On the surface, digital inclusion and equity should be uncontroversial.
Who could argue against helping people connect, build skills, stay safe online, and participate fully in modern life?
And yet — it rarely becomes a priority.
Not because it doesn’t matter.
But because it sits everywhere and nowhere at once.
The Paradox of Ubiquity
Digital capability is now woven through every sector: business, education, health, local government, community life. Because it is so embedded, many assume it is “already handled”.
It isn’t.
Those who are confident and connected move forward rapidly. Those who aren’t remain quietly excluded. The gap becomes less visible, but more structural.
Digital inclusion and equity doesn’t belong neatly to one portfolio. It’s not purely economic development. Not purely social services. Not purely education. It underpins all of them.
And when something underpins everything, it often becomes no one’s core responsibility.
Infrastructure is invisible when it works — and ignored when it doesn’t fail loudly enough.
Organisational Gravity
Most organisations quite rationally focus on their own mission.
A business invests in digital tools that increase productivity or profit.
A council invests in systems that improve service delivery.
A health provider invests in digital platforms that streamline patient care.
That makes sense.
But broad Community digital empowerment — especially for those outside the mainstream — doesn’t produce immediate, exclusive competitive advantage. In fact, it may even appear to “level the playing field”.
And so the deeper, slower work of capability-building gets sidelined.
Not out of malice.
Out of structural incentive.
Digital capability is no longer a programme area. It is civic infrastructure.
The Myth of “It’s Only a Few People”
It is easy to say digital exclusion affects only a small proportion of the population.
But that framing misses something crucial.
Every person who is excluded has a unique set of circumstances: income, confidence, trauma, literacy, disability, age, culture, trust. There is no single fix. No one-size-fits-all intervention.
And as systems digitise further — banking, health bookings, government services — even small barriers compound quickly.
What looks like a marginal issue becomes a widening fracture.
Social Capital vs Economic Capital
Perhaps the deeper tension is this:
Is digital inclusion and equity about social capital or economic capital?
If you emphasise economic return, some will argue it’s overstated.
If you emphasise community wellbeing, others may dismiss it as “soft”.
But this is a false divide.
Digital inclusion and equity builds social capital — trust, confidence, connection, shared capability.
And social capital, over time, strengthens economic resilience.
You cannot have a digitally thriving local economy if whole groups remain anxious, offline, or vulnerable to harm.
Foundations rarely attract attention — until their absence begins to constrain growth.
Local capability-building does not compete with sector priorities — it strengthens them.
The Community Lens
At grassroots events — like community-led gatherings where families cook together, share food, support each other — you see something powerful.
Not wealth.
Not prestige.
But participation.
Digital capability fits naturally here. It becomes less about devices and more about confidence. Less about technology and more about belonging.
A grandmother unsure how to recognise a scam text.
When someone learns to navigate online banking safely, help their child with homework platforms, or avoid a scam, they don’t just improve their own situation. They pass that knowledge on.
In that sense, digital inclusion and equity is generational.
Communities that treat digital capability as shared infrastructure will adapt faster, recover stronger, and include more people in the benefits of change.
Why It Still Matters
After decades of watching this unfold, one pattern remains consistent:
When people are given patient, respectful, context-aware digital support, the gains ripple outward.
Families stabilise.
Opportunities widen.
Fear reduces.
Agency increases.
The question is not whether digital inclusion matters.
The question is who owns it when it underpins everything.
Digital inclusion and equity is not glamorous. It doesn’t produce headlines. It rarely delivers instant metrics.
But it quietly strengthens the foundations on which everything else depends.
Perhaps its challenge is not proving its value.
Perhaps its challenge is reminding us that foundations are easy to overlook — right up until we realise how much they matter.
Digital inclusion and equity may not belong neatly within one portfolio.
But leadership begins precisely where responsibility becomes shared.
This piece was developed collaboratively , blending Alistair’s lived experience with AI-assisted reflection.