Digital Activism: Relevance to Socially Excluded Communities in India
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Proposal - Study of Digital Activism and Socially Excluded Communities in India
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Digital Activism: Relevance to Socially Excluded Communities in India
- 1. Digital Activism: Relevance to Socially Excluded Communities in India
- 2. Context • Digital activism - “all political and social forms of campaign that use digital network infrastructure” - mobile, internet and offline devices • Characterised by speed, reliability, scale and low cost • 1998 - first digitally enabled political mobilization against 29 yr regime of Omar Bongo in Gabon - Led by exiled Gabonese scholar Dr. Daniel Mengara • Arab Spring of 2011 - rooted in Kefaya movement of 2004 - created a generation of bloggers in Egypt giving voice to shared injustice, democracy, human rights • Occupy movement - the India Against Corruption campaign - Political relevance: the Obama presidential campaign / BJP / SP • 52m active internet users in India (2009) - fastest growth in small towns - India MDG target of 100 pc internet access across villages by 2020 •
- 3. Problem Statement • Digital tools for instigating critique, opposition and revolution - emails, text msg, social networks, videos used to mobilize opinion and action against perceived injustice • Yet social and economic factors restrict access to digital infrastructure - unequal access, unequal skills and censorship • Internet and American Life Project of the Pew Research Center (2007): “Whether they take place on the Internet or off, traditional political activities remain the domain of those with high levels of income and education.” • Gaurav Mishra (June 2009) - Orkut has 1000 Brahmin groups in stark contrast to 200 for and by members of the Dalit caste - both are almost completely separate and divided
- 4. • Other sources point to untapped potential of digital media among traditionally excluded communities • Center for American Progress (2010): 85 per cent of Latinos and African Americans owning mobile phones; 25 pc of Twitter users belong to the Africa American community • Brian Solis (2009): Women form 57% of the membership across Facebook and Twitter - spend 16.3 per cent of their online time on social networking as opposed to men who spend 11.7 pc • Katharine Bodrock (2010): ‘leap-frogging’ - poorer countries or communities can skip over stages in technology adoption and implement newer technologies that are light- weight, distributed, and ecologically sustainable – the challenge and opportunity for the ‘new new social movements’ of our time. •
- 5. Objectives • to examine how digital activism is advancing strategies for rights based campaigning and advocacy in India • to understand whether digital technology is enabling traditionally excluded communities to strengthen their organising capacities and exert greater influence on public policy and resources
- 6. Proposed Methodology / Scope • Lit Review - Challenge of available studies / reports in the Indian context - studies and analysis available in other parts of the world and relate the same to Indian context - Possible focus on comparative experience of BRICS / MICs in relation to similar indicators of growth, access and inequality • Qualitative Method - Case study - Study patterns of mobilization and advocacy in context of a dalit / women's movement in India and relevance of digital technologies in the same - AND/ OR - • Quantitative Method - Listing of digital advocacy organisations in India - Stratified sampling of members across one or more organisation - Profile of members, issues raised and public impact - relevance to socially excluded communities