Opening keynote speech in the 2-day EU Conference on Digital Inclusion

On March 13, Alexander van Deursen had the honor of giving the opening speech at the two-day EU conference on digital inclusion. The conference, which was mainly aimed at governments and policymakers, addressed challenges to ensure that no one is excluded from the digital society of today and tomorrow. The conference explored how we can further invest together in a fair and inclusive future for Europe.

The opening speech started with a warning about the use of terms such as digital cove, digital inequality and digital inclusion interchangeably, outlined the situation and the biggest barriers when it comes to digital inclusion in relation to internet use, what this means for the future and emerging technology , and ended with 14 recommendations for digital inclusion policy.