Berkley Center

Since my last post, I have relocated to Bangalore, a big city in South India, for one month. During my time here, I will be investigating how information technologies, primarily the internet and social media, are being used for promoting structural social change in India. Unlike my fellow students who have chosen to do their field studies in rural villages in Himachal Pradesh, or to interview Tibetan refugees in remote areas surrounding Darjeeling, I am living in a service apartment (that I found on the Indian Craigslist) on the same street as the Indian headquarters of JP Morgan, Nokia, Cisco, and a handful of other multinational corporations.

Bangalore, the largest information technology hub of India, is comparable to New York City. To continue with this analogy, I am living on the “Long Island” of the state of Karnataka, struggling to find a taxi that will take the “long” journey from Bangalore city to my apartment. I have ditched the salwar kameez (traditional dress of women in India) for my business attire and Western clothes as I commute into the city each day to conduct interviews for my study project, and to attend a new restaurant opening or other swanky events one would associate with a modern urban area populated by successful, young professionals.

While I self-identify as a “city girl” and am unperturbed by the chaos, exorbitant prices, and the constant hum of traffic in a metropolis, I found myself in shock when I first arrived in Bangalore. This city represents a side of India I had not yet experienced. Many sites that I’ve grown accustomed to seeing on a daily basis in the northwestern state of Rajasthan are noticeably absent here.

I have seen few, if any, beggars or slums. The city’s waste management system seems to be functioning far better than other parts of India, because the streets are spotless and the beautiful greenery of the city is well manicured. There are no cows roaming the streets. I haven’t been stuck in traffic even once due to a rogue camel or elephant-led wedding procession. Instead of agriculture as the main source of employment in the towns I lived and visited in North India, every other Indian or expat I have met in Bangalore work for a start-up software company or are involved in the IT industry in some capacity.

Over time, I’ve become more comfortable with my choice to base my research here. Bangalore is just another facet of the reality of this country. It’s impossible to deny the potential of India as a superpower when living in Bangalore. One can foresee how rapidly Bangalore will progress as more multinationals arrive to establish headquarters here, and the software and IT industries continue to boom due to the demands of the global market.

With this in mind, I’ve been challenged in my notions of social justice work, as well as in my research, to identify how social change can be facilitated by the assets of a modern city like Bangalore. These advantages include access to technology, connections with the global arena, increased literacy and education, and fluency in English. Thus, the focus of my research has expanded to explore how the privileges of a growing modern Indian city, specifically access to and expertise in the information technology sector, are being harnessed for the social good of the city dweller, the slum dweller, and the rural farmer alike. What is required is a people-centric approach to utilizing these technologies that values the needs of all Indian citizens over the desires of corporations that have historically controlled the development of the information technology sector.

For example, I have interviewed the India Against Corruption campaign that recently organized nationwide fasts and nonviolent direct actions to pressure the government to adopt a bill that will create a separate government body, the Jan Lokpal, to preside over cases of corruption within the government and other aspects of society. This movement has been revolutionary in promoting civic participation and incorporating the average citizen in the drafting of a national bill. Also, it has relied heavily on social media for mobilization, inspired by the recent regime change movements in the Middle East.

Just today, I interviewed the creators of an online computer game for 12 to 13 year old low-income students in Bangalore. This game teaches students about social issues in urban contexts, and how to be active citizens by participating in the Indian democracy for positive social change. By harnessing the expertise of various software companies in Bangalore, this civic awareness “e-module” is currently being incorporated in 50 city schools. The plan is to launch this game online for all Indian students nationwide to access.

I also interviewed a member of the New Media department of Greenpeace India. He described ways in which online petitions, inspired by Moveon.org, and social media like Facebook and Twitter, have been used to raise awareness and to mobilize direct action campaigns to stop destructive mining projects, the construction of dams, and climate change that negatively affect the Indian ecosystem and, in turn, its people.

The common challenge for these initiatives is to overcome the lack of accessibility of computers and web connectivity throughout India. Also, projects using information technologies for change must also address the lack of computer literacy and relevant content in the local languages. Despite these challenges, the innovative uses of information technologies and new social media that I am discovering here in Bangalore reaffirms the power of online platforms to revolutionize the way we create and share information, connect, and organize to become catalysts for social change.