Research on vulnerable people and digital inclusion: toward a consolidated taxonomical framework

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only caused a worldwide health crisis, but it has also deepened existing inequalities, and “has exacerbated the vulnerability of the least protected in society” (United Nations, 2020). Nowadays, there are many population groups that would be regarded as vulnerable. In daily life, citizens deal with a wide range of issues—social injustices, social marginalization and lack of impartiality—due to many reasons: culture, class, ethnicity, race, ideology, religion, gender, etc. To respond effectively to this problem—as the United Nations proposes in the goal 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—we first need to understand and clearly define the phenomenon of vulnerable people, and how digital inclusion could represent an asset to help vulnerable people to bridge inequalities. There is no commonly agreed typology framework, and specific categorization criteria as a basis to assist the further investigation of the area. Our work is focused on filling this gap. In doing so, our contribution is twofold. First, we conduct a systematic review of the literature ( N = 331 studies) providing an overview of the overall definitions, trends, patterns, and developments that characterize the research on vulnerable people and digital inclusion. Second, we propose a taxonomy to frame the phenomenon of vulnerable people and digital inclusion. The categorization criteria can promote and support further multidisciplinary research to study and explore the relation existing between vulnerable people and digital inclusion.

Which interventions for alcohol use should be included in a universal healthcare benefit package? An umbrella review of targeted interventions to address harmful drinking and dependence

“…This finding could provide an opportunity to extend the reach of screening and brief intervention services without contributing to the burnout of personnel. However, operational research would be required to identify strategies to reach groups with traditionally lower use of digital technologies, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups [ 119 ].…”

Which interventions for alcohol use should be included in a universal healthcare benefit package? An umbrella review of targeted interventions to address harmful drinking and dependence.

“…This nding could provide an opportunity to extend the reach of screening and brief intervention services without contributing to the burnout of personnel. However, operational research would be required to identify strategies to reach groups with traditionally lower use of digital technologies, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups [119].…”

Digital Justice in the Smart City Developing a Framework for Participatory Digitalisation Strategies at the Local Level

“…Beyond research on individuals or social milieus, recent methodological approaches go further and focus on respective digital resources and competencies, i.e., what qualities are entailed by social relationships, interactions and transactions [1,[19][20][21]. Current research on the digital divide then also focuses on the exclusion of individual population groups (e.g., marginalised women, indigenous populations, refugees, unemployed and single parents, people with disabilities) or even world regions [22,7]. Herein, the importance of informal learning contexts such as libraries, museums, social groups for the formation of digital skills is emphasised [23].…”