Contrastare la povertà e l’esclusione digitale per promuovere il benessere conoscitivo: fattori di rischio e di protezione.

This paper describes the relationship between poverty and digital illiteracy. The problem of the digital divide, which affects people living in disadvantaged conditions, especially those on low incomes, refers to critical factors such as illiteracy and digital exclusion. The increasing diffusion of technologies is progressively reinforcing the exclusion of certain socially disadvantaged groups, especially in terms of access and relevance of technology use. In fact, data show that where poverty rates increase, digital literacy is lower, as poorer people are less likely to be involved in literacy processes and to acquire skills that enable them to interact with the digital world. So, while digital represents a real opportunity for those most at risk of poverty, it also tends to penalise them, creating digitally disadvantaged subgroups. With the increasing digital integration in society, production, education, and everyday life, we are witnessing changes on an unprecedented scale. The paper focuses on the causes of digital inequalities and the inclusive policies that countries, governments, and institutions should offer to the whole population, especially socially disadvantaged groups, to improve access and use of digital technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]