PERCEPTION OF INDIAN YOUTH ON DIGITAL ACTIVISM: MOTIVATION, BARRIERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION

Abstract

The present study draws insights from primary research, examines the existing literature on the subject and uses case studies, with a prime objective to understand the use of social media by youth for digital activism. Thereafter, the paper provides recommendations for effectively leveraging digital platforms to encourage youth participation and activism. This research paper looks at the forms of Digital activism and the ways in which the youth have leveraged digital activism to voice their issues, highlighting their motivations and challenges. To get better insight into the barriers and motivations of youth participation in digital activism, multiple stakeholder conversations and survey of Indian youth within the age group 15-25 years (93 respondents) was conducted to gauge their perception on digital activism. Primary data was collected using an online survey from 93 respondents through a structured questionnaire. Results of this study showed that close to 76.09% of the sample does not engage in digital activism, despite 93.5% of them having a social media presence.