LIVELIHOOD-RELATED INTERNET USE AMONG LOW-PRIVILEGED YOUNG MEN IN KOLKATA

Abstract

The failure of the youth from low-privilege backgrounds in obtaining quality private education to become more employable in the competitive job market has coincided with the growth and affordability of the smartphone-Internet in India. Using ethnographic methods, both in-person and online, with 20 young men from low-privileged backgrounds in Kolkata (India), this ongoing research investigates how they access content of the digital industries, mostly on YouTube, to acquire skills for and information about income opportunities against a lack of access to quality institutions. It asks whether and how the outcomes of such Internet use are shaped by their specific life contexts which influence the scope of application of such information. $2 the affordable Internet resources, the young men exercise their agency to attempt to fill the deficiencies of formal institutions. This indicates an overcoming of the second digital divide, although not uniformly. In line with the third digital divide, these findings reveal greater obstacles in the efficacy of applying livelihood-related online resources in terms of the nature of livelihoods sought, availability of energy and time, social expectations, and the availability of avenues for finding lesser employment via offline ties. With examples, I aim to argue that the extent of divide (2nd or 3rd) is not uniform for individuals in a population group but varies with uses. This research contributes both to knowledge of digital experiences from the Global South and extends the theories of domestication of digital technology and digital divides to youth in low-privilege settings.