The digital literacy gap

24th September 2025

Technology is at the centre of the modern world, but so many of us struggle to use it – why?

Things move fast in 2025: only a few years ago, AI was in its infancy, barely out of fiction, but now it is a part of our daily business lives. Each year, new technological innovations are made – there are improved phones, computers, other devices, all with new applications and advancements. In the modern industrial revolution, it can be difficult to keep track of everything.

This speed of development is largely to blame for the “digital literacy gap.” In short, people don’t know how to use new technology because it innovates so fast, it is impossible for many to keep up.

To give an example, let us say that someone gets a mobile phone in the mid 2000s, that could text, call, but not do much else. Over the next 20 years we move from that to touchscreens, to phones that have a range of apps on, to phones that can do banking, to phones that contain most of our lives, in one way or another, and that we’d struggle to get by without. How are people expected to keep up if they are still using their old phone until today? They wouldn’t know where to start!

Anyone can be part of the digital literacy gap, but the most likely candidates include older adults (who don’t have the time to learn or who are behind already, having not used new technology for a while), low income households (if you can’t afford to buy new technology, how will you ever learn how to use it?), small businesses (who may have to keep using outdated technology due to budget restraints) and rural communities (who lack the infrastructure).

And this skills gap can lead to problems: if people are unable to use modern technology, they risk getting left behind. One example I heard on the news was around season tickets for football teams – an elderly man had purchased one, but didn’t have a smart phone, so couldn’t use the scanner to get in. Furthermore, businesses need people who can use IT on top of their other skills, leading to a skills shortage for companies and employment difficulties for workers.

So, how do we bridge the digital literacy gap? We’ll discuss exactly that in our next blog!

In the meantime, if you’re concerned your IT knowledge is falling behind, you can always talk to Interfuture Systems, we’d be happy to help if we can.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/JfO_ELcy_dU