Caitríona Redmond: Could you actually manage without digital devices?

From shopping to authentication, and more, without a digital device, it can be difficult to interact with Irish society

Most days I juggle at least three pairs of glasses, and if I don't get to my mobile phone in time with the right pair, I can forget to authorise a transaction or even read the screen. Picture: iStock

At a fundamental level, without a digital device, it is extremely difficult to interact with Irish society.

You might be reading this column online, or you might be reading it in print.

Have you ever considered that access to the internet and a digital footprint is now a prerequisite for participating in Irish society, and whether it should be this way?

Sometimes called a digital layer, I’d like to describe living and working in Ireland as a digital lasagna. Each sheet of lasagna is carefully sandwiched, requiring access to a smartphone or the internet to carry out day-to-day life tasks.

According to the CSO, almost 80% of people used electronic IDs in 2025, mostly to access online public services. For you and me, that means using the MyGovID connected to our public services card (PSC), and we will soon have the option to add our date of birth to this card, making it a public identity card, not just a way to access online Government services.

From renewing our driving licence to accessing certain benefits, certificates, and appointments, more tasks are being handled through Government websites and electronic identification.

It’s safe to say the barrier to accessing Government services is not having a mobile phone. Once we get our PSC, we must link it to a secure authenticator app to access public services, and that app must be on a smartphone.

As bricks-and-mortar banks and post offices decline, people increasingly use internet or mobile banking. This can make accessing our money complicated at times, particularly for those who may not be as tech-savvy as younger citizens. What’s more, making a transaction online increasingly depends on an individual’s access to account verification. That verification is, you’ve guessed it, connected to an app on a smartphone.

There are passwords and biometric IDs to scan to access those passwords, or even a code to enter into the phone to get there. Making a payment used to be as simple as entering your card details, but now it’s using the wallet on your phone, or a banking app with authentication. 

It’s actually quite difficult to buy a large item with cash nowadays; many travel agents aren’t set up to accept cash, for example, making paying for a holiday a digital experience.

Access to apps and the internet is challenging enough at the best of times. For people who struggle with reading glasses, it’s even harder. I’ve recently joined the varifocals and reading glasses club, thanks to my family for my poor inherited eyesight and astigmatism. 

Most days, I juggle at least three pairs of glasses, and if I don’t get to my mobile phone in time with the right pair, I can forget to authorise a transaction or even read the screen. While I’m no Millennial, I’m also nowhere near pensionable age, which makes me wonder how much more challenging things will be when I’m older.

QR codes as menus were introduced during covid times, and they have become more prevalent in restaurants countrywide. While a digital menu is certainly more hygienic than a menu that is passed around many tables and cleaned, scanning a QR code requires a smartphone. 

Many restaurants can accommodate both the traditional and newer methods of ordering, but choosing your meal in person may require a staff member to be free to take your order or hand over the card machine.

From boarding passes to concert tickets, booking emails, and QR codes, smartphones are increasingly where you store important information. What happens when the battery’s dead? 

All of a sudden, you’ll lose access to your tickets, banking, authentication, maps, communication, and payment. Of all these digital solutions, maps are probably the easiest to replace because you can use a paper book. Without a smartphone, you are isolated from the rest of society.

Do you need to get an MRI or X-ray? Both of these essential health checks are often reported in digital format.

A less tech-savvy family member was recently given a link to access their results, but they couldn’t access it because they lacked digital know-how. They asked for a disc or file they could plug into their computer and read, only to find it required a specific app when they got home, rendering the files useless.

I’d hate to think you consider this an age-related issue, because struggling with technology and needing smartphones is an obstacle to day-to-day life. That barrier isn’t limited to those who may not be as digitally literate, but equally to people who want to opt out of the always-on lifestyle.

There’s hidden labour in opting out of digital services, because for those who can’t or won’t access them, the work gets passed on to someone else. If a parent can’t fill in a form or make a booking, they may ask their children to do so. 

If they can’t access their medical records, they will need help from someone else — and that takes time. We rarely value this time, but it is unpaid work nonetheless.

Digitisation may make processes more efficient for organisations, but at what cost? Shouldn’t we all have the right to choose how we interact with society?

REDMOND RECOMMENDS

I got my eyes tested recently. If you’ve got enough PRSI stamps, you should be able to get one free eye exam every two years.

If you need glasses, the HSE will reimburse a small amount towards frames and lenses. For single-vision lenses, that’s €42.37, and for varifocals it’s €84.19.

The extras really increase the cost of buying new lenses. Anti-glare coating, reactive lenses, sunglasses, and even lens thinning can add significantly to your glasses bill. Before buying, consider whether you really need the additional features, and ask your optician to make you aware of any special offers that could bring the cost down.