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Dotcom entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox says we need to do more to convince older people to get online.
The Baroness, who chairs the board of the digital skills charity Go ON UK, says that for older generations it’s “not enough to just say, ‘I don’t do the internet’.”
She added: “We should give those people a gentle nudge.”
Lady Lane Fox thinks a greater emphasis needs to be put on the benefits of the internet, and hopes to use her peerage to push the agenda.
“Putting the internet at the heart of things enables you to make more interesting choices. But that requires people understanding the transformative power of the net, and how to use it to build great services.”
The businesswoman, who made her fortune founding Lastminute.com in the early 2000s, explained how the internet can make a huge difference to people’s lives irrespective of age.
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“I have never seen a tool that is as phenomenally empowering as the internet, for so little effort,” said the Baroness, speaking during an interview with the Radio Times (via Telegraph).
“I have met people from all of the country, from Bridlington to Bournemouth, saying it has helped them get back to work, helped them get their life back on track.”
The Lady added: “I believe it’s worth spending the time showing people who haven’t had the money or exposure, the benefits.”
Lady Lane Fox’s charity Go ON UK states its aim as ‘empowering everyone to reach their digital potential’.
The organisation was created in 2012 and has chief executives of nine major organisations on its board of directors, including the BBC, E.ON, and TalkTalk.
