INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE YOUNG GENERATION OF RABHA TRIBE OF WEST BENGAL: A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY

Abstract

Digital technologies, like, the internet, smartphones, and social media are valuable communication tools to share, create, and spread information, knowledge, education, communication, and social interaction online. Its rapid proliferation increased the digital population enormously in India. Their use might have obvious influence on the digital people of the country. The purpose was to accentuate the influence of social media upon the young generation users. The objective was to find out the extent of the influence of social media upon the young generation of indigenous Rabha tribal users and changes in their daily lives. The focus of the study was young Rabhas aged between 18 to 30 years as this age group is deemed the most susceptible to the influence of social media usages. Primary and secondary data sources were consulted. The case study method was applied for this qualitative study. Interview technique applied for conducting case studies, besides observation.
 The young generation Rabhas are adopting and experiencing the active use of the internet, smartphones, and social media platforms. It has brought about changes and progress in daily lives of young generation Rabha users. Social media is also helping them to perpetuate the traditional Rabha cultural identity.
 Simultaneously, it indicates that there is a relationship of digital technologies like internet, smartphones, and social media with the present-day younger generation of Rabha tribe in terms of its influence upon them, specifically in the context sociology of science and digital technologies, and the younger generation.