Study on New Media Uses and Its Empowering Impacts on Youth With Focus on The Delhi NCR Region

Abstract

newline New media, particularly the Internet has been one of the fastest growing media platforms with enormous impact on its users, in particular the online youth, who is hitting the World Wide Web for everything from educational quest to job search to participating in social debates to entertainment. newline This is equally true of India where the youth happen to be both the harbinger and the biggest beneficiary of this revolution. The latest data covering 2019 and released in 2022 reports the Internet population of India at over half a billion, and given its rapid penetration, it is estimated to touch 627 million in 2022. A great chunk of these users (74%) falls below the age of 35 years as per the last reported data (2021) on age wise distribution. This young population drives the internet consumption in the country. Internetand#8223;s impact on the youth is believed to be all pervasive, having an effect on all aspects of their life; educational, personal, social and professional. newlineThe first chapter contains the introduction which sets the tone and context of enquiry for this study. It has a detailed discussion on the theoretical framework - Uses and Gratification theory (UGT) employed by the study. Ruggiero Thomas, in his study Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st Century argues that uses and gratifications is a key theoretical perspective to understanding the adoption and use of new communication technologies . newlineThe UGT attempts to examine media consumption and effect from a usersand#8223; perspective: how users deliberately choose media that will satisfy given needs and allow one to enhance knowledge, relaxation, social interactions/companionship, diversion, or escape . Its assumptions link need gratification to a specific medium is user driven. This study probes to understand Usersand#8223; internet usage with intended and demonstrable benefits to students; academic, life-skills and social ties etc. newline Chapter two is a systematic literature review which sets the base and tone of enquiry for this research. Literature revi