One in ten Belgians aged 16 to 74 has never used the internet: "I come from another planet"

Nearly one in ten Belgians aged 16 to 74 has never used the internet, the King Baudouin Foundation points out, citing the barometer of the 2018 information society of the FPS Economy, and which publishes Tuesday a new awareness film on the negative impact of this "deficiency"digital about the lives of citizens Employment, housing, education, healthcare … The Internet conditions many facets of everyday life and contributes to the isolation of those who do not have access to it.

"I received my tax return (…) these are all things to download, you have to go on the internet …", remarks a speaker of Yves Dorme's film,"I come from another planet ", made with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation. "At school too, everything is done by mail".

On Tuesday, the Foundation gathered around a hundred active project leaders from all over the country with excluded or remote digital audiences. The goal is to allow them to discuss their projects because "the problem is still too underrated".

The film is screened on this occasion en primeur, subtitled in French and Dutch. For while new technologies are a valuable tool for some, they represent a real obstacle for others, who do not have access to them or do not have the required skills. Digital technology thus also contributes to reinforcing social exclusion, underlines the King Baudouin Foundation. "When my computer or my smartphone does not work, it makes me nervous", says a woman.I always have to ask someone exactly how it works. And it's embarrbading, it's annoying to ask that".

For the past 10 years, inequalities have affected fewer people, says the Foundation. However, they have widened and generally affect people with low levels of education, the elderly and women, she concludes.