Attitudinal
- Some people don’t want to be online at all, or only in very limited ways. They prefer other ways of communicating and interacting, and don’t feel that they are missing out.
- Some are angry or defensive about being forced to go online, feeling that they have managed so far without it.
- There can be a mental block around using a computer or searching the internet.
Lack of confidence
- Reliance on family members both to acquire technology (e.g., mobile phone) and to help use it. Help tends to be “give it to me and I’ll do it”, which is not done at the learner’s pace and makes it difficult to build confidence and independence.
- Some are scared to access IT skills courses because they don’t feel confident in a group environment and don’t want to look stupid.
- Not confident to access library devices on their own.
- Some feel embarrassed or ashamed that they don’t have basic IT skills (which can be linked to literacy issues).
Fear and mistrust
- It can be difficult to know who and what to trust online. There is so much information and not all of it matches up. People need trusted sources and humans to back it up.
- Worries about pressing the wrong button or sharing information by accident, particularly when buying things online or using internet banking. There is fear of automatic payments and not being able to get their money back.
- Many are terrified of being scammed or hacked (e.g., via phishing text messages, fake websites, social media).
- Some don’t understand cookies or how to be safe online and are very protective of their data.
- There is fear that devices like Alexa or Siri are listening all the time.
Other emotional barriers
- Parents may feel torn between limiting children’s screen time and enabling use of a screen for homework.
- Parents who are not in office jobs can be scared of video conferencing, thinking they will have to talk in front of hundreds of people, and may avoid important information events to avoid that situation.
- Victims of domestic abuse fear that their digital footprint enables the abuser to track them down.
“I delete cookies all the time. Someone from the dark web warned me about them.”
“I find it very rude. You’re trying to make me feel inadequate, treating people like they’re stupid [for not knowing how to go online].”
