Illectronism, this inequality in the face of digital technology that we would be wrong to ignore
This portmanteau word, born of the contraction between illiteracy and electronics, risks handicapping the population more and more, while our democracy is going digital. World tour of solutions.
Entered, in 2020, in the dictionary which defines it as « the state of a person who does not master the skills necessary for the use and creation of digital resources », illectronism will be observed more and more more on a daily basis. Moreover, the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Posts and Press Distribution (Arcep) noted, in 2019, that 23% of French people over the age of 12 did not have a smartphone and 24% a computer. This inequality is increasingly social.
People affected by illiteracy often have few or no qualifications – 34%, compared to only 2% of higher education graduates. A significant proportion of non-graduates are elderly, but even those under 60 are more often in this situation – 15%, compared to 1% of higher education graduates.
Illectronism affects all working people to varying degrees: executives and intermediate professions (2%), employees (5%), craftsmen (7%), workers (11%) and farmers (23%). Two out of three active executives have a high level of digital skills, in line with their professional uses.
Yet, as seen in Tech 24, hardware isn’t everything. As a Senate report explains, illiteracy will not be solved with a magic tablet. It is important to give self-confidence, to value everyone and to cut short the technological acceleration. From Colori to Descodeuses, initiatives exist to counter this digital difficulty. Overview of the best initiatives.
