Information Technology and Social Change: A Study of Digital Divide in India

"Modern digital technology of Internet has become increasingly popular in India in the last one decade. The kinds of opportunities that it opens up for its users and the ways it throws behind those who are unable to access the technology for various reasons has emerged as an area of interest among social scientists. This book tries to understand sociologically the dynamics of changes brought in by the introduction of Internet technology in rural India. It studies how the traditional rural social structure responds to the Internet technology. It also tries to see to what extent the technology has been able to tackle the problem of inequality in Indian context where society is sharply stratified along caste, class and gender. The study explores whether the new technology has succeeded in dissolving the traditional bases of stratification in rural India or has it merely deepened the existing lines of division. The book would provide a valuable reading to anyone interested in studying the interface between information technology and society or the issue of digital divide. It will be useful for both the general reader and the students of information society. "