Digital arts and culture: The perfect ‘hook’ for digital inclusion

Do you have the internet at home, and a smartphone in your pocket? Did you use an app today to check the weather forecast, reply to a message, or check your bank balance? Digital is embedded into everything we do. It's how we connect, learn, work, and thrive. 

Now, imagine if you were unable to access the internet, or didn't know how to do everyday tasks like online shopping or video calls. For some people, particularly older people, this is a present reality. This is digital exclusion.

This project wanted to find out how arts groups and community centres help older adults start to use digital tools. Many organisations already teach people digital skills, as a side benefit to their creative activities. We wanted to know what makes these activities successful, and how older people had become digitally included as a result.

In this podcast, we explain how we did our research and what we found out. You'll hear from older adults who now feel more confident using technology. You will also hear from organisations that found creative ways to include digital learning in their activities.

The research was funded by Arts Council England, and produced in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds.