In November this year, we launched a boardgame based on research carried out at the University of Sheffield about Digital Exclusion.
Our daily lives increasingly require us to ‘go online’ to access information, services, support and leisure. For many people in our region however, accessing vital information and services online comes with barriers that can be exacerbated by personal circumstances, both temporary and long-lasting.
This board game is an opportunity to learn more about some of the digital barriers people in our region, and around the world, face when accessing essential services online. Through our research we have produced recommendations for improving the day-to-day lives of people affected by the digital divide and we hope to work together with other organisations to make a difference.
There are many other people in our region who are digitally excluded for a variety of reasons. Research by colleagues in the University of Sheffield’s Information School shows that issues around connectivity, income, age and ability discrimination, confusing information, lack of support and people’s own online confidence and motivation to access the internet, and many more barriers, all contribute to digital divides in our society. In the Centre for Care, our research has shown the barriers unpaid carers encounter to being digitally included, such as the affordability of devices, concerns about online safety and security and confidence.
You will find some links to colleague’s research on digital exclusion towards the bottom of this page, and on our Digital Care theme page.
Why a board game?
The game was created by Dan Williamson at the Centre for Care and developed by local artist Paul Evans for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2024; a series of public engagement events. As well as a giant human-sized version, we have table top versions too.
The game serves as an engaging and visual way to promote understanding of the issues, our research, and the initiatives found in many regions which help people feel included in a digital world.
What next?
Since the launch of ‘Mind the Gap: Tackling digital exclusion’, we have been invited to bring the game to showcase at many events, including the Adult Social Care Commissioners Conference 2024. We are always open to conversations about where the game could go next, so please get in touch if you would like to discuss bringing the game to you!
For more information and to work with our researchers towards a digitally inclusive society, please fill out this form.
Gallery
Links to our research
Digital inclusion network development: a case study in Derbyshire
The aim of this project was to investigate digital inclusion network building as a mechanism for reducing digital poverty.
Alongside their report, drawing from the learnings of their research the University of Sheffield project team have produced an animation outlining their 12-principle framework for building digital inclusion networks. Click here to watch the animation on YouTube.