Perdita
13-10-2009, 07:26
Storylines about the internet in soap operas can play a part in getting 'unconnected' British adults to go online, Martha Lane Fox says.
Ms Lane Fox, the UK's Digital Champion, is considering ways to get the four million poorest Britons to sign up to the internet.
"The jury is still out" on whether broadcasters will adopt such a storyline, she told the BBC's HARDtalk.
Technology can provide a "route out" of poverty, she added.
The co-founder of lastminute.com was describing her new role and how she intends to tackle the issue of digital exclusion.
Route out
She has commissioned a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers to make the economic case for getting online.
It found that digitally excluded households could save between £270 and £560 a year, depending on their economic circumstances, by going online.
Being online can help the unemployed increase their lifetime earnings by £12,000, while internet-savvy workers can increase their earnings by £8,000.
Martha Lane Fox is best known as co-founder of LastMinute.com
The study also found that the government could save at least £900m a year if all digitally excluded adults got online and made just one electronic contact per month.
Ms Lane Fox has put the lobbying of politicians high on her agenda.
"Over half of MPs don't think digital exclusion is an issue and one of my roles is to keep up the pressure on government," she said.
The government recently dropped its Digital Inclusion Minister and the role now forms part of Digital Britain minister Stephen Timms' remit.
Ms Lane Fox is also keen to build a "peer-to-peer network" of people who have received online training and are prepared to pass that training on.
She acknowledges that it is going to be a hard movement to start.
People's taskforce
"We will have to build this up person by person. It is worth having a big ambition and if I can get a thousand people to volunteer and have an impact on another thousand, then that's a start," she told the BBC.
As part of this she intends to set up a "people's taskforce", made up of individuals from the economic group she has targeted, who will give their opinions on future strategies.
Ms Lane Fox has also been in talks with retailers to see if any are prepared to provide a package of services and offer bonuses for those who go online.
Electrical retailer Comet has agreed to offer a service aimed specifically at older people.
She told the BBC she remained "passionate" about her role.
"I get frustrated when I feel I get back only negativity. I don't see this as a controversial issue," she said.
"The projects I have visited prove that technology can provide a route out for people in a spectacular way and I hope to bring continued focus on the issue," she insisted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8302598.stm
Ms Lane Fox, the UK's Digital Champion, is considering ways to get the four million poorest Britons to sign up to the internet.
"The jury is still out" on whether broadcasters will adopt such a storyline, she told the BBC's HARDtalk.
Technology can provide a "route out" of poverty, she added.
The co-founder of lastminute.com was describing her new role and how she intends to tackle the issue of digital exclusion.
Route out
She has commissioned a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers to make the economic case for getting online.
It found that digitally excluded households could save between £270 and £560 a year, depending on their economic circumstances, by going online.
Being online can help the unemployed increase their lifetime earnings by £12,000, while internet-savvy workers can increase their earnings by £8,000.
Martha Lane Fox is best known as co-founder of LastMinute.com
The study also found that the government could save at least £900m a year if all digitally excluded adults got online and made just one electronic contact per month.
Ms Lane Fox has put the lobbying of politicians high on her agenda.
"Over half of MPs don't think digital exclusion is an issue and one of my roles is to keep up the pressure on government," she said.
The government recently dropped its Digital Inclusion Minister and the role now forms part of Digital Britain minister Stephen Timms' remit.
Ms Lane Fox is also keen to build a "peer-to-peer network" of people who have received online training and are prepared to pass that training on.
She acknowledges that it is going to be a hard movement to start.
People's taskforce
"We will have to build this up person by person. It is worth having a big ambition and if I can get a thousand people to volunteer and have an impact on another thousand, then that's a start," she told the BBC.
As part of this she intends to set up a "people's taskforce", made up of individuals from the economic group she has targeted, who will give their opinions on future strategies.
Ms Lane Fox has also been in talks with retailers to see if any are prepared to provide a package of services and offer bonuses for those who go online.
Electrical retailer Comet has agreed to offer a service aimed specifically at older people.
She told the BBC she remained "passionate" about her role.
"I get frustrated when I feel I get back only negativity. I don't see this as a controversial issue," she said.
"The projects I have visited prove that technology can provide a route out for people in a spectacular way and I hope to bring continued focus on the issue," she insisted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8302598.stm