Internet and Marginalised sections - Class 6 PDF Download

Introduction

The Internet has become a part of social life. From the essential yet limited scope of military operations to two-way communication, the Internet at Web 2.0 has covered almost all terrestrial areas in terms of reach. It is rapidly increasing its access to mobile economic technology. From emailing to content publishing, the Internet has all the means - interpersonal communication to mass communication.
Along with convergence, it is being utilized for socio-political awareness, advocacy, and mobilization, cyber media activism, and it also provides an ‘alternative’ to the marginalized sections of the society. In the changing media culture, the Internet drives the voices of the voiceless to become a part of the mainstream. Interestingly, the Internet is a medium of direct communication at the mass level. Unlike other ‘one-way’ mainstream media, the Internet has immense potential and a significant role in creating a stage for inclusive governance with the participation of all and thus, the inclusion of all sections of mainstream society against marginalization.
In this Unit, we shall discuss the concept of marginalization; various digital media platforms and emerging patterns of communication processes, and their role in the representation of the marginalized section of the society.

Understanding Marginalisation and The Marginalised

The term marginalized is derived from the word ‘margin’ which means something at the periphery or fringe. It is an identity resulting from the process of marginalization. We can understand through the process the relative concepts of ‘exclusion and inclusion’. While social inclusion makes people or individuals participate in social-economic-political activities and provides a sense of importance, exclusion makes them deprived of it. The marginalized groups or individuals may lack reach and easy access to various socio-economic resources such as food, health, education, employment, social security, etc.
Various measurement indexes, such as the Human Development Index (HDI), Multidimensional based Poverty Index (MPI), have been developed by global agencies that look at marginalized sections based on various parameters. According to Carolyn Kagan and Mark H. Burton (2005) “Little control over lives and resources, marginalized may become stigmatized and are often at the receiving end of negative public attitudes.”
The process thus results in the socio-psychological effects of being ‘not important. Because of the feeling of alienation, people/ individuals feel ‘marginalized’ with ‘no voice’. The marginalization also means being in a ‘position of powerlessness’ in the political process. Here, the terms ‘reach and access’ and ‘social exclusion are seen in power relationships. Thus, the process includes “Oppression, exclusion, vulnerability, or discrimination. [It] is the idea of identity [given] by others in the interest of the dominant groups in society” (Kagan and Burton: 2005).
In a condition of social exclusion, the marginalized “Lack effective participation in key activities or benefits of the society in which they live” (Razer et al. as cited in Mowat, J. G.: 2015) due to the “Barriers that block the attainment of livelihoods, human development, and equal citizenship” (Alakhunova et al.:2015).
Thus, if we take the degree of ‘access’ ‘inclusion’ and ‘participation’ of groups or individuals in socio-economic-political decision-making as indicators of the process of marginalization, the concept of marginalized as an ‘identity’ is “a social construct - different in time and space” (Sharma, R.:2018) and comes in layers. It may be based on the economic-political exclusion and/or social inequality, “Having ‘powerful, negative impacts’ Having on [a person’s] everyday life” (Pachankis as cited in Sharma:2018).
Madsen (2006) expounds marginalization at three different levels, i.e. “The approach to the individual; his social and cultural conditions; and the complex interplay between people and their social environment” (cited in Stor0, J.:2013). Therefore, “marginalized” is contextual, situational, and relational. For instance, there are marginalized individuals within dominant groups and dominant individuals within the marginalized communities.
Crime-victims (both, men and women), patients without health-facilities, children without education, and “All those struggling for a day-to-day decent life are marginalized despite their caste/religion affiliations” (Sharma: 2018). Similarly, “As life cycle stages change, risk of marginalization increases or decreases” (Kagan and Burton: 2005). This means that there needs to be a continuous effort to locate and remove the chances of marginalization in a full circle and to create conditions for mainstreaming by increasing the chances of participation of all in the total socio-economic-political spheres. The Internet certainly provides us with a platform for networking in this direction.