Examining the emergence of digital society and the digital divide in India
A comparative evaluation between urban and rural areas
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13076040 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mahmudul Hasan Laskar (0000-0001-7024-5757, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Publication date | 2023-04-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2297-7775 • E-ISSN: 2297-7775 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1145221 |
| OpenAlex | W4365142339 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 8 |
Contemporary digital society has become a critical agent for transformation in various spheres of life and a new methodological framework for interdisciplinary research. It has emerged as a parallel entity alongside conventional society, where an individual's membership is not only limited to the physical world but also extends to the digital realm. In fact, a person's membership in the physical world is incomplete without their connection to the digital society. Digital technology is instrumental in driving social transformations in areas such as the economy, politics, culture, and religion. The striking feature of digital society is digital data production in the form of big data. Unlike in a conventional society, people's every move and behavior in a digital society are calculated and recorded as data. In this global context of a digital society, India has created opportunities for digitalization for its people since 2000, with significant strides made between 2015 and 2016. Reliance Jio, a telecom company, helped to accelerate this process by offering free unlimited Internet packages on a mass scale. This led to a tremendous surge in service industries and the emergence of new sectors, as well as a digital revolution in the conventional systems of the economy, politics, culture, education, religion, and law. However, this transformation has also exposed a significant challenge—the digital divide or digital inequalities, which cannot be overlooked or undermined in sociological research. It would be wrong to reduce digital inequality to a mere technological divide; it is a complex issue shaped by prevailing socioeconomic conditions, digital inequalities, and capability inequality. The study revealed that India's prevailing socioeconomic divide is the source of its wide digital divide. This digital divide exists across both rural and urban areas, affecting access to digital education and economic opportunities. The digital divide is also found between under-resourced urban areas and affluent residential areas. This study's theoretical framework draws on the studies of Castell on the information society and Dijk's concept of the network society
Context (archaeology · Digital divide · Digital economy · Digital Revolution · Digital transformation · Inequality · Information and Communications Technology · Information society · Network society · Political science · Politics · Realm · Social science · Sociology · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Platforms and Economics · ICT Impact and Policies · Law · University-Industry-Government Innovation Models
Invisible burdens of platform work
Navigating the Digital Divide in India
Digital divides and bridges
The impact of the digital divide on residents' healthcare consumption inequality
Social Media's Digital Divide in Political Engagement
Digital Technology and AI for Smart Sustainable Cities in the Global South
Developing a Theory of Gendered Digital Inclusion (GDI) for Sustainable Outcomes
| Citations per year | 3.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |