Revisiting digital participation as a prerequisite of digital inclusion

Abstract The article analyses the key challenges of digital participation as a concept in the context of digital inclusion. Based on the conceptual analysis, digital participation is a complex concept with ambiguous interrelations with its close concepts, such as digital inclusion. Furthermore, the definition of digital participation varies depending on the perspective or who defines it and to what end. Lastly, many conceptualizations of digital participation in later life are intertwined with the notions of active agency and aging, which paradoxically can lead to ageism and thereby underscore the positive function of digital participation to enhance wellbeing and (digital) inclusion.