You just experienced some dimensions of digital exclusion. How did it feel?

Language determines how much information a user accesses on the internet. Just search the same topic in English and in another language to discover that our mother tongue can affect our web experience. Someone once said, “Far from the infinite, the internet is only as big as your language.”

It’s not just a matter of being connected, but it is about haing a fast and reliable  access to the online world, whether through broadband, or mobile. Without the right infrastructure, people can’t meaningfully access online knowledge, falling into a connectivity gap that produces inequality.

The use of digital services is influenced by personal, social, and cognitive abilities, such as comprehension and intellectual skills. Emphasis is often put on technical accessibility, ignoring the large number of people with cognitive barriers, that are expected to increase as the population ages.

Globally, the World Health Organization reports at least 2.2 billion people are blind or visually impaired. It means that 2 billion people face difficulties surfing the web and searching for information, being totally or partially excluded from the digital society.