Forum for Social Innovation Sweden Malmö University, in collaboration with researchers at Jönköping University, will evaluate Telia’s digital inclusion initiative and develop a Theory of Change model Theory of Change the company can use in its future sustainability efforts.
“It’s important to be able to demonstrate the value of social innovations. Those of us who work to promote social innovations and collaboration are proud to have earned Telia’s trust. In collaboration with researchers, we evaluate their projects and also develop a theory of change and a model for Theory of Change,” says Anna Tengqvist, coordinator at Forum for Social Innovation Sweden Malmö University.
The vast majority of Swedes use the internet and its services. Although there are many commonalities, digital life looks different for different people. Virtually all children use the internet. But children are also more vulnerable online. The oldest members of society remain the group that uses the internet the least, even though they have also increased their use of digital services. Older adults are limited by factors such as high costs, complicated technology, and a fear of being scammed online. Many Swedish internet users take steps to protect themselves in various ways from the risks that exist online. This is shown by the Internet Foundation’s survey Swedes and the Internet 2022.
Aims to combat digital exclusion
Telia works to provide connectivity and digital experiences, but also focuses on equipping entrepreneurs and individuals with the necessary skills. Through various initiatives, Telia aims to combat digital exclusion and work to make the internet a safer and better place.
“It’s important to us that everyone is included in digital life. We promote digital inclusion by providing reliable connectivity throughout Sweden and educational tools that help people develop basic digital skills,” says Anna Augustson, Head of Sustainability at Telia Sweden.
Telia Sweden runs three different digital inclusion initiatives aimed at different target groups and customers: Digital Seniors, Digital Entrepreneurship, and Digital Parenting.
“We organize events in collaboration with local governments for seniors and small business owners. Together with our partners, we train business owners on how to use digital services. At the events for seniors, we often have local high school students helping out. We’ve also sent out newsletters with tips, articles, information, and checklists,” says Anna Augustson.
Initiative as part of sustainability efforts
Telia Company operates in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, and Estonia. The company has 10 focus areas in its sustainability agenda but places particular emphasis on climate and circularity, digital inclusion, and security and privacy. In 2021, Telia ranked 11th out of 150 in the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Digital Inclusion ranking, which compares how well tech companies work toward and contribute to a more inclusive digital society.
“Among other things, we were commended for our work on digital inclusion for older adults and our efforts to promote children’s online safety,” says Anna Augustson.
Telia wants to improve the ways it evaluates and measures impact
One area for improvement highlighted in the benchmark is that Telia can enhance its efforts by evaluating and measuring their impact. This is one reason for the collaboration with Forum for Social Innovation Sweden.
– We have set goals for our digital development efforts, which fall under the umbrella of social sustainability. We know how many people we reach with our initiatives, but we want to know what impact our work has had on individuals and society as a whole. We do not yet have the expertise to conduct such a measurement and have commissioned Forum for Social Innovation Sweden researchers to help us with this. It involves both developing a model that we can use for a wider range of initiatives and creating a Theory of Change Digital Seniors and the Mobile Driver’s License, which is part of the Digital Parent initiative,” says Anna Augustson.
Researchers will evaluate the initiative
Sofi Fristedt is a researcher and occupational therapist who studies digital inclusion at both Jönköping University and Lund University. She is also the director of the Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare, a research center whose work is linked to social innovations and issues Forum for Social Innovation Sweden . That is why Sofi Fristedt believes this is an important community to be part of and a cause worth supporting.
She will look into the "Digital Seniors" initiative, which Telia offers to municipalities and in which young people help older adults understand digital technology.
“Young people provide guidance based on the interests and needs of older adults. I’ll be looking at the user experience. What has it been like to carry out this kind of training? What impact might it have? We’ll be conducting interviews with the municipalities and the seniors who participated,” says Sofi Fristedt.
She is interested in how and what technology we need to age actively and healthily.
– Digital technology challenges us and raises many questions about security, fears, and privacy. Digitalization affects people’s daily lives. It has implications for inclusion, and efforts are needed to ensure everyone is included. It is primarily family and friends who provide support to older adults when it comes to digital technology. There is very little support from society, and we devote almost no energy to ensuring everyone is included.
“We need parallel systems so that everyone can keep up with the transition, but also support systems that aren’t just tied to family and friends. The larger the company, the less support you often receive. It’s encouraging that large companies like Telia are working on digital inclusion, and it’s also important to evaluate such initiatives, as we are doing in this project,” says Sofi Fristedt.
Facts:
Forum for Social Innovation Swedens Telia assignment
The agreement and assignment with Telia will run for one year, starting in 2022. Forum for Social Innovation Sweden develop a theory Theory of Change change, identify methods for Theory of Change digital inclusion, create a model for measuring digital inclusion within Telia, and evaluate the impact of the “Digital Seniors” and “Mobile Driver’s License” initiatives. Participating in the project from Forum for Social Innovation Sweden are Forum for Social Innovation Sweden Tengqvist and Gloria-Karin López, as well as researchers Frida Lygnegård and Sofi Fristedt from the School of Health and Welfare at Jönköping University.
Swedes and the Internet in 2022
In 2022, the vast majority of Swedes use the internet and its services, according to the Internet Foundation’s survey *Swedes and the Internet 2022*. Although there are many commonalities, digital life looks different for different people. Virtually all children use the internet. But children are also more vulnerable online. The oldest members of society remain the group that uses the internet the least, even though they have also increased their use of digital services. Older adults are limited by factors such as high costs, complicated technology, and concerns about being scammed online. Many Swedish internet users take steps to protect themselves in various ways from the risks that exist online.
The Report: Swedes and the Internet 2022
World Benchmarking Alliance and Telia’s 2021 ranking
The World Benchmarking Alliance aims to encourage private companies to contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It compares and publishes benchmarks for tech companies’ impact and effectiveness in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Learn more about the World Benchmarking Alliance
In 2021, Telia ranked 11th out of 150 in the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Digital Inclusion Ranking.
Read the 2021 evaluation of Telia