Recognizing DIGITAL

DIVIDE in Indian Context

Dr. Pradeep Kumar
Course Coordinator
PG Program in Development Communication
AJK Mass Communication Research Centre
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
E-mail:pradeep.mcrc@jmi.ac.in

The Issue

Stories about the Digital Divide have flooded newsreports, journals and conferences over the last five
years. A lot of statistics have been computed and a
number of reports are published to quantify and
describe what is happening and who is affected and
how, especially in Third World countries. It is all
about how information and communication
technology (ICT) revolution is changing the world
and what happens to the people who do not have
access to ICT tools and techniques.

The Presentation.
The presentation looks Digital Divide as a
complex problem that manifests itself in
different ways in different countries. The
presentation will give a complete account of
the divide from socio-economic perspectives
in our country and will also give a clear
picture of the real domestic disparities taking
place in India which is going to rise a social
conflict between haves and have nots.

The Concept

Digital Divide is defined as the gap between

nations which can and cannot afford the new
information and communication technologies.
It is a divide between those who can
effectively
harness
information
and
communication technology and those who
cannot.
It is a divide between online and offline
generation.

Cont..
Digital Divide is not merely a technology
divide. It is not merely about access or lack of
it. It is about the equitable distribution of
power and prosperity. People without access
are increasingly being excluded from
education, healthcare, good governance and
the means to improve their livelihoods.

The Statistics
If

we view the statistics of the divide at the

global level, the picture is alarming.
Only fifteen to twenty percent of the worlds
entire population today is internet users.
Of these 2,100,840,411users, 60% are in
industrialized countries.
Africa, Asia and Middle East together account
40% of the users.

Cont..
US

and Canada together account for 57% of

the internet users.
The richest 20% account for 94% of the
worlds internet users, while the poorest 20%
account for 2%.
(Source: worldstatistics.com)

Indian Picture
Less

than 10% Indian population is online.

The state capitals alone accounts for 70%
internet connections in the country.
Among
Indias
3.5
million
internet
connections more than 2.0 million are
cornered by the states of Delhi, Karnataka,
Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
and Punjab.

Divide in terms of Technology

& Infrastructure
The

availability of fixed and wireless

communication services (teledensity 15%).
Networked computers in Schools, Colleges,
Academic Institutions, offices, homes etc.
(Most computers are Standalone PCs).
The affordability and reliability of network
access, including the cost of service,
downtime and prevalence of information
sharing access among individuals.

Divide in terms of use of ICT

tools and content
Computerization

is still low.
High cost of equipment and low levels of
economic development.
Lack of necessary skills.
Rural penetration is low.
Lack
of network capacity and high
international tariffs.
Lack of interconnections of ISPs.

Cont
70%

web pages are in English.

Less native contents on net.

Divide in terms of Knowledge

and Skills

Lack of Information Managers capable of completing

complex technological projects.
Lack of Policy Analysts who understands the
tendency of government regulations to business
organizations, both public and private, particularly in
a changing technological environment.
Lack of local content creators aware of
communication networks potential.
Lack of sufficient number of software, hardware and
communication engineers.

Cont...
Pool

of expertise in India is relatively small (at

all levels, from policy making to users).
Rural areas are short of expertise in
infrastructure
operation,
installation,
computer
maintenance
and
software
troubleshooting.
Lack of computer education to use computer
based networks, new services and tools.

Why Does the Divide Exist ?

Slow

diffusion of new technologies.

People dont know how to use technology or
it is not made relevant to their lives.
Weak
Economy. Have no sufficient
investment in ICT sector.
Not able to roll out the technology quickly
from urban to rural areas.

Cont
Problems

regarding electricity.
Government policies have failed to support or
encourage ICT growth.
Inadequate response to the opportunities and
demands of ICT.

Who are connected in India ?

A

small, rich, successful and English

speaking minority.
The divide leads linguistic and cultural gap.

The Future of the Divide.

The number of PCs, amount of Internet Bandwidth,

number of telephone connections, mobile phones
and other ICT tools are slowly rising in all
developing countries, but the information have
countries are growing fast, thus widening the divide.
Computer and internet access prices are decreasing
around the world, but still the question is that
whether the low prices be enough for everyone in
third world to have access to ICT.

Cont
Network

infrastructure is slowly growing

around the world, and information have-nots
will
gain
increasing
bandwidth
and
telecommunication access, but still new
technologies will remain behind the curve
and be years behind the information haves.
Divisions by education.
Division by Gender.

The Questions.

Is technology is available and accessible to common

people and local community?
Is the available technology is appropriate to the local
needs and conditions of the community?
Is technology affordable for people to use?
Do people have the training and skills necessary for
effective technology use? Do they understand how
to use technology and its potential uses?

Cont
Is

locally relevant content available,

especially in terms of language?
Do people have confidence in technology and
do they understand the implications of
technology they use, for instance, in terms of
privacy, security, or cyber crime?
Do the technology is becoming a part of local
economic development?

Cont.
Is

there political will in government to do what

is needed to enable the integration of
technology throughout the society, and public
support for government decision-making?

The Possible Answers.

For this an overall pooling of resources and

experiences is needed. Dealing with the digital
divide is beyond the scope of any single
initiative. While it is important for organizations
doing community ICT projects to meet the needs
of their clients as comprehensively as possible,
the issues at stake in international and domestic
digital divides are huge, and organizations
should
cooperate
to
tackle
problems
collaboratively.

 Here

Indian government needs to play a

fundamental role in creating an environment

that will foster technology use and encourage
investment

in

ICT

infrastructure,

development, and a skilled workforce.

 Government

spreading

action is very important in

the

benefits

of

technology

throughout society, and governments have

the power and mandate to balance the needs
of their citizens for long-term economic
growth and social prosperity.

However, translating a vision into practical

steps that fit in the local context is not a simple
matter. Political leaders need to have a
realistic appreciation for what ICT can and
cannot do for their countries and communities,
and they must lead effectively and bolster
public confidence in the path they take.

 To

cross the digital divide and put ICT to

effective use to improve peoples lives,
countries and communities must consider the
whole concept of divide in terms of
infrastructure, access, training, and a legal
and regulatory framework that will foster ICT
use. If the digital divide is to be narrowed,
these issues above discussed must be
attained in a coherent, achievable strategy
that may be easily tailored to meet the local
need of the communities.

The Initiatives Required..

The

first step to bridge the gap or to

remove/minimize the conflict between haves

and have-nots in India is to locate committed
people who have the vision to carry out the
change.

 To

locate development agencies which have

imaginative ideas and which can go for a

realistic assessment of the felt needs and
problems of the underprivileged populace of
the country. For this, it is need to involve the
rural community at the planning, execution
and management stage of ICT projects.

 The

primary focus should be on education,

not on technology. While developing a

community network in India and
developing

countries

the

other

concentration

should be on human bandwidth rather than

mere on volume bandwidth.

 If

rural communities are provided the quality

of human relationship and human assisted

training, the information will travel from one
community to another through this human
network highway.

 So,

for India, now its a time to focus on

community, both local and global; on people
living below poverty line, belonging to
resource-poor areas; physically or socially
disabled and disadvantaged sections of the
community; and experimentation with new
models
and encounters. Community
pursuance and participation in ICT projects
should definitely strength Indias democracy.

 The

aim must be to provide digital access

and services to the doorsteps of the
underprivileged and downtrodden section of
the rural society. The only need is to initiate
and design policies that can enlighten self
interest of public sector and multinationals
and to create sufficient carrots and attraction
for the bottom line focused private sector to
really go into the rural areas.

 Unless

India

make

talk/discussion

in

such

policies,

high

any

blooded

seminars/conferences about bridging the

digital divide will remain much of hot air. Lets
have a hope to come together with our
strengths and with a brightness of knowledge
so that we, the people of India, can progress.