The Impact of Digital Inclusion on Hispanic Communities
Posted on October 10, 2022 by Maribel Martinez, consultant with The Patterson Foundation
Every year, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the contributions of Spanish-speaking people and creates awareness for the wide variety of cultures that are represented under the language’s banner. In the United States, Spanish is the second most-spoken language, and the U.S. is also the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, behind Spain itself. Since over 41,254,941 people, 13% of the U.S. population, identify as Spanish speakers, examining their experiences is worthwhile and necessary if we aim to include everyone in the benefits of 21st-century life.
Digital inclusion, the activities that lead to digital equity, such as access to affordable broadband and computers, as well as the digital skills necessary to engage with technology in relevant ways, have received landmark attention along with funding in recent years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, specific groups of people continue to lag behind others in adopting technology, mainly due to cost when access is not a factor. According to a Pew Research Center 2021 survey, Hispanic adults are less likely than their White counterparts to say they own a computer or internet access. These gaps have been present among other surveys and studies, which begs the question, How do Latinx people connect to the internet? The answer continues to be mobile access. Hispanics continue to access the internet on their smartphones, almost exclusively, as a cost-saving measure. But this decision carries tremendous personal risk, including internet safety and identity theft. Crafting a resume on a smartphone or completing homework on one isn’t desirable, either. When Hispanics avoid connecting to the internet through a fixed cable connection or fiber to the home to save money, for example, and own large-screen computing devices, it further widens a chasm known as the digital divide.
While 72% of Hispanic people in the U.S. speak English proficiently, 44% have college experience, and four out of five are U.S. citizens, more than half of the Latino workforce is ill-prepared to participate in the digital economy (Pew Research Center, 2022). Hispanics are “highly underrepresented in the tech and digital workforce,” and those ages 16-64 have limited to no digital skills (The Aspen Institute, 2021). The need to ensure that Hispanics participate in the digital economy is dire. A report by the National Skills Coalition suggests that working-age Hispanics need to develop or grow their digital skills to be eligible for employment.
While one’s livelihood is paramount, the impacts of digital inclusion extend far beyond one’s work. Without combined access to affordable broadband, large-screen devices, and opportunities to learn foundational or advanced digital skills, Hispanics will be unable to fully participate in every aspect of 21st-century life.
Today’s world is already highly digital, with more and more businesses launching or moving their day-to-day operations online. Such industries include banking, media, education, civic privileges such as voting, and healthcare. The United Nations declared the internet a human right in 2016, and today it is a social determinant of health. Social determinants of health are conditions where people live, work, learn, and play that affect various health factors, including premature death.
Equitable access to broadband, large-screen computers, and skills training affects everyone’s ability to improve their quality of life, personal circumstances, and even future outcomes. As we celebrate Hispanics’ $800 billion annual contribution to the yearly U.S. economy through their hard work and entrepreneurship, it’s critical to bolster their gains and ensure the impacts of digital inclusion on Latino people are positive and lasting.
