Famed photographer helps raise awareness of the Digital Divide

Series of royalty-free images highlights the “invisible” issue affecting millions in the UK.

Vodafone and photographer Rankin release ‘Faces of Disconnection’, a photo series showcasing the real stories behind digital disconnection.
Imagery released as Vodafone reaches the one million milestone in its everyone.connected campaign and extends its commitment to help a total of four million people cross the digital divide by 2025.
New consumer research* shows the issue is still not well understood, with nearly half of Brits (47%) admitting they aren’t familiar with digital exclusion and 60% unaware of the support available for those who are disconnected.
Vodafone increases availability of its free everyone.connected SIMs through a new pilot with The Trussell Trust and Citizens Advice’s ‘Help through Hardship’ helpline.
The collection will be available to view at a pop-up digital gallery on 4 December in London and as royalty-free images on free stock image website Pexels.

Faces of Disconnection: Meera* - Trapped with nowhere to turn. 1/4.

"I can't believe you were able to help me by offering me a mobile, that's unheard of." 2/4.

"My abusive ex-partner smashed my phone and I wasn't able to afford another, which put me and my kids at risk." 3/4.

"It made such a difference knowing I could call someone if needed." Meera* received a device and connectivity through Vodafone's Great British Tech Appeal. 4/4. *name changed to protect recipient's identity.

Vodafone has partnered with world-renowned photographer Rankin to commission a series of images that depict the many faces of digital exclusion in the UK. The ‘Faces of Disconnection’ photo series, released today, comes as the brand reaches the milestone of donating connectivity to one million people living in digital exclusion and extends its commitment to help a total of four million people cross the digital divide by 2025.

Over 1.7 million households are digitally disconnected, with a million more at risk due to the cost-of-living crisis. But a new study from Vodafone has revealed that only 9% of people can confidently explain digital exclusion, and 60% think that it affects only those who can’t afford a connection.

In reality the issue is much wider. In fact, while those suffering financial hardship took up a large percentage of the one million connections donated by Vodafone (26%), the reality is much broader with digital inclusion (24%), refugees and asylum seekers (20%), homelessness (10%), young people (5%) following closely behind.

Faces of Disconnection: Ava* - Connected but at what cost? 1/6.

"I spend most of my time online, scrolling social media and Whatsapping friends but I never expected to be targeted by someone looking to hurt me. I woke up to loads of unread messages on my phone from people asking if I’d seen this account on social media." 2/6.

"Someone had created a fake profile pretending to be me. They posted horrible pictures where my face was superimposed onto different animals." 3/6.

"By the time the account was deleted lots of people had already screenshotted and shared the posts. All those pictures and nasty posts are still on people’s phones today." 4/6.

"Through Vodafone's partnership with Digital Awareness UK I got to grips with how to report inappropriate content and to spot potential issues before they arise." 5/6.

"It's made me feel much better now I know where I can turn to for help." 6/6. *name changed to protect recipient's identity.

Social causes

‘Faces of Disconnection’ is based on real life stories, and depicts the top social causes that benefit from Vodafone’s everyone.connected programme. It features a range of people who can find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide including:

A Ukrainian refugee who has a working smartphone, but no connectivity so feels lonely and disconnected from home.
A young girl who has autism and feels overwhelmed by the online world and needs additional skills on how to navigate it.
A family which has been forced to choose between utilities as the cost of living rises.
A woman who lost connectivity after an abusive partner broke her phone.
A teenager without the digital skills to feel safe online.
An older man who feels daunted by the information on how to get online.
A man who has found himself homeless and in a shelter with no access to connectivity.

Faces of Disconnection: Debbie* - Determined but forced to choose. 1/5.

"I was struggling to afford my bills, as well as battling depression and anxiety." 2/5.

"Despite being on all the correct benefits, I'm on a very low income and was looking for work but finding it hard to accept a job that fits around my child's school times, to avoid childcare costs." 3/5

Vodafone's charities.connected provides free mobile connectivity to charities, including Venus who are supporting people such as Debbie*. 5/5. *name changed to protect recipient's identity.

As well as consumer research, the study looked at how the issue is depicted online across the media, stock sites and search engines and found that the issue isn’t represented accurately. Almost 80% of images (78%) use only graphs, data, or cartoons to illustrate digital exclusion with only 22% of images online featuring real people. Where people and faces were included, only 2% depicted any emotion, further masking the impact digital disconnection can have on members of society. This portrayal exacerbates the ‘invisible’ nature of the issue.

Faces of Disconnection: Igor* - The Digital Skills Gap: A Generation Left Behind. 1/5.

“Technology really is a struggle for me. The problem is, if you don’t use it every day, it’s not easy to remember." 2/5.

"My daughter will show me what to do, I’ll learn it once and then forget it. But everything is online these days – shopping, bills – and I prefer seeing and having things in front of me." 3/5.

"I want my bills by paper so I can go through them properly. I like to go out to get my groceries, it’s what I’m used to and I like the fresh air and to see faces." 4/5

"When you buy food online sometimes the quality is not as good as they say or in the photos. I want to be able to touch the fruit and veg and feel the amount in my hands.” Vodafone UK Foundation’s Hi Digital programme, in partnership with Independent Age, looks to build older people’s confidence and motivation to engage with the online world. 5/5. *name changed to protect recipient's identity.

Photographer, Rankin said: “When Vodafone asked me to help them highlight the faces of digital exclusion, I knew that I had to help. It’s such an invisible issue so I wanted to use my skills to bring to life the stories of the people affected and help change perceptions.

“The images are based on real-life situations, and not only showcase those who can be affected by digital exclusion but also the feeling that disconnection brings – be that loneliness, frustration or isolation.

“I hope the series provides some much-needed insight, as with more awareness and understanding and support from businesses like Vodafone, we can fix the issue once and for all.”

Faces of Disconnection: Lauren*- A World of Isolation and Overwhelming Exclusion. 1/5.

"I have fibromyalgia and an undiagnosed rheumatic condition which affects my mobility. I also have autism. These things are invisible to most people." 2/5.

"Connectivity is incredibly important in maintaining my relationships. Because I can’t regularly go out, I rely on the internet to keep in touch with friends and family so when I'm unable to top up my data I feel really disconnected." 3/5.

"I also struggle when using online services. There is so much information it overwhelms me. I don’t use TikTok or Snapchat because I just do not understand it and find it very daunting." 4/5.

"Vodafone's partnership with Good Things Foundation will help people like me learn the digital skills and access we need to thrive online." 5/5. *name changed to protect recipient's identity.

Ahmed Essam, Vodafone’s UK CEO, said: “We have put tackling the digital divide at the heart of our business and I am pleased to say that we have now donated connectivity to a million people in need.

“I am also proud to say we are now extending our commitment to help a total of four million people cross the digital divide by 2025 through the provision of connectivity and technology, affordable and accessible products and digital skills.

“Connectivity is a key part of everyday life, and those who aren’t part of the digital world are sadly too often invisible. We hope these images help drive understanding of the breadth and implications of the issue, and encourage people to search Vodafone everyone.connected to find out more if they know someone who might need our help.”

Faces of Disconnection: Ivan* - Displaced & Detached. 1/4.

"My mother and I were forced to temporarily leave our dearest Ukraine and seek refuge like millions of others." 2/4.

"We were sheltered by a wonderful family, who I had to ask for help because my phone stopped working properly. This was a big stress for me as I was relying on it to help me translate documents and information as well as keep in touch with my father at home who is fighting in the war against Russia." 3/4.

"We were supported by the Refugee Council, who via their partnership with Vodafone, gave me a new mobile device with an everyone.connected SIM card. It means everything to be able to contact my family at home and with the connectivity I am now learning English which is life changing'. 4/4. *name changed to protect recipient's identity.

Helen Milner OBE, Group CEO, Good Things Foundation, said: “Digital exclusion in the UK is still at unacceptable levels, which is why we are pleased to be working with Vodafone to extend their commitment to help a total of four million people cross the digital divide over the next three years.

“Together, in partnerships such as this one, we can help make the issue more visible and fix it for good.”

The images are freely available to the public, media outlets and organisations from today to use via free stock image site Pexels – with the aim of providing a more accurate portrayal of the issue. They will also be showcased at a free digital gallery exhibition at 45 Kings Mall, London, W6 9HW on 4 December from 10am to 4pm.

Faces of Disconnection: Paul*: Down, Out and Disconnected. 1/6.

“I'm being helped into employment by LandAid, a charity supporting homelessness in the UK. After sleeping in my car, I'm now moving into my own property." 2/6.

"Thinking about the amount that bills have increased since I last paid them really stresses me out." 3/6.

"I'm doing some online courses so I can get into HGV driving and I've been given a grant for a laptop but I'm worried about the cost of broadband." 4/6.

"Through Vodafone’s charities.connected, LandAid gave me a SIM card so that I can use it to tether to my laptop and get my coursework done at home." 5/6.

"I am over the moon about how it will allow me to do my course without being a financial stressor". 6/6. *name changed to protect recipient's identity.

Crossing the divide

Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign includes a range of partnerships and initiatives to help more people and businesses cross the digital divide, giving them the connectivity and skills they need to stay connected and participate fully in an increasingly digital society.

Building on its existing work with Good Things Foundation, which saw Vodafone pledge 24 million GB of data and to connect 200,000 people as part of the National Databank, the brand will enter a new three-year strategic partnership to support further delivery of the charity’s ambition to fix the digital divide in the UK. This will include helping expand its National Digital Inclusion Network to over 5,000 organisations by providing basic digital skills support to excluded people in local communities across the UK.
A new pilot announced today will get free connectivity into the hands of the people who need it most at the time when they are most vulnerable. Working with the Trussell Trust and Citizens Advice, Vodafone will offer SIMs to those calling the Help through Hardship helpline, which is delivered in partnership by the two charities and provides advice and support to people who are worried about money and struggling to afford the essentials.

Click on the everyone.connected link to support the campaign or find out how to access help.

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Notes to Editors

Actors have been used to represent real people and their stories.

Case studies available on request.

Research

*Consumer research was carried out between 16/11/2022 – 17/11/2022 across 2,000 UK respondents.

**The study into how the digital divide is represented in imagery on UK websites was undertaken in November 2022. Multiple searches using phrases ‘digital exclusion’, ‘digital divide’, ‘digital poverty’ and ‘digitally disconnected’ were used with data collated from:

search engines
stock image sites
online news sites.

Over 2,317 images depicting the digital divide were recorded across 44 websites. A review was then conducted of each image against set criteria.

everyone.connected

In addition to providing free skills and connectivity, Vodafone has a range of products to help keep people connected. This includes its recently launched, Vodafone Essentials Broadband tariff – available to those on UTC and other benefits for just £12 a month, as well as its mobile social tariff, VOXI for Now which gives six months unlimited 5G data, calls and texts for just £10 a month, cancel anytime.

Vodafone is also offering its support to small business owners to help them mitigate rising costs and stay connected to customers. As part of its extended everyone.connected commitment to help four million people, and to add to its recent offer of 12 months free award-winning business-grade broadband on a 24-month plan, its business.connected initiative will upskill the digital capabilities of 800,000 small businesses over the next three years.

Vodafone is extending its support to existing everyone.connected customers who have finished their six months of free data with a 7GB for £5 Pay As You Go bundle to ensure they stay connected at an affordable rate.