The role of social work in digital inclusion: a systematic literature review

In promoting equal digital inclusion, formal support is a main contributor. One of the most accessible formal support structures available are community centres and social workers. Yet, it is unclear how formal digital inclusion support is or can be offered by social workers. The aim of this research is to survey the existing studies on how social workers support digital inclusion. We conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA protocol. A total of 1110 unique articles were screened with search terms related to social work and digital inclusion, 36 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and ultimately ten articles were extracted. The ‘Resources and appropriation theory’, which describes motivation, access, skills and usage as complementary phases of internet appropriation, was used to analyse the extracted articles. We found social workers’ observations of exclusion indicators in all four phases. However not in all four phases of the theory simultaneously. Social workers offer support directly to clients but also by organising peer support, training or by activating their organisation to facilitate. In addition to this direct support, social workers played an important role in identifying systemic barriers and addressing digital exclusion due to social inequality.