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Although not a complete list, this is some of the problems both young and old will face by not being digitally literate.

* Understanding the World wide web

* Options to work in certain sectors

* Understand what a digital identity is.

* Understand copyright and data protection legislation

*Be able to interact with social media

* Unable to shop on-line

* Break down barriers and understand the world around them.

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Older adults have had the hardest time adjusting to becoming more digital capable, my own experience has highlighted three factors. Affordability, access and knowledge.

These three factors have created barriers for learning within the adult population. The government has added many of its paper services and created e-services for society to access. Adults however who are asked to complete these forms on-line such as Universal job match or other benefit claims are the very adults who find themselves in poverty and unable to access the internet from home or have the financial means to.

The local Welsh government in recent years has tried to address the digital divide with projects such as Communities first and Communities 2.0. There is some evidence that digital literacy rates are increasing in many adults are due to broadband access and this work been carried our by the Welsh government.

The take up of technology may also be attributed to cheaper technology such as tablets and word of mouth by family and friends encouraging and sharing their own experiences.

Adults who lack the skills to use Digital media can become isolated and in the long run financially less well off, examples of these are paper less billing which can add money to a household bill. The ability to search for household or car insurance can save the average person hundreds of pounds and of course communication which plays such an important role in our societies.

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There has never been a better time for young people to access information, meet people new people and collaborate on ideas. Basic digital skills are needed to get the most from their educational endeavours, regardless of field of study that a young person enters in society.

The impact of a young person not being able to access digital media can affect their educational development as the internet and the world wide web is an excellent research tool. A young person living today, would be disadvantaged from his or her peers if they do not have the necessary means or skills to access the internet. This is normally basic requirement in a school or college environment when work is required be completed.

Young people today are regarded as digital natives and although criticised for their use of slang when texting, the internet can prove a useful tool for learning with videos such as Youtube and instagram helping young people to improve their studies and grades.

The global impacts for younger generation of today is huge as it can help break down barriers and give a better understanding of how others live and fit in the world around them.

Social media and content management systems play a huge part and used by over 90% of the youth today, highlighting the benefits of collaboration and sharing.

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Half of pupils in UK state schools have slow broadband or unreliable wi-fi, according to a new report.

It says 65% of primary schools and 54% of secondary schools complained about a lack of wi-fi connectivity.

Nearly half of primary schools and a third of secondary schools reported inadequate broadband.

The authors from the British Educational Suppliers Association (Besa) called on the government to fix the issue.

TABLETS IN SCHOOLS

There will be 378,000 tablets in primary schools by end of 2016

In secondary schools this rises to 500,000

45% of tablets will be iOS-based by that date

34% will be Android-based

66% of schools say budget will be a significant barrier to the adoption of tablets in schools

Source: Besa

The report found that there is a big correlation between those schools with poor use of ICT in the classroom and the UK's broadband not-spots as identified by Ofcom.

Areas where schools are struggling with bandwidth issues include Cumbria in England, East Ayrshire in Scotland and Gwynedd in Wales.

Speedy action

"It is of great concern that pupils are being denied access to innovative and effective digital learning because of poor internet connectivity in more than half of the UK's schools," said Besa's director Caroline Wright.

"In today's digital society, classroom connectivity to an online world of knowledge and resources should be a right for every student in their place of learning and not a lottery."

Schools that are struggling with poor internet access also report low uptake of tablet computers, risking a big digital divide opening, warned Ms Wright.

"If a teacher standing at the front of the class knows that they have unreliable wi-fi they are less likely to use internet-connected resources and devices," she said.

She called on the government to "take speedy action" to make sure all children could benefit from "an education that harnesses the power of educational technology".

Andrew Ferguson, founder of broadband news site ThinkBroadband, put into perspective the challenge many schools face when it comes to providing adequate bandwidth.

"A class of 30 pupils doing media-rich research can easily fill a 100 Mbps connection and without sufficient management of the connection it is possible for one pupil to use all the available bandwidth."

The findings are not all bad though.

The report found that schools are rapidly increasing the number of laptops in classrooms and many are using lower-cost tablets to offer more children access to a device during lessons.

The report also found that technology budgets are growing in schools and will be at an average of £14,450 per primary school and £64,400 in a typical secondary school by the end of 2016.

A copy of the report has been sent to the Department for Education's technology action group.

It did not respond to requests for a comment by the time of publication.

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Half of pupils in UK state schools have slow broadband or unreliable wi-fi, according to a new report. It says 65% of primary schools and 54% of secondary schools complained about a lack of wi-fi connectivity. Nearly half of primary schools and a third of secondary schools reported inadequate broadband.

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In the last hundred years Western society has taken a giant leap from an industrialised economy to a digital economy and society. The benefits of this have had a great impact on the way we work and live our lives.

The digital age is still very much in its infancy and the take up of technology worldwide is still limited due to a huge global divide with financial and infrastructure mainly to blame.

Digital technology globally has given many farmers, producers and manufactures an exciting opportunity to open markets worldwide. Without the means of digital media and literacy the opportunities would be limited to their own continent or community.

The diagram below highlights some of the recent statistics on Internet usage worldwide. Asia has embraced the digital age is the continent which has firmly grasped the benefits and implementation of the internet in everyday life.

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I would class my own experience as being very fortunate. I grew up just at the right time in the digital age of computing. I could not comprehend the impact of the computing world would have on my education or my long term career prospects. Having two parents that never attended higher education, I can only stop and wonder where my direction in life would would have headed.

Using most computing devices from a young age has given me an ability and confidence to pick new technology and master it until it becomes second nature. I have recognised to look for certain patterns from previous devices and software in order to master anything new.

In society, especially amongst the older generation there is a belief the younger generation, seem to hold a dark art to operating anything digital.

Although this statement is true to a certain extent and the young people are more at easy with technology, my own experiences of working in further education and Adult education is that adults can easily match any young digital native with practise and patience once there are given a hook to learning.

on both levels of young and old digital media can help with higher or thinking skills.