Digital Inequality in Italy and Europe

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are recognized as a key factor in socioeconomic development and societal evolution. According to the European Commission, “the ICT sector is directly responsible for 5 percent of European GDP, with a market value of € 660 billion annually, but it contributes far more to overall productivity growth (20 percent directly from the ICT sector and 30 percent from ICT investments). … The development of high-speed networks today is having the same revolutionary impact as the development of electricity and transportation networks had a century ago.”¹ “The digital economy is growing at seven times the rate of the rest of the economy.”² The pervasiveness of the ICT is changing the system of production and consumption, leading to the so-called information society. In this framework, the European Commission launched the Digital Agenda for Europe as one of the seven flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy to exit the crisis.³ Moreover, the Internet is recognized as an important tool for increasing transparency, accessing information, and facilitating the active participation of citizens in the building of democratic societies “by acting as a catalyst for individuals to exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Internet facilitates the realization of a range of other human rights”.⁴ For this reason, “everyone should have the right to participate in the Information Society and States have a responsibility to ensure that citizen’s access to the Internet is guaranteed.”⁵