Impact of Digital Literacy on Rural Women in Karnataka : An Overview

The Digital literacy is an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information by utilizing typing or digital media platforms. The digital literacy initially focused on systematic digital skills and computers, the focus has moved from stand-alone to network devices including the World Wide Web and social media. Digital literacy is the set of competencies required for full participation in a knowledge society. It includes knowledge, skills, and behaviour involving the effective use of digital devices such as Smartphone’s, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs for purposes of communication, expression, collaboration and advocacy. Digital competence and digital literacy are concepts that are increasingly used in public discourse. However, how the concepts are used and how they are defined remains unclear. To be ‘digitally literate’ in this way encompasses issues of cognitive authority, safety and privacy, creative, ethical, and responsible use and reuse of digital media, among other topics. In today’s modern world Digital Literacy has become cardinal and pivotal part of life in this era of information technology. Karnataka state is regarded as geographer’s workshop due to its diversified geographical features and location. Karnataka has vibrant automobile, agro, aerospace, textile and garment, biotech and heavy engineering industries. The state has sector specific Special Economic Zone for key industries such as Information Technology, Bio-Technology, Engineering, Food Processing and Aerospace Karnataka is IT(Information Technology) hub of India and home to the fourth largest technology cluster in the world. But still there is a gap or digital literacy among rural women compared to urban women of the Karnataka state. The purpose of this paper is trying attempt to understand performance and challenges of digital literacy among rural women in Karnataka