June 30, 2024, 7:40 am | Read time: 7 minutes

Booking train rides via app, scheduling appointments digitally, saving money at the supermarket with an app–for some, this means significant time savings and a certain freedom. Others, however, feel excluded by the increasing digitization of daily life. The term “digital compulsion” often comes up in this context. TECHBOOK aims to report on the current situation and highlight the pros and cons of digital apps.

Why People Like Using Apps

We live in a world of constant connectivity. Being online all the time was once a utopia. Since the invention of the smartphone, however, it has become a reality. For young people, social media is part of their close circle of friends. Being cut off from the news streams on TikTok, Facebook, or WhatsApp is unimaginable for the younger generation.

Adults also rely on their smartphones, not just for work. Quickly shopping online, checking emails, or streaming the latest blockbuster–in the past, you had to leave the house, go to the mailbox, the supermarket, or the cinema. Today, you can do these things comfortably from your sofa at home. The pandemic clearly demonstrated what can be done digitally when the analog world is (at least partially) closed.

Why Many People Avoid Apps

In Germany, we are still far from being constantly online. Current figures show:

• According to the Federal Statistical Office, more than 3 million people aged 16 to 74 have never been online.
• People over 74 are not included in this count. This group includes about 9.2 million people.
• The German Association of Cities and Municipalities found that more than half of people aged 65 and older do not own or use a smartphone.

There are also people who choose to live offline voluntarily. This number is difficult to determine. The reasons for not being online or participating in digital life are varied. Currently, age plays a significant role. However, with each new generation, this issue is likely to recede into the background.

Some people also forgo a smartphone and the associated contract with one of the many providers for financial reasons. However, this group usually has at least internet access via a PC.

Is There a Right to an Analog Life?

The millions of people who live almost entirely analog want to be sustainably protected from digital compulsion by the organization Digitalcourage. However, there is no clear definition of what exactly is meant by this.

Digitalcourage, which advocates for civil rights, data protection, and a livable world in the digital age, attempts to define the term on its website. According to the organization, digital compulsion exists when …

• the service is an additional, purely digital offering that restricts participation in public life and discriminates against people without smartphones, especially in state or official services,
• there is no analog offering, even though it is technically possible,
• an analog offering costs more or requires more effort, making it unattractive and not a real alternative.

The organization explicitly emphasizes that it is neither against digitization nor fundamentally opposed to technology. People in Germany should simply have a choice and not be forced to use a smartphone.

The organization sees this trend. Many companies are increasingly converting analog access and processes to digital. According to lawmakers, this is legal. There is currently no legal regulation that dictates how private companies or authorities must provide their services. In other words, there is no obligation for these organizations to offer their services in analog form. Digitalcourage criticizes this. The organization also cites examples of companies from the past, although it does not speak of digital compulsion but of gray areas.

Example: Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn caused an uproar a few months ago with the announcement that the BahnCard would only be available digitally via the DB Navigator app. This regulation has been in effect since June 9, 2024. The railway still offers an analog option. “All BahnCard customers can access a replacement document–a BahnCard 25 or 50 in the form of a PDF document with a QR code–in their online account on bahn.de and print it out on paper if needed. We have extensively informed our customers about this option in recent weeks,” a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson told TECHBOOK.

From the railway’s perspective, this step is understandable because “in long-distance travel, 90 percent of all tickets are now purchased digitally via bahn.de or the DB Navigator app. Ten years ago, it was 51 percent. And even in local transport, 78 percent of tickets are now booked digitally,” the railway spokesperson explained the trend of recent years to order tickets via app.

Example: Doctolib

Also in the sights of Digitalcourage is the digital appointment planner Doctolib. It allows medical practices to manage appointments more efficiently and patients to schedule a visit via app. In response to a TECHBOOK inquiry, a company spokesperson emphasized: “Doctolib’s goal is to provide as many people as possible with faster access to healthcare. Especially for people who have to work during phone consultation hours or cannot spend long periods on hold during the week, Doctolib is a significant relief.”

Appointments can, of course, still be made by phone or in person at the practice. This option is even being improved. AI software makes it possible. “For people who prefer to call, Doctolib, together with Aaron.ai, has created a way to reach the desired medical practice around the clock and without waiting times. The Aaron.ai phone assistant uses AI to recognize emergencies and automatically refers to an emergency service or an internal emergency number.”

DHL, Supermarkets & Online Banking

There are other examples where companies make digital offerings more attractive and, according to Digitalcourage, are withdrawing from the analog world.

• Access to a DHL Packstation and thus the collection of packages now only works via smartphone and the DHL app.
• Supermarkets offer app users special deals on certain goods. Customers without smartphones are left out.
• Bank accounts can only be opened with online banking included. Online transfers must be authorized with an authentication app via smartphone.

Since 2021, Digitalcourage has offered a so-called “digital compulsion reporter.” Through it, you can report cases of possible digital compulsion to the organization.

More on the topic

Digital Only Deutsche Bahn Eliminates Physical BahnCard

Data Protection and More What You Should Know When Booking Doctor Appointments via Doctolib

Digital Is Good, Control Is Better

The explanations show: It’s never simple. Organizations like Digitalcourage play an important watchdog role in an ever-changing technological environment. Companies are responding to the increasing digitization driven by all of us. Many people are using apps more frequently to get things done quickly. The numbers support the companies.

It’s understandable if older people no longer want to deal with smartphones. The fears people have about data protection are also understandable. These groups must continue to be able to participate in public life without complications.

Is There Really a Digital Compulsion?

A real compulsion to use apps is rare. No one buys a smartphone and signs a mobile contract just to save ten cents on a pound of butter at the local store by using the supermarket app. In this case, the app serves merely as a lure for people who already own a smartphone.

Services essential to basic needs must, of course, remain accessible in analog form. This includes areas like public transportation, healthcare, mail, telephone, electricity, or waste disposal. A purely digital access creates new dependencies in case of a failure. Digital offerings not only save time but also improve access to services in certain cases. For example, people with visual impairments benefit because the text in apps can be enlarged and thus made more readable.

The commitment and petition of Digitalcourage are commendable. Currently, private companies and authorities have a kind of carte blanche in how they offer their services. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss how the current legal gap can be best closed for all parties involved.