In a recent article in Ingenøren, Brit Ross Winthereik, Professor in TiP, discusses issues of ‘digital housekeeping’ in the Danish digitalized welfare state. In the article, Winterheik is raising questions of structural reinforcements of inequalities through placing the responsibility of access to digital services on the citizens. As a high degree self-sufficiency and technical knowledge is expected of the citizens, those who cannot full fill these expectations are (possibly) left behind in the digital maze of social services:
“One aspect of digitalization which is often overlooked, is that the responsibility for communication with the public sector is placed on the citizens, who must purchase, install, maintain and in particular familiarize themselves with and understand new IT.
The citizen must have an updated computer or a mobile phone with network access, and the citizen must understand the interplay between different digital circuits. If not, they simply cannot get in touch with the authorities.”
Read the full article here [in Danish].