Nethui! The internet’s big challenges: safety, privacy, copyright, freedom of expression, open government, blockchain, digital inclusion for seniors…

Here comes NetHui 2019, “New Zealand’s favourite internet gathering”. Are you in New Zealand, and do you care about safety, privacy and well-being on the open internet? (Surely… ) Have you noticed how digital inclusion for seniors can make life easier and more fun for older people?

NetHui 2019 — internet challenges from the Christchurch Call to digital inclusion for seniors

• Check out the programme, starting with keynote address from Prime Minister Jacinda Ahern.
• Digital inclusion for seniors and retirees: join this discussion on Thursday afternoon. How can digital solutions help with problems associated with old age, especially loneliness and isolation? Bring  your bright ideas and let’s turn them into action plans. After all, New Zealand has a mandate to provide seniors with equal access to digital services, communication and entertainment. (I’m co-facilitator for this one.)
• Register on the NetHui website
• When and where: Te Papa, Wellington, New Zealand, 3–4 October 2019

See you on Thursday week!

Cheat-sheet for a quick catch-up on the big internet challenges

News, policies, and a pilot programme in the Wairarapa.

• Changes promised by Facebook, some as a result of the Christchurch call
• The Digital Inclusion Blueprint 2018
• The 20/20 Digital Inclusion Manifesto 2017
• Digital Inclusion Alliance
• Better Later Life — He Oranga Kaumātua 2019 to 2034
• Digital Seniors (Wairarapa pilot programme)
• More on the topic in an earlier post

Digital inclusion goes beyond physical access to the internet

Digital inclusion for seniors covers much more than access to the internet. The four elements of digital inclusion are motivation, access, knowledge and skills. Older people are one of the groups most likely to be excluded, lacking one or more of those four elements. We are looking for multiple proposals and ideas to shift theories into real-life practical actions.

I think you probably know someone who is old and feels either incompetent or resistant to using technology. They don’t know the internet might help them to perform certain tasks, entertain them, keep in touch with family and friends, or even make new friends. Or they may be keen to learn, but don’t know where to start.

What’s the reality for these older people? What would help them? What has to happen first? Who will do what? Who will fund the solution?

Let’s all share our ideas and experience and knowledge. That is the spirit of NetHui and always has been.