Media In India: Access, Practices, Concerns and Effects
The Lokniti programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), undertook a comprehensive India-wide study of media consumption behaviour in India to understand people’s day-to-day media practices and their media-related concerns and attitudes. The study focused on both traditional (TV, newspaper, radio, etc.) and new (mobile phone, internet, social media, digital, etc.) media. It was conducted in 19 States (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) among 7,463 citizens aged 15 years and above. The survey included a diverse demographic sample of urban, rural, youth and elderly populations. It also captured the experiences and perceptions of even those who do not yet have access to them.
The survey explored the growing importance of a mobile phone in the life of an average Indian. Around seven out of ten citizens (69%) in the country (over the age of 15) today were found to own a mobile phone, and of them, nearly two-thirds (43%) are smartphone owners. This means that more people in India today own a smartphone than an ordinary mobile phone. Focus was laid on understanding the digital divide amidst this era of increased smartphone penetration. The data revealed that smartphone and internet access were affected by socio-economic factors of gender, caste, economic background of households. Important data about patterns of internet usage, i.e. what people are using the internet for, highlights popularity trends of social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
The report established a record of perceptions and awareness of government surveillance among smartphone and internet users. Data revealed that most believe that the government monitors what people do on the internet or their phones. Interestingly, attitudes towards government surveillance were different for social media surveillance and telephonic conversation surveillance.
This survey also explored the pertinent question of people’s trust in information received through social media. Despite Twitter and WhatsApp being the most highly trusted of all the platforms, only a sixth of their users highly trusted them to disseminate/carry correct news or information.. Harassment and trolling on social media are something that quite a few social media users have experienced. Around one-third of active Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter users surveyed reported being threatened, harassed or trolled by known or unknown people after sharing content on these platforms in the past year. This harassment may be resulting in self-censorship or a spiral of silence on social media. In conjunction with this question of self-censorship and harassment, the willingness to share opinions over social media was also explored. Additionally, support for Government intervention into free speech through internet shutdowns and social media regulation was assessed.
The survey explored the popularity of different media sources for news sourcing, including TV, internet newspapers, etc across populations. Another facet of media-language, whether local languages, English or Hindi, consumed by people is assessed in the survey.Finally, the survey contends with the level of trust people hold for news sources.
