Vulnerable people’s digital inclusion: intersectionality patterns and associated lessons

This paper presents a study of focus groups on three vulnerable population categories (ethnic minorities, older people and people with disabilities) and explores the patterns of intersectionality in these populations’ digital inclusion and its role in their social inclusion. The paper illustrates the value of the concept of intersectionality within the study of the aforementioned three vulnerable populations’ digital inclusion and questions the existing evidence available on the roles of nationality, ageing and disability in their digital inclusion. It identifies patterns of intersectionality that stress the role of individuality and life circumstances (such as life changes and periods of transition), as well as the stigma and concomitant experiences of social marginalisation regarding the digital inclusion of these populations. The paper concludes by pointing out the policy significance of intersectional patterns in the digital domain and calls for a systematic study of the different categories of the cultural and social specificities of vulnerability.