e. aggregated data for people identifying as Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian, Pakistan or Asian other. 4. Office for National Statistics: Internet use: by ethnicity and age group. https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/culture-and-community/digital/internet-use/latest#by-ethnicity-and-age-group (accessed 12.06.23).

ABSTRACT. Media are among the key stakeholders who must respond to the pressing challenges of the digital era. Given their role in the democratic societies, they should be the core actors in pointing out, analyzing and responding to the violations of human rights in the context of using modern technology (Esser-Neuberger 2019).

In the CEE region, the media landscapes have been forming in the last three decades under the strong drivers of Europeanization and globalisation, while at the same time suffering from the hasty transformations resulting in political instrumentalization of media, partisan journalism and excessive commercialization (̇Balčytiene 2021, Bajori-Lazár et al 2019). The area of digital rights remains fairly understated.

The presented paper will expose results of a research conducted within a larger single-country project with a specific focus on strengthening awareness to the issues of digital rights within the professional community of Czech journalists. The survey conducted in mid-2022 among 620 journalists and other media professionals aimed at mapping the awareness of the issues of digital inequalities, as well as the general impact of ICT technologies on the operation of the news rooms. In the main part, respondents answered questions about the transformation of journalism as a profession in the “digital age”. Other questions then focused on digital exclusion, content for people with specific needs, and access to privacy.

It reveals a general techno-optimism among the respondents and at the same time a fair lack of awareness of the mechanisms through which human rights are violated within the news sites and daily operation, especially the concrete methods of data gathering.

ABSTRACT. The COVID-19 pandemic has been unusual in that information about the transmission of the virus came out slowly and recommended practices changed over time. This made communication media, like the Internet, unusually important. Despite the potential public health implications of lack of Internet access, skills, and limited Internet use, few prior studies have considered how digital inequalities influence information flows. Building on three research streams—vaccine hesitancy, information-seeking, and digital inequalities—we examine how digital inequalities, health information media, and mass media affect COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Using representative survey data, our structural equation model demonstrates the importance of digital inequalities and media use for vaccine hesitancy. Our model provides two novel contributions. First, we show that digital inequalities play an important role in public health. They lead to increased health information-seeking, which reduces vaccine hesitancy. Second, our model presents strong evidence supporting a more comprehensive approach to vaccine hesitancy beyond factors like socio-demographics and prior health beliefs to include broader factors like sources of health information. Where and how people find information on public health issues seems to be as important as demographics.

ABSTRACT. Chronic kidney failure poses a risk to human life and quality of life. Patients often receive renal replacement therapy or a kidney transplant, with the latter considered superior but more challenging due to worldwide shortages. While most kidney donations originate from the deceased, Israel has transformed as the first country where most kidney donations originate from altruistic living donors. This creates a unique social environment in which patients are tasked with active kidney solicitation which often occurs on social networks. This study examines the phenomenon of digital kidney solicitation by employing a thematic analysis of 76 real-time attempts of solicitation on Facebook. The analysis revealed solicitors focused on overcoming perceptions of threat, justifying their worthiness of donation, and dealing with competing solicitations. The findings were then contextualized through the justice-based 'capabilities approach' developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum to measure the fair distribution of resources in society. In particular, this study sheds light on the phenomenon of people with kidney failure attempting to realize their capability 'to be secure' through social networks. This phenomenon could influence the complex social-health debate concerning the fair distribution of health resources in society. On the one hand, digital kidney solicitation could be perceived positively for raising awareness, enlarging the pool of donors, shortening the wait time for solicitors, vacating national lists, and humanizing the process with stories and faces, thus promoting the capability 'to be secure.' On the other hand, digital kidney solicitation could be perceived negatively raising complex socio-ethical questions such as (1) Should health resources be distributed by popularity/virality on social networks rather than by medical need? (2) Should the less deserving (medically) receive a donation before the more deserving? (3) Should patients be required to actively solicit important medical treatments? (4) and lastly digital kidney solicitation could preserve existing inequalities (e.g., language proficiency, digital literacy, finances, human capital, physical attractiveness, lifestyle, race, ethnicity, and religion). Thus, reflecting that this new phenomenon could also hinder patients' capability 'to be secure.'

ABSTRACT. Digital inequalities, such as lack of access to technology, connectivity, digital skills, and social resources, contribute not only to a deterioration of the social network of people who use drugs, leading to increased social isolation, but may also be a contributing factor to poorer health outcomes (Garrett and Young, 2021) and to the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland. In 2021, Simon Community Scotland launched a project to explore the use of digital technology to address digital inequality and provide harm reduction support to women who use drugs. Drawing on approaches explored by McIntyre to empower individuals to construct meaning and effect change (McIntyre, 2007), this participatory action research involved working with a group of women to develop digital skills, co-design resources, and connect with other women who use drugs. The project used a relational approach with trusted intermediaries, trained ‘harm reduction digital champions’, who were able to contextualise digital inclusion support meaningfully within holistic practice in spaces where kindness, love and empathy were forefront. The award-winning research found that digital technology can be a valuable tool for harm reduction if this work is made meaningful through participatory, person-centred approaches and supported by trained frontline staff. Women in the project were able to use digital technology to access information about drug use, connect with other women who use drugs, and find support services, but the project also found that digital technology can help reduce stigma and isolation. Vitally, women in the project also reported feeling more connected to others and less isolated after participating in the project. The research also empowered the women to act as leaders, as experts in experience, creating an app to help other women in the same situation. The project's findings suggest that digital technology can be an invaluable tool for harm reduction and that a relational approach to digital inclusion can affect deeply meaningful change, challenging existing power dynamics and minimising the risk of drug-related death.

Garrett, R., & Young, S. D. (2021). Potential Effects of Digital Inequality on Treatment Seeking for Opioid Use Disorder. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

ABSTRACT. In Italy, an estimated 1 million people have dementia and about 3 million are involved in their care. Around 80% of the people providing care for this population are informal and family caregivers, which usually have no formal training on dementia patients. Frequently, even formal caregivers – often migrant workers from low socio-economic backgrounds – are not specifically trained for this type of disease. Given this scenario, within the project AGE-IT, this research group aims to produce an e-learning platform that can provide training for both formal and informal caregivers of people with dementia, in order to offer potential health benefits and opportunities for both caregivers and patients. A common risk of these types of projects is to bow to technological solutionism and to overlook issues of accessibility, algorithmic biases and inequalities, such as forms of digital divide concerning internet access, skills and the capacities to mitigate risks and to benefit from online technologies. Indeed, potentially marginalised groups, such as migrant workers, could not benefit (or even be harmed) by technological design. Thus, it is crucial to consider the key role of social and digital inequalities in platform production and in how different social groups use these artifacts. To assess the needs and capacities of different caregivers and prevent risks of digital exclusion and inaccessibility of already marginalised groups, this work implements a co-design process, following an Open Space Technology strategy. Methodologically, six focus groups with formal and informal caregivers will be conducted in three Italian regions, also to address territorial issues due to the regional administration of the Italian healthcare system. Then, to involve migrant workers and other potentially marginalised figures in the co-design process, 10 semi-structured interviews will be conducted in the same regions. This bottom-up, pro-active process should contribute to the production of a sustainable and accessible platform, embedding different perspectives and values and providing equal opportunities.

ABSTRACT. When we consider the digital inclusion pattern, urban liminal communities become a fascinating phenomenon. These communities are localized groups that exist on the edge of urban society, in a state of in-betweenness. They are neither fully integrated into the urban context nor completely separated from it. Urban liminal communities are characterized by spatial, economic, social, and cultural marginalization, which leads to limited access to basic services and opportunities. However, they may also show a significant interest in the digital dimension, as a means of reaching opportunities for public self-representation, creating cohesive digital-physical groups, and enabling new connective and collective action to overcome social exclusion. In this perspective, the digital life of urban liminal communities provides a new angle for social innovation. It allows for the expansion of cohesive groups through the combination of physical and digital means, facilitating self-reflection and discussion of community-relevant issues, and generating inventive paths for social development and inclusion. This dual pattern of physical and digital life can help urban liminal communities overcome physical and spatial marginalization, creating opportunities for community building through bottom-up initiatives when top-down urban-level policies are lacking. At the same time, it is crucial to consider mindfully the dangers associated with the deep mediatisation pattern, which may lead to additional forms of digital exclusion. To prevent this, we must ensure that digital access technologies are genuinely inclusive and shared through processes of authentic participation, rather than mere involvement, in the context of liminal communities. Our paper provides a theoretical exploration of urban liminal communities, defining their characteristics and outlining models and patterns of their participation in the realm of urban democracy. Drawing from empirical material collected through on-site research in 14 metropolitan areas in Italy, we demonstrate how urban liminal communities act and communicate as a complex and multifaceted subject, reflecting the challenges and opportunities of being on the cutting edge of deep mediatised urban society.

ABSTRACT. Background: Because You Matter (BYM) is a collaborative partnership through the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement, IU School of Social Work (IUSSW), the Indiana State Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and public libraries in rural, southwestern Indiana. Our pilot program began in Summer 2022 and has expanded over the 2022-2023 academic year. BYM targets underserved mental health areas.

Objective: The Because You Matter program provides telehealth through public libraries. Our team has two IUSSW faculty, two IUSSW doctoral students, and Center for Rural Engagement faculty. Faculty field instructors and supervisors also participate in the project.

Methods: With clinical supervision, MSW students conduct free, confidential, low-impact interventions with patrons regarding stress, depression, anxiety, motivation for change, and accessing community resources. Students lead in-person workshops at libraries regarding mental health, stigma and stereotypes, stress management, and digital literacy.

Results: After a successful pilot program prompted expansion, there was not a corresponding uptick in attendance. However, incredible support from libraries, the state, and IU, expanded the program from three counties to six and is also now utilizing faith communities as additional anchor institutions.

Discussion: Despite support from community partners, launching a rural telehealth program has been challenging. This has led the team to consider if the challenges have been related to marketing, trust-building with the communities, continued stigma about mental health and mental health services, or other barriers we might not realize. Future research with this project could identify these barriers and develop strategies to support rural communities in overcoming them.

ABSTRACT. The Skills Training and Reintegration (STAR) was a pilot programme led by the International Organization for Migration UK (UN Migration Agency) which aimed to help survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery(survivors) on their journey towards employment and integration in the UK. The project was implemented between March 2020-March 2022 Participants were provided with skills development training which focused on (i) digital literacy skills, (ii) life skills, and (iii) employment skills; alongside personalised support. Training was delivered both virtually and in person. Digital tech (devices and data) was provided to participants to complete the training. The digital skills module covered online basics, using e-mail, the internet, and social media, online safety, how to find a job online as well as using Microsoft Word to create docs including a CV. After completing the training 75% of STAR participants were in work, studying or volunteering. Through the delivery of the STAR project we found that access to digital tech and appropriate training is key for survivor recovery and reintegration. Access to digital tech fosters independence. It gives the opportunity to access information, training, vital support services, to build skills, find work etc. Training is needed to ensure the tech can be used efficiently, safely and in a meaningful way. This support should be provided to all survivors to aid their recovery and reintegration.

ABSTRACT. Digital literacy is critical for people leaving prison, who face the challenges of finding secure housing, work, and building support networks. Men make up the vast majority of the prison population in the UK, at nearly 95 per cent. Previous research has highlighted that 40 percent of young men released from prison into the community do not have access to education or training, while 47 percent are without access to the internet. To address this marginalised group, the Digital Poverty Alliance and Intel launched the Tech 4 Prison Leavers pilot scheme, which was aimed at a group of 25 male prison leavers, to reduce re-offending, improve confidence, skills, and aspirations. In collaboration with a coalition of partners, including Vodafone, CGI, Nacro, IDEA, Capgemini, and We are Digital, the men were provided with devices, connectivity, skills training, as well as mentoring in order to develop their digital competencies and to give them better access to employment opportunities. A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate the impact of the programme. The quantitative measures used include standardised measures of wellbeing, aspirations, and perceived competence, reoffending rates, as well as employment status. To understand how the intervention impacted the men, they were also encouraged to complete diaries, with a series of questions to prompt reflection on their experience. Semi-structured interviews were also carried out with a sample of participants, staff, and stakeholders to explore their experiences of the scheme. This presentation will discuss the impact of the Tech 4 Prison Leavers scheme on the men, the challenges faced, as well as implications for future interventions and policy.

ABSTRACT. Research on selfies finds that negative feedback in comments and the currency of likes reinforce and police dominant feminine or masculine beauty ideals. Binary gender ideals can also be reproduced in selfies. For example, Döring et al. (2016) analysed 500 Instagram selfies to explore if they conform to gender stereotypes as identified in Erving Goffman’s 1976 Gender Advertisements. The study revealed that gender stereotypical behaviours found in adverts are repeated in selfies, and that some of the behaviours featured in selfies more frequently than in magazine adverts.

Despite these well documented negative impacts, selfies are an important mode of self-presentation. Research on queer and fat activist selfies has highlighted their role in enhancing visibility, raising awareness of oppression and challenging stereotypes. In research with trans and gender-fluid Tumblr users, Vivienne (2017) found positive comments on selfies helped promote body acceptance and that users viewed trans and gender-fluid selfies as defying industries that promote binary beauty ideals and capitalise on consumer’s insecurities. In my book Consuming the Body: Capitalism, Social Media and Commodification I argue that fat activist selfies challenge dominant modes of self-presentation and looking.

This paper will draw on my research into selfie taking practices, and also a participatory research project around queering the gender binary (Bois of Isolation co-produced with Dr AC Davidson) to identify methods of producing creative selfies that evade commoditisation and discipline (#RebelSelves, new project), and consider selfie taking and sharing as practices of care.

ABSTRACT. Pre-Covid, it had already been established that creativity is key to the acquisition of ‘future-proofing’ digital skills (Barnard, 2017, 2019). Through 2020 and 2021, ‘lockdowns’ forced by the Covid pandemic brought wider attention to the value of creativity in digital upskilling - but what exactly is ‘creativity’ in this context, and, how can it be enabled with measurable effectiveness? These questions are the subject of this paper, which presents findings from a small-scale longitudinal study that was conducted May 2020-May 2021 during Covid lockdowns. The study draws on a ten-year programme of research that includes development of an empirically tested method of developing creativity that enables ‘future-proofing’ (i.e. sustainable and resilient) digital engagement. That method centres on the Multimodal Practice Model of Creativity (Barnard, 2019, pp. 85-89), which can be delivered as a pedagogical assignment within Higher Education and – as for the study that is the subject of this paper - in the wider context of civil society to enable digital inclusion. The findings presented provide evidence that creativity can be purposefully and intentionally deployed to enable digital skills acquisition with measurable effectiveness. In a theory and policy context in which it is known in general terms that creativity is important but specificity regarding how is lacking, this paper provides emergent findings that improve understanding of the role of creativity in digital skills acquisition and retention. It presents a new theoretical position on the role of creativity in developing resilience in the digital sphere, with associated policy implications. Finally, it provides reflections supported by empirical data on how the development of such resilience aids users’ health and wellbeing.

ABSTRACT. Through the participatory projects Making the Future and CollabArchive, the official archives for Northern Ireland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), and creative media centre Nerve Centre pioneered a form of creative engagement that put the public at the heart of archives, equipping them with creative skills and helping to democratise the history held in Northern Ireland’s official archive.

One of the people to benefit from these projects was a group with different degrees of sight loss from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). Ten people aged 20-60s took part in ‘Everyday is a School Day’ in 2021, an eight-week filmmaking programme which used Zoom and filmmaking to connect them with PRONI’s archives and help them make short films about their experiences of education.

A year later the group was brought back to PRONI for a second project, ‘Music Tales’ which helped them continue to develop filmmaking skills and to delve deeper into the archives as Covid restrictions began to ease out. The group took part in Zoom workshops and visited PRONI twice for a tailored guided tour of the archives and to film interviews with each other about the role of music in their lives.

In this presentation, I take the two projects as case studies to analyse how PRONI and the Nerve Centre pioneered an innovative model of digital engagement with archives that was inclusive, particularly to marginalised groups during the pandemic. Whilst reports have captured the benefits of going virtual as a means of overcoming physical access barriers, they also highlight that it can disadvantage people with disabilities.

I start with a discussion on how the Covid-19 pandemic enabled heritage institutions, such as archives, to break barriers and engage with new audiences in novel ways. Then I demonstrate how Zoom technology and a participatory approach to filmmaking offered the participants opportunities to use, and benefit from the use of, digital technologies to engage with archives and tell stories that were important to them.

I conclude with a reflection on the strengths and limitations of both in-person and virtual engagement when engaging visually impaired groups with filmmaking and archives. As I argue, using Zoom, PowerPoint presentations and audio-described videos enabled the project to bring the archives and filmmaking training straight to the comfort of people’s living rooms. However, I also found that this digital tour of archives and film training could not replace tactile experiences, such as that of holding a schoolbook in your hands, smelling an old film reel or holding a professional camera. These multi-sensory forms of engagement are, and always will be, regarded as the main sources to access and experience archives.

Nevertheless, the two case studies have given PRONI valuable insights into how digital inclusion might look in the future. If anything, allowing the public to begin engaging in the place where they feel most comfortable – their own home – can be key to reaching people who may otherwise be non-engagers, including disabled audiences.