ofcom bridging the gap
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Presented by Julia Rulf at the Social Digital Research Symposium (4th July 2012)TRANSCRIPT
Bridging the Gap: Sustaining online engagement
July 4th 2012
Julia RulfOfcom
Ofcom and the CCP• The CCP was established under the Communications Act
2003 as the independent, policy advisory body on consumer interests in telecommunications, broadcasting and spectrum markets.
• The Panel advises Ofcom, Government, the EU and others on how to achieve a communications marketplace in which the communications interests of consumers and citizens are protected and promoted
• The Panel is independent of Ofcom. Ofcom has an agreed Memorandum of Understanding with the Consumer Panel. This includes a commitment to shared undertaking of research where appropriate
• The Panel has a budget to commission its own research.
Bridging the Gap: Sustaining online engagement
July 4th 2012
Julia RulfOfcom
Ofcom and the CCP• The CCP was established under the Communications Act
2003 as the independent, policy advisory body on consumer interests in telecommunications, broadcasting and spectrum markets.
• The Panel advises Ofcom, Government, the EU and others on how to achieve a communications marketplace in which the communications interests of consumers and citizens are protected and promoted
• The Panel is independent of Ofcom. Ofcom has an agreed Memorandum of Understanding with the Consumer Panel. This includes a commitment to shared undertaking of research where appropriate
• The Panel has a budget to commission its own research.
The challenge
In the Panel’s view: the challenge to increase participation is
underestimated; meeting the challenge is underfunded; and people who remain unable to access online
services will suffer increasing detriment.
22% of the UK adult population – eleven million people –
still do not use the internet at home.
The Framework?
Who did we speak to?
Consumers who are less digitally engaged – lapsed, proxy, narrow and new users - 48
Stakeholders and frontline staff in training delivery roles - 44
People who are currently not online living in an area of extreme deprivation - 14
What did we want to understand?
What works to get and keep people online?
How can people get the most out of being online?
What works best in encouraging people’s breadth of participation?
What factors lie behind low levels of digital participation?
What barriers to digital participation exist among people who are offline in an area of extreme deprivation?
The two biggest barriers
The status quo: the ‘gravitational’ hold of the offline world
Fear of technology and its complexity
Pull of the status quo
offline world is seen as easier, faster, familiar, more accessible and user-friendly
strong adherence and loyalty to traditional methods
fear of offline exclusion
Choice determined by availability
The status Quo“You know, by the time
you’ve got the computer turned on and up and
running, I could have done it all on the phone in half the
time”
(Narrow user, female, 22)
“It’s easier and quicker to do things the normal way. I
like to see and touch things, especially before I buy them. The internet’s
good for information. . . but that’s about all”
(Narrow user, female, 62)
“I like going down to the post office. It gets me out and about and meeting people. I don’t want to stay indoors and stare at a
computer screen”
(Lapsed user, female, 77)
Fear of technology and its complexity
• Complexity of technology and language offline/online divide.
• Current technology (particularly PC-based) is seen to be difficult and too complex
• The image, not just language of technology is offputting – for others, for younger people, for people who are ‘better
educated’
Worries about pressing the ‘wrong’ button or typing in any form of personal information inhibits engagement
Fear of technology and its complexity
“It is so easy to get lost. You spend ages on it and end up with nothing by pressing one wrong button”
(Lapsed user, male, 54)
“I’ve only just learned which button to press to put a
capital letter at the beginning of a sentence. I found that out a couple of weeks ago”
(New user, female, 69)
”It’s for a younger generation. They’ve
grown up with it. It’s too late for me”
(Male, Proxy user, 67)
“I’m never going to put my personal details in.
Once you’ve’ done that, it’s all out there and you can never get it back”
(Male, Lapsed user, 54)
Other important barriers
Lack of confidence Lack of ongoing support Low affordability and priority
Social isolation Poor family dynamics Presence of a dominant proxy Lack of time Low awareness of community-based sources of
help Misconception with regard to community-based
sources of help
Drivers Tenacity / determination
Ready access to informal, ongoing, one-to-one support
Benefits of being online
Relevance to interests
Fear of being left behind
Peer pressure
The consumer types in detail
• Lapsed users– These people have used the internet but have stopped
• Proxy users– These people are not able or willing to access the
internet themselves. Instead, they are reliant on someone else to go online for them – a proxy.
• Narrow users– Narrow users of the internet are those who have not
progressed beyond ‘narrow/basic’ usage.
• Developing users– These people have overcome many of the barriers to
participation.
• Video
Lapsed Users :Issues and Opportunities
Issues• Multiple barriers and weak drivers• Poor/weak introduction to the internet• Many now very unlikely to go back online• Lack of support
Opportunities• Need for better signposting to formal, community
based sources of help• Incidental exposure
Proxy Users:Issues and OpportunitiesIssues• The power of the proxy limits the opportunity for
the proxy user to learn • Tendency not to personally identify with using the
internet• With someone else available it’s easier to ‘let go’.• Limited belief about the benefits of the internet.
Opportunities• Need for better, more immediate access to outside
support.• Possible opportunity to target the people who go
online as proxies, rather than the non-users themselves.
Narrow Users:Issues and Opportunities
Issues• Participation remains very limited, either by
choice, or because of their lack of skill.• Technological complexity is a particularly strong
barrier
Opportunities• Many narrow users need help to use the internet
more efficiently, so that they can see the technology as an enabler.
• There is also a need to address the misconceptions surrounding outside help.
Developing Users:Issues and OpportunitiesIssues• What works well is a combination of sustained,
ongoing support, a predisposition to want to learn, and a conviction of the importance of being online.
• Many respond well to the offer of outside help but, like other people, have misconceptions about the suitability of such help.
Opportunities• Address misconceptions of outside help• Developing users can act as strong, positive role
models.
Offline in an area of extreme deprivation - Glasgow strong polarisation between those who
would consider going online and those who would not.
Key barriers:
Attractions of offlineLack of supportLow affordabilityVery few had considered using any formal
sources of support
Opportunities:Areas for strategic focus Strengthen coordination
Work under a single, recognisable badge
Raise people’s awareness of resources and address misconceptions about community-based centres and libraries
Widen the scope to developing and sustaining engagement
Mirror offline attractions in the online offer
Encourage user-friendly forms of technology
Introduce stronger evaluation and accountability
Opportunities: On the ground delivery The need for a focus on informal, incidental learning
Making better use of existing offline resources
Creating informal partnerships and collaboration
Joining up resources more formally
Addressing misconceptions about libraries and community centres
The importance of the role of Corporate Social Responsibility
The support that can be offered by Digital Champions
The recommendations
Thank you