Paper long abstract:

The term 'internet-user' is not a homogeneous one, and survey findings consistently demonstrate this in terms of different levels of digital engagement which in turn reflect 'offline' socio-economic and demographic differences. However, the social processes linking digital engagement with the cultural beliefs that people hold regarding personal information disclosure and the trust accorded to both corporate and state digital service providers, is much less well understood. This paper present the findings of a qualitative study of internet users, retirees and the unemployed living in an ethnically-mixed inner city district, frequently associated with either limited levels of digital engagement or outright digital exclusion. The study explores the challenges of mediated communication faced by these groups and emergent cultures of digital use.