DIGITAL DIVIDE: IT’S IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Submitted by:

ROHIT VARDHAN , B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) (2762)

Semester- 1ST
Submitted to:

Dr. Amit Jain, (Asst. Professor)

Sociology

This final draft of project on the afore-mentioned topic has been submitted in the partial
fulfilment of the B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) course in SOCIOLOGY

September, 2022

Chanakya National Law University, Patna.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Sr TITLE Page
No. No.

Declaration 3

Acknowledgement 4

1 Introduction 5

2 Aims and Objectives 6

3 Hypotheses 6

4 Research Questions 6

5 Research Methodology 6

6 Sources of Data 7

7 Limitations of the study 7

8 Mode of Citation 7

9 Chapters 8-16
9.1 Digital Divide in Various Sectors
9.2 Social Impact of Digital Divide
9.3 Government Efforts in Digital Divide
9.4 Way Forward for Digital Divide

10 Conclusion 17

Bibliography

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work reported in the B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) Project Report entitled
“DIGITAL DIVIDE : IT’S IMPACT ON SOCIETY” submitted at CHANAKYA
NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA is an authentic record of my work carried out under
the supervision of Dr. Amit Jain, Asst. Professor of Sociology. I am fully responsible for the
contents of my Project Report.

(Signature of the candidate)

Rohit Vardhan
Roll No: 2762 B.A. LL.B. (Hons.)
Semester- 1st
Chanakya National Law University, Patna

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At this point of time, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me their
support to complete this project.

I am grateful to my Sociology teacher who is Dr. Amit Jain (Asst. Professor)for giving me
permission to commence this project in the first instance and to do necessary study and
research. I want to thank law faculty members and other faculty members for all their
professional advice, value added time, effort and enterprise help, support, interest and
valuable hints that encouraged me to go ahead with my project.

I am deeply indebted to my colleagues for their meticulous planning, layout, presentation

and above all for their consideration and time.

My heartfelt appreciation also goes to seniors and my classmate for their stimulating
suggestions and encouragement which helped me at each level of my research and in
writing of this project.

Especially, I would like to give my special thanks to my parents, family members and God
whose patient love enabled me to complete this project.

I have tried my best to enclose practical approach of Sociology and also theoretical approach
to my project.

Rohit Vardhan
Roll No: 2762 B.A. LL.B. (Hons.)
Semester- 1st
Chanakya National Law University, Patna

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 1. INTRODUCTION:

The term "digital divide" describes the widening gap between disadvantaged members of society,
particularly the underprivileged, elderly, rural, and disabled populations who lack access to
computers and the internet, and the wealthy, middle-class, and young people who reside in urban
and suburban areas who do. This is caused by a number of factors, including computer ownership,
adoption of high-speed internet, and digital literacy. What effect would this have on your capacity
to interact with others, maintain relationships with family and friends, complete your schoolwork,
hunt for a job, stay up to date with current affairs or handle your daily financial transactions?

During the 2020 pandemic, what kind of an effect would this have on your life? The COVID- 19
pandemic has forced society to rely even more heavily on technology for basic daily living,
including acquiring basic items, maintaining connections with others, working from home, and
being able to finish studies. This makes the function and value of technology abundantly clear.
Imagine being in a broken-down vehicle at the side of the road. An additional vehicle drives by
as it speeds away from you without stopping. Not only are they separating from you faster, but
they are also doing so. Their pace keeps going up in relation to you. They move farther every
second than they did the one before.

While Covid-19 made many problems worse, it became more difficult to overlook the effects of
the digital divide in our nation as our safety nets moved toward digitization. It may have been
simple for more affluent people to overlook that internet connection offered more than just
entertainment value prior to the pandemic. Then, in order to stem the spread of the epidemic,
everything was shut down, and we were compelled to introduce new choices for remote
healthcare, distance education, and work from home. As a result, we began to understand that
having access to the internet is now a necessity rather than a luxury.

However, identifying the problem exclusively in the economic condition would result
inappropriate: the digital divide expresses itself also in the impossibility to use digital
technologies within a considerable percentage of the industrialized countries population. This
means that even when people can afford buying a computer or a mobile phone, they are not
automatically capable of using it.1

1
https://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2007/01/27/the_digital_divide_issues_and.htm
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1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

i. To ascertain digital divide in various sectors in India.

ii. To highlight the efforts made by the government.
iii. To analyse the challenges and to put forth a way forward

2. HYPOTHESES:

i. Technological discrimination deprives some citizens of our society the resources

necessary for development and wealth creation, which is a type of poverty and social
exclusion.
ii. During the COVID-19 pandemic, different sectors of our society found it challenging
to work from home and attend classes online.
iii. To narrow the digital divide, new alliances, new initiatives by the government, and
some innovations are required. The concept will probably only get better with the
proliferation of mobile devices, the growth of mobile networks like 5G, and the
extension of fibre-based networks.

3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

i. What’s causing the Digital Divide?

ii. How it’s impacting various sectors of the society?
iii. What are the challenges for the masses in the recent times?

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 4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

The researcher will limit his project on the Doctrinal method of research as the topic provides
limited scope for non-doctrinal and empirical research. The researcher will be using both primary
and secondary sources of data.

5. SOURCES OF DATA:

In this project of the said topic, the researcher has relied on secondary sources of data:

i. Articles
ii. Websites

6. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY:

The researcher had gone through the texts and referred to the sources available to him while
completing this project. Many doctrinal sources were beyond the access of the researcher too.
Furthermore, the topic had little scope of empirical study which added to limitation involved in
the making of this project.

7. MODE OF CITATION:

The researcher has hewn to Blue Book Citation (20th Edition) in this project report.

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 CHAPTERS
9.1 DIGITAL DIVIDE IN VARIOUS SECTORS

The pandemic has highlighted the digital divide between private and public educational
institutions in India, despite the country having the second-largest internet user base in the world
with over 630 million customers and the lowest mobile data pricing in the world. Many other
nations, notably India, are affected by the digital divide.

9.1.1 Telecommunication

• According to the monthly report released by the TRAI2, the country had over 1,160
million wireless subscribers in February 2020, up from 1,010 million in February 2016.
• This is a rise of 150 million subscribers in five years, or 30 million per year. The growth
has been evenly distributed in urban and rural areas, with the number of urban
subscribers increasing by 74 million and rural subscribers by 86 million.

9.1.2 Urban-Rural Distinction

Here, the line between urban and rural life is very distinct. The internet connection and the
capacity to use internet-enabled devices like phones, tablets, and PCs are requirements for
services like online learning, financial transactions, and e-governance.

• According to the 75th round of NSS3 conducted between July 2017 and June 2018, just
4.4 rural households have a computer, against 14.4 per cent in urban areas, with just 14.9
per cent rural households having access to the internet against 42 per cent households in
urban areas.
• Similarly, only 13 per cent people of over five years of age in rural areas have the ability
to use the internet against 37 per cent in urban areas.
• Urban areas have over 104 internet subscriptions per 100 people, while the figure for rural
areas is a little over 27.

2
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
3
National Sample Survey
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9.1.4 Social Divide

• Internet access creates relationships and social circles among people with shared interests.
• Social media platforms create online peer groups based on similar interests.

9.1.5 Gender Divide

• The ratio of women versus men mobile internet users in urban India stands at 40% and
60% respectively.
• Whereas in rural India, women mobile internet users are only 33% compared to 67%
men users.
• The gender gap in mobile internet users is a huge 50 per cent, it states. Access to phones
and the internet is not just an economic factor but also social and cultural.
• If one family has just one phone, there is a good chance that the wife or the daughter will
be the last one to use it.

9.1.6 Regional Divide

• States differ in terms of people that have access to computers or in the know-how to use
the internet.
• Himachal Pradesh leads the country in access to the internet in both, rural and urban areas.
• Uttarakhand has the most number or computers in urban areas, while Kerala has the
greatest number of computers in rural areas.
• Overall, Kerala is the state where the difference between rural and urban areas is the least.

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 9.2 SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE

We humans are presently surviving in Network Society4 which is driven by global networking,
information, knowledge, technology, competence, and surveillance. Since the inception of
Information Technology revolution and computing technology, the impact of ICTs5 has been
profound intervening in every sphere of network society.
The concept of ‘Digital Divide’, however was conceived much later, when it was widely
observed that digital technology was not uniformly accessed by all, and the divide in access to
digital technology has created wide disparities in the society on several counts. The issue
became increasingly noticed as the divide increased with every development of digital
technology, from broadband connections, to WIFI, smart phones, and 4G connections.
However, besides producing a positive impact on society in terms of effective networking and
communication facilities for all people, ICT has also produced negative impact on society one
of them being Digital Divide.

9.2.1 Impact on Social

The inclusion of ICT services has been crucial in enhancing social interactions among people.
Social websites such as Facebook and Instagram have been useful in facilitating communication
and maintaining touch with friend and relatives of close ties. Technology is very influential on
the levels of relations among members of society since new social opportunities arise when we
include ICT in our relationships. People can now keep in touch with friends or even make new
friends even amidst tight schedule courtesy of chat rooms. Besides, internet harbours fertile
information about peoples’ culture and religion that are vital in guiding social relations.
Internet access offers person access to a broader range of opportunities thus creating a social
divide between those who are enriched and those who are deficient. Such segregation creates a
potential for social conflicts in the communities where the wealthy can have computers and
access the internet while the poor are barred. Efforts to bridge this gap initiated at a personal
level through unacceptable activities such as theft has led to the disruption of harmony in the
society.

4
(the term coined by renowned sociologist, Manual Castells)
5
Information and Communication Technologies
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9.2.2 Impact on The Society

The digital divide has contributed significantly to stratification in the community whereby there
arises a class of persons with access to the internet and another class unable to use the ICT
services either due to affordability issues or literacy levels. Some other factors that contribute to
the digital divide in the society include age, race, and ethnicity. The digital divide has led to a
rise of new alignments in the community whereby people are classified depending on ability to
access internet services this is coupled with associated benefits, and therefore those with limited
access to technology continue to lag behind in development matters.

9.2.3 Impact on Culture

Technology affects different cultures in varied ways either on the positive or the negative. The
integral components culture like relationships, communications, and art have been dramatically
evolved by technology. However, it seems like some specific customs and cultural traditions
have remained intact. The developed countries experience tremendous changes in their culture
as they incorporate new cultures acquired from the internet while the developing countries with
people having limited access to the internet have their culture unchanged. Because they do not
have access to technology, people in technology-poor nations are left behind. However, in order
to narrow the digital divide, people need access to technology.

To eliminate the ICT global divide is essential for the growth of developing countries. The
development of information infrastructure is a quick way to economic growth for less developed
nations. Inasmuch as digital divide is essential in preserving certain cultures, the downside
impacts are overwhelming and speedy efforts towards its reduction if not elimination should be
much enhanced.

9.2.4 Educational Impact

The internet offers a rich reservoir of information and knowledge. Skills and expertise are well
organized and conveyed over the internet making the use of computers to be a ubiquitous activity
in the developed world. The access and availability of ICT have been associated with academic
success and robust research activities since users can quickly make references. Education is a
very dynamic sector and keeping up to date is crucial to success, the presence of internet access

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will ensure you get the latest trends and revolutionize your research skills. The inadequacy of
ICT equipment has made the already weak education system in the developing countries even
more ineffective.
Governments are now striving to avail ICT services to schools in an effort to improve the
education standards. Installation of computer laboratories, provision of laptops to every student
among other strategies have shown remarkable success rates.

9.2.4 Economical Impact

There is a significant linear association between economic expansion and ceding of

telecommunication services, which is essential. It's interesting to note that socio-economic status
is both one of the main causes and a result of the digital divide. People can easily engage in
economically beneficial activities like trading thanks to the spread of the internet. They can
engage in online auctions, shop online and compare prices to find the best deals, and transact
safely and securely online, which equates to economic empowerment. Trade is complicated and
profits are decreased for those who don't have access to technology; this keeps the economic
gap between industrialized and developing countries wide. The developing nations are unable
to compete with what the wealthy nations receive. They continue to rely on grants and donations
as a result.
The profitability of a firm and the distribution of resources among residents are both impacted
by ICT integration.

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 9.3 GOVERNMENT EFFORTS IN DIGITAL DIVIDE

To address India's digital divide, the Indian government is making considerable strides toward
becoming knowledgeable in information and technology. Governments should take the lead in
facilitating the development and implementation of intelligible ICT content and accessible e-
services. Additionally, they should support the creation of a suitable and inclusive environment
for e-government through the establishment of legal frameworks, strategic plans, and
government assurances. E-governance may develop into a similarly effective tool for closing
the gap, such as ensuring accessible broadband6 access.

Government participation and the use of appropriate e-government tools could become key
factors in closing the gap. Governmental ICT initiatives could be essential in closing the digital
gap between younger and older people, men and women, illiterate and educated people, and
even less developed nations and areas. The media may and should be a key tool for effective
and efficient communication and dissemination, along with local government and academia.
The importance of e-government applications should be emphasised by developing country
governments when requesting international cooperation, help, and financial support. The next
step must be the harmonisation of e-government legislation, the creation of a basic set of
interconnected and interoperable e-services, and establishing agreement on their execution.
Several steps taken by Government of India in ensuring digital divide are as follows:
1. Digital India Initiatives by Government to improve internet access in the country. Know
about Digital India on the linked page. A few initiatives under this are –
- In 2011, the BharatNet project was launched to connect 0.25 million panchayats
through an optical fibre (100 MBPS) and connect India’s villages.
- In 2014, the government launched the National Digital Literacy Mission and the
Digital Saksharta Abhiyan.
- In 2015, the government launched several schemes under its Digital India campaign
to connect the entire country.
- PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan, launched in 2017, to usher in digital literacy
in rural India by covering 60 million households.
2. Seeing the importance of digital literacy, the Supreme Court of India has declared the

6
The term "broadband" is used to describe high data rate connection to the Internet that provides speeds significantly faster
than dial-up connections.
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 right to access to the Internet as a fundamental right, making it a part of the right to
privacy and the right to education that comes under Article 217 of the Constitution. Read
about RTE8.
3. By implementing numerous improvements from the secondary to the post-secondary
levels in the Indian educational system, with a focus on digital education, the National
Education Policy, 2020 seeks to "make India a global information superpower." Visit
the linked page to learn more about the New Education Policy.
4. Internet Saathi Program- The Internet Saathi Program was launched in 2015 by Google
India and Tata Trusts. The aim of this project is to facilitate digital literacy among rural
Indian women.
5. Optical Fibre Network (NOF-N), a project aimed to ensure broadband connectivity to
over two lakh (200,000) gram panchayats of India.
6. DIKSHA9 platform- DIKSHA is the national platform for school education available for
all states and the central government for grades 1 to 12 and was launched in September
2017. As part of PM e-Vidya announced under the Atma-Nirbhar Bharat programme,
DIKSHA is the ‘one nation; one digital platform’ for school education in India.
7. Unnati Project - HPCL10 which strives to bridge the digital divide in schools by giving
the rural students with poor economic and social background access to computer
education.
8. Gyandoot is an Intranet-based G2C11 service delivery initiative started in the Dhar
district of Madhya Pradesh in January 2000 with the twin objective of providing relevant
information to the rural population and acting as an interface between the district
administration and the people.
9. Digital Mobile Library: In order to bridge the digital divide in a larger way the
government of India, in collaboration with the C–DAC12 based in Pune.
10. Online Massive Open Online Course MOOC courses relating to NIOS (grades 9 to 12
of open schooling) are uploaded on SWAYAM portal; around 92 courses have started
and 1.5 crore students are enrolled. Know about SWAYAM Scheme on the linked page.
11. On Air Shiksha Vani, DAISY by NIOS for differently-abled, E-Pathshala- Radio
broadcasting is being used for children in remote areas who are not online (especially

7
Right to Life & Personal Liberty
8
Right to Education Act
9
Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing
10
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited
11
Government to Citizen
12
Centre for Advanced Computing
14
 for grades 1 to 5).
12. E-Pathshala- For rural and urban students and providing them with study materials.

9.4 WAY FORWARD FOR DIGITAL DIVIDE

Today, technology plays a key role in our lives, opening up a wide range of opportunities for
everyone. And in recent years, its effects on children and schools have come to light. Due in
great part to the development of the internet and information technology, students can now learn,
work, do research, cooperate, and autonomously generate knowledge.
Although technology has provided numerous advantages, it also has drawbacks. The digital gap
is one example of this in the context of education.

9.4.1 Infrastructure Development

An important role could be played by the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan's support of the
development of indigenous information and communication technologies. The answer is to
promote low-cost smartphones, and we should consider switching to new technologies like 5G.
Some of the bandwidth issues would be resolved. Services may become more affordable as a
result of increased market competition amongst service suppliers. It is important to investigate
effective spectrum allocation in huge contiguous blocks.

9.4.2 Promoting Digital Literacy

At the collegiate or secondary level, digital literacy requires specific attention. The National
Digital Literacy Mission ought to prioritize the introduction of digital literacy in all government
schools at the primary school level for foundational content and in higher classes and
universities for advanced content. Additionally, more widespread usage of computer hardware
will result from increased digital literacy. The multiplier effects will be created when these kids
educate their families.

9.4.3 Promotion on Regional Language

The State governments should pay particular attention to content creation in the Indian regional
languages, particularly those related to government services. NLP13 in Indian languages needs
to be promoted in order to achieve a good way for digital divide.

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Natural language processing
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9.4.4 Other Ways
- TRAI should consider putting in place a credible system. This system will track call
drops, weak signals, and outages. It ensures the quality and reliability of telecom
services.
- Cyber Security: - Meit-Y will need to evolve a comprehensive cyber-security framework
for data security, safe digital transactions, and complaint redressal.
- Telecom ombudsman: - The government should appoint officials and also set up a
telecom ombudsman for the grievance’s redressal.
- Role of regulators: - The regulators should must minimize entry barriers by reforming,
taxation, licensing spectrum, allocation norms.

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 10. CONCLUSION & SUGGESTIONS

Thus, I would like to conclude that the digital gap which is also known as digital discrimination,
is an increasing reality in India due to the high cost of accessing modern technologies. In India,
the rate of digital illiteracy is steadily rising. Affordable and sustainable internet societies will
seem like pure chimaeras until the multitude of new problems caused by digital gaps are
promptly addressed.

Governments and other interested parties should focus on guaranteeing fair opportunities for the
young and future generations in order to achieve a sustainable society. ICT is essential to this
future, and closing the digital divide has to be a global priority. To guarantee their nation or
region a role in the future knowledge-based society, governments should prioritise the provision
of appropriate e-services and the promotion of digital literacy.

The government must employ strong measures to arrange for free and affordable internet to
maximize participation in digital India. What India needs is a contextually relevant digital
education system that integrates the knowledge of digital into all aspects of life. For education,
last-mile connectivity is the need of the hour in rural India. India needs a public institution
system that leverages the opportunities provided by digital technology. There is an urgent need
to formulate a digital crisis response plan under the Digital India scheme to focus on unintended
exclusions of the unconnected by providing free bandwidth to the vulnerable. Internet Service
Providers should provide cheaper data plans or bundle a data plan along with the device.

We require a thorough action plan to inform decision makers about the challenges the gender
digital gap presents if we are to successfully close it. The World Bank also states that processes
must be put in place to assess the data that is available, put the results into practise, and track
advancements.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

The following sources were referred to by the researcher in the making of this final draft of
the project:

i. https://byjus.com/govt-exams/digital-divide-india/ (last visited on 12.09.2022 at 08:10

PM)

ii. https://www.iastoppers.com/articles/digital-divide-in-india-mains-article (last visited

on 13.09.2022 at 09.45 PM)

iii. Keniston, K , Kumar, D. IT Experience in India Bridging the Digital Divide, Sage
Publishing.
iv. Dijak, J Van. The Digital Divide. Polity (2019, 1st edition).
v. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide (last visited on 13.09.2022 at 10:25 PM)

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