Impact of Digital Skills

This chapter examines the impact of digital skills on participation in a smart society, arguing that digital skills are not merely individual competencies but key resources that shape social inclusion and inequality. Drawing on Resources and Appropriation Theory, it shows how temporal, material, mental, social, and cultural resources influence people’s ability to access, use, and benefit from internet and intelligent media. The chapter demonstrates that digital skills affect participation across economic, educational, political, social, cultural, spatial, and institutional domains, including employment, learning, healthcare, public services, and civic engagement. It challenges claims that digital inequality is overstated, arguing that traditional alternatives are declining, assistance from others is unevenly available, and AI and smart technologies increase rather than reduce the need for advanced digital skills. The chapter concludes that digital skills function as a gateway to participation and as a multiplier of existing advantage, making targeted support, inclusive design, and broader social policy essential to prevent digital inequalities from reinforcing wider social inequalities.