Mobile Phone Usage Pattern of Women of Santal Tribe in West Bengal, India

Abstract

The phenomenal rise of mobile phones in the country can be ascribed to the construction of a wide network and diverse mobile phone services available to users from all walks of life. The greatest success of the mobile phone revolution can be explained by its increasing density and remotest reach where no roads exist or people struggle for basic healthcare facilities. It has become a ubiquitous part of life. This commonplace instrument has become an important communication tool in the modern world. With 52,963 residents, West Bengal makes up 5.8% of the state’s total population and 5.01% of all tribal people in the country. Santal, which shares common states of habitation with West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, and Tripura, is the third most populous tribe after Bhil and Gond. The usage patterns of women of Santal tribe in West Bengal, India, served as the basis for this study. The Singur block in West Bengal’s Hooghlydistrict served as the study’s location. Ten Santal tribal women in the age range of 18 to 38 were chosen in total. We conducted in-depth interviews with every participant. It was discovered that women of all ages owned mobile phones, either from self-affordance purchases or inheritance from male family members. They use their phones for various reasons, such as making calls and chatting on social media platforms like WhatsApp, but mostly for their own or their children’s educational requirements