About 70 percent of India's 1.1 billion population i.e. 770 million people, still live in villages and rural areas (census 2001). The Internet is still to evolve as a basic necessity for all individuals. It’s more confined to businesses and other official use across the country. Moreover the Internet is predominantly used in the urban regions of the country. The Internet, even though it has been available in India for more than two decades is still considered as a tool of the urban citizen. Cell phones have penetrated almost every Indian village. There are innumerable marketing strategies developed by different companies to woo the villagers to have cell phones at an affordable cost. Chaiwala, Paanwaala, rickshaw puller and even a farmer can be seen with a cell phone.
People living in villages still don’t know what the Internet is. The use of the Internet in rural areas has been confined to providing services to farmers in villages. The main reason for the growth in cell phones and not in the Internet is the electricity problems that affect the country. The populous states like U.P, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are underdeveloped and most of the people staying in these and other similar states have no access to electricity; a basic requirement to run the device to use the Internet. The villages which have been studded with the electric poles have hardly any regular and continuous supply of electricity. The daily average supply of electricity may not add up to more than two to three hours a day. These all contribute to slow growth of Internet. The purchasing capacity of rural Indians is not so high so that they can afford a personal computer. And above all to use Internet, one has to be a computer literate, at least one should have basic skills needed, but the prevalent illiteracy makes people handicapped to use the Internet. Investment in a cell phone is negligible when compared to investing in a PC. A cell phone can be brought for as little as $ 25 whereas a PC will cost a minimum of $ 500. When one buys a cell phone one is already equipped to make and receive phone calls. A Sim card is available for as little as $ 2.5. On the other hand, investment in the Internet can go up to sky high rates.
Internet is everything to me: a teacher, a guide, a postman, an entertainer, a singer and above all a good servant. When I am logged in, I find myself at the center of the world from where I can see almost everything. I can get most of my problems solved and questions answered and have a feeling of satisfaction, even if the feeling is pseudo. It’s to me a coffee house where everybody meets and discusses freely at their convenience without being physically present at the place. If only Habermas were alive he certainly would have recommended Internet to everyone, perhaps. So when I login, I am immediately connected with my friends staying in different parts of the world; and without Internet it wouldn’t have been possible otherwise - thanks to numerous social sites and web sites that provide all these services free of cost. On Internet I have lots of choices and innumerable free material for my utmost needs. Taking the Internet from me would be like putting me in a well and making me understand that I am no more than a frog in a well! And certainly I will be cut off from my friends and rest of the world. I meet many friends on the net everyday, I talk to them, I find everyday some new sites and enjoy them.
Mobile phone is needed but I can manage without it. If something is so important then I can just walk for 2 minutes and make an important call. And if somebody needs to contact me I have the landline. I just don’t like cell phone that much and I also know that others will hardly find it normal. It’s abnormal not to have a cell phone today. It mostly irritates me with so many stupid value added services. It’s more useful for the people whose jobs demand communication and networking with others. But I do use a cell phone and the send SMSes to my friends: Rohan, do v hav clas 2morw. Hey, ver u goin 4 dinner…and so on. I don’t listen to music and don’t sends mms, because these facilities are not available in my phone and certainly don’t need it now, but sometimes I play games on my cell phone. The second most used among services by me is an alarm which I use almost everyday and sometimes many times a day. I hardly use a calculator.
If the mobile phone is taken away from me I can manage with my landline. But, I certainly can’t afford to lose the Internet connection. If it’s taken away then I would feel like a frog in a well incessantly jumping to come out of it to meet others and to know the world better.
People living in villages still don’t know what the Internet is. The use of the Internet in rural areas has been confined to providing services to farmers in villages. The main reason for the growth in cell phones and not in the Internet is the electricity problems that affect the country. The populous states like U.P, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are underdeveloped and most of the people staying in these and other similar states have no access to electricity; a basic requirement to run the device to use the Internet. The villages which have been studded with the electric poles have hardly any regular and continuous supply of electricity. The daily average supply of electricity may not add up to more than two to three hours a day. These all contribute to slow growth of Internet. The purchasing capacity of rural Indians is not so high so that they can afford a personal computer. And above all to use Internet, one has to be a computer literate, at least one should have basic skills needed, but the prevalent illiteracy makes people handicapped to use the Internet. Investment in a cell phone is negligible when compared to investing in a PC. A cell phone can be brought for as little as $ 25 whereas a PC will cost a minimum of $ 500. When one buys a cell phone one is already equipped to make and receive phone calls. A Sim card is available for as little as $ 2.5. On the other hand, investment in the Internet can go up to sky high rates.
Internet is everything to me: a teacher, a guide, a postman, an entertainer, a singer and above all a good servant. When I am logged in, I find myself at the center of the world from where I can see almost everything. I can get most of my problems solved and questions answered and have a feeling of satisfaction, even if the feeling is pseudo. It’s to me a coffee house where everybody meets and discusses freely at their convenience without being physically present at the place. If only Habermas were alive he certainly would have recommended Internet to everyone, perhaps. So when I login, I am immediately connected with my friends staying in different parts of the world; and without Internet it wouldn’t have been possible otherwise - thanks to numerous social sites and web sites that provide all these services free of cost. On Internet I have lots of choices and innumerable free material for my utmost needs. Taking the Internet from me would be like putting me in a well and making me understand that I am no more than a frog in a well! And certainly I will be cut off from my friends and rest of the world. I meet many friends on the net everyday, I talk to them, I find everyday some new sites and enjoy them.
Mobile phone is needed but I can manage without it. If something is so important then I can just walk for 2 minutes and make an important call. And if somebody needs to contact me I have the landline. I just don’t like cell phone that much and I also know that others will hardly find it normal. It’s abnormal not to have a cell phone today. It mostly irritates me with so many stupid value added services. It’s more useful for the people whose jobs demand communication and networking with others. But I do use a cell phone and the send SMSes to my friends: Rohan, do v hav clas 2morw. Hey, ver u goin 4 dinner…and so on. I don’t listen to music and don’t sends mms, because these facilities are not available in my phone and certainly don’t need it now, but sometimes I play games on my cell phone. The second most used among services by me is an alarm which I use almost everyday and sometimes many times a day. I hardly use a calculator.
If the mobile phone is taken away from me I can manage with my landline. But, I certainly can’t afford to lose the Internet connection. If it’s taken away then I would feel like a frog in a well incessantly jumping to come out of it to meet others and to know the world better.
4 comments:
Jeetendra you propose a good point. How true it is that in most countries the internet is still a tool for urban/metropolitan areas. I have noticed that depending on the demographics; will determine if there will be access to certain tools such as the internet.
I agree with you about the Internet being “a teacher, a guide, a postman, an entertainer, a singer and above all a good servant.” America has become so dependent on the internet that I wonder where we would be if we stopped using it. I guess we are lucky that the new innovations in cell-phones are equipped with such tools such as internet usage…lol.
Anyway, your blog has just reiterated the importance of this tool. The internet should be for everyone as it creates a plateu for the world to understand each other and more importantly the role it plays in time and space.
I don’t know what side I would pick as far as being equipped with a mobile phone or the internet!!!!?!?!?!?!?!
That’s very tough, so I just decided I’ll have both. A phone with the internet. I cannot do without either of the tools.
Matthew Bullock
Jeetendra.
I agree that the internet needs to be a basic need for everyone.
It seems like the gap between people who have all access to decent technology and not is getting bigger and bigger.
I just read an article, Using the Web as a Research Source: Implications for L2 Academic Writing, written by Paul Stapleton. It tells that how significantly the WWW is valuable research source for scholars whose first language are not English. Having the web is absolutely beneficial, and it will help to minimize the gap globally.
It's nice to find out what people in India use their cell phones for. In Dr. Rao's class last semester we studied what younger Americans students use their cell phones for. Your post makes me feel that I could maybe survive without a cell phone. Maybe. The Internet is good for keeping connections, but a cell phone is very important to me on a daily basis.
I guess my question is do cell phones in India have internet capabilities? My first guess is that they do, but even if they do is the Internet even a help to the 70% of rural India.
I guess what my next question is their a growing concern about digital in India. If the Internet became available on all cell phones how will it impact the 70% of rural India.
Inevitable, being able to efficiently communicate with people outside your community is a great benefit, but the transition and resistance to change is difficult universally regardless or tiny town Texas or rural India. Yet, the Internet is now viral and like a rat it will one day be in absolutely all corners of the globe.
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