The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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How Will the Other Half Live?

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Research conducted by the UK-based Oftel has found that 50% of UK users access the Internet from home. In the 5 years since the launch of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) called Freeserve, 12.5 million UK households are connected to the Internet. This article focusses on the "other half" of the population who do not go online - and explores what stops them.


UK Internet users are mostly young, higher-income individuals, who are mainly men. Jupiter Media Matrix has found that 55% of the home Internet audience is made up of 18-49 year olds, compared with just 5% of 65 year olds. Other research has shown that 50% of the working population doesn't use the Internet at work largely because their employers won't pay for it.


Cost, apparently, is not a significant factor in explaining why so many UK citizens aren't getting online. Survey results from the Oxford Internet Institute released in October 2003 found that age and indifference are the key factors. The average person has access to the Internet in at least 2 out of 4 places (home, work, school, or a public library), but 41% of them don't use it. 98% of schoolchildren - including a large portion of the 25% who are defined as illiterate or innumerate - use the Internet, as do 67% of those of working age. In contrast, only 22% of retirees go online. As the lead researcher explained, "What we are saying is that it's age then education; social class or income isn't really that important."


Charities say older people are turned off by the perceived complexities of using new technology. "Fear is the most serious because it's the one single factor that will prevent people from even considering going online," says Ian Goodall, founder of silversurfers.net. Many older people may also be held back by physical disabilities or visual impairments - despite 1999 legislation requiring service providers to make information available to blind and partially sighted people, a 2002 test of 17 store, bank, and supermarket sites found that none passed the mandatory requirements.


Click here for the full article on The Guardian site.


Source

Honouring Time: November, 03, Digital Unite newsletter (formerly Hairnet), sent to The Communication Initiative on November 18 2003.