India’s Digital Divide

CNN Logo. Source: CNN

Naomi Canton is a freelance online and print journalist; she currently works for international newswires, national newspapers, news agencies and websites in the UK and in India. Previously she was a reporter and business correspondent for the Norwich Evening News. She also has experience as a special correspondent at the Hindustan Times in India. Canton earned her BA with honors in oriental studies from Oxford University. She has published numerous articles with CNN and timescrest.com.

In her article, How the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ is bridging the digital divide, Canton explains the current technological situation in India. The main city, Bangalore, harbors technological entrepreneurs; however, it fails to make the internet easily accessible to members of society, especially people who live in more rural areas. Although only 20% of India’s urban population and 3% of the rural population use the internet, there has been a growing effort to expand availability of the internet.

Here two men are riding animals, yet one man is talking on his cell phone. Once again, the irony of povery and technology appears. Source: CNN

One method of expansion is through the Internet Society (ISOC), which is attempting to educate and train Indians to become more tech-savvy. The skills being taught include, “picture [downloading], e-mail, video conference, instant message, use Excel and Word, as well [teaching locals how to] promote their products on Facebook and Twitter”. The goal behind bridging the digital divide is to teach locals how to use the internet to their advantage and increase their socioeconomic status.

Canton introduces an interesting dilemma when she questions the need for clean water and electricity over the access to the internet. It is curious to think that the issue of the digital divide is being discussed in India when many people still live day-to-day without their basic needs being met. This raises the question of where our priorities as a human race stand. Why are people fighting for internet accessibility for all instead of trying to solve deeper cultural and economic problems?

The stark reality of poverty is displayed in this image. It is ironic that in the same image there is an advertisement for internet and email. Source: The Commonwealth

Coming from the US it makes sense to argue for increased internet access because the education system and professional sphere rely heavily on it. People in the US who do not have access to a computer or the internet often struggle in school and work because they do not have the ease of access to information as their peers. In India, because only 23% of the population uses the internet, and many people Canton reported on made and sold products for a living, it is clear that the internet is not vital in the lifestyle of Indians.

In light of this discussion, Osama Manzar, the founder of the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), explained that clean water and electricity, “That too is a priority. But [Indians] have not been getting it for several centuries and if they do not join the information bandwagon now they will continue to suffer and be exploited. Being part of the digital media, they can at least share their grievances”. Often we think of the internet as a method to completing work, gaining knowledge, or social interaction; Manazar provides a unique approach to the use of the internet in society.

In retrospect, it may be an advantage to increase the accessibility of the internet to Indians because it would empower them to share their stories and a demand higher standard of living. One main dilemma to this is the cost of computers and data packages—which many Indians cannot afford and do not think they want. It seems as if once again, the internet introduces a new ethical and sociological predicament.

What do you think should be done regarding the digital divide in India? Should we push for internet for all? Or would India benefit more from funneling resources to provide basic human needs to all, such as clean water and electricity?