The current emphasis on digitalising India fast, both engenders and reflects the aspirations for new media spaces that are increasingly seen to shape the imagination of the ‘modern’ Indian publics. The gradual, yet steadfast transition of the scope for citizens to take on a public character has seen a rise with the onset of new media spaces. Besides broadband connectivity, the ubiquity of mobile internet data packs has significantly facilitated this process, altering the idea of ‘digital divide’ in the country in interesting ways.
Besides broadband connectivity, the ubiquity of mobile internet data packs has significantly facilitated this process, altering the idea of ‘digital divide’ in the country in interesting ways.
What may previously have been the forte of a few has diffused towards many, engendering interesting sights of interaction. In this context, reimagining the idea of the Indian publics where digitalisation becomes an important character is important. Marked by the onset of social networking spaces and blogs etc. today’s virtually active citizen-publics constitute both informed as well as mis-informed publics who actively agree, disagree, contend, and troll online. These many scattered spaces where everybody meets, constitute as much spaces of emancipation, as tension. Given the chaotic mix of actors, including saints, political leaders, youths, as also long time voiceless majorities, what broad ontological understanding might one develop about the Indian public spheres at this juncture? What is the nature of citizen-publics that one can glean from this?
Given the chaotic mix of actors, including saints, political leaders, youths, as also long time voiceless majorities, what broad ontological understanding might one develop about the Indian public spheres at this juncture? What is the nature of citizen-publics that one can glean from this?
While trying to avoid a teleological understanding of new media spaces in terms of the polemics of emancipation or aggravation of prevalent socio-political experiences, it may nonetheless, be interesting to examine the significance of virtual spaces in any attempt to understand the contemporary Indian public spheres, as they get increasingly built by virtual publics, both state and non-state.
Author: Kankana Talukdar is a research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
