| Journal of Community Guidance & Research, | | | | women to express their individuality and establish their |
| November 2007, Vol. 24, No. 3, p: 253-261. | | | | self-identity. |
| INTRODUCTION | | | | The results in table 2 and table 3 reveal that |
| Electronic culture is of universal prevalence. The | | | | chronological age and marital status does not influence |
| impact and ambience of electronic technology is | | | | e-culture. This indicates that there is a homogeneous |
| invariably and inevitably felt by everyone throughout | | | | distribution of e-culture among both married and |
| the world. The indisputable reality today is that | | | | unmarried people. E-culture seems also equally spread |
| individuals and organizations inextricably exist in an | | | | across different age groups. People use electronic |
| E-world. Today, much of human needs are gratified by | | | | products irrespective of their age and their marital |
| the use of electronic goods and services. This fact is | | | | status. |
| explicit from the numerous electronic products | | | | Table 4 indicates that nativity influences e-culture. The |
| available and used by people in their homes, offices, | | | | urban group (36.42) seems significantly differ from the |
| public places and also those they personally carry. The | | | | rural group (28.25). The differences in mean values |
| emergence and rapid spread of technologies like | | | | indicate that urban people are more in e-culture than |
| e-commerce, e-learning, e-medicine, e-governance, | | | | their rural counterparts. This finding is in accordance |
| e-business, e-communication, e-banking, | | | | with the popular expectation that people reared in |
| e-entertainment, e-homes, etc, also emphasize the | | | | industrially advanced and technologically sophisticated |
| importance of electronic medium in the gratification of | | | | urban environments tend to more exposed and |
| our psycho-social needs. | | | | accessible to electronic culture than people hailing from |
| The information and communication technology (ICT) | | | | relatively inferior rural environments. This is congruent |
| effectively championed by Internet has culminated in | | | | with the finding of Doody et al (2003) who cited 'lack |
| e-culture. It has resulted in the simultaneous | | | | of accesses as one common cause for not using |
| deconstruction and reconstruction of fundamental | | | | Internet. Van Dijk (2001) also indicated 'possession of |
| ways of thinking about humans, worlds and technology. | | | | technology'- that is the availability of equipment and an |
| It has also led to shifts in attitudes, skills and behaviour | | | | Internet connection at home or at work, school or |
| (De Haan & Huysmans, 2002). Personality | | | | university and 'possession of digital skills' as two |
| development from e-cultural perspective involves | | | | among the four conditions for the emergence of |
| acquiring digital skills. E-culture is a transnational and | | | | e-culture. |
| global phenomenon; it is both technological and a social | | | | The tables 5 and 6 show that educational qualification |
| development. Internet, especially, is expected to bring in | | | | influences e-culture. The entire sample classified into |
| sweeping and lasting cultural transformations. The | | | | four groups based on their educational qualification viz., |
| emergence of e-culture has implanted new demands | | | | UG, PG, M.Phil and PhD were compared. The mean |
| upon individuals and organizations (Robbins, 2003). | | | | e-culture scores of the four groups were found to |
| The approval of e-culture concept is reflected in the | | | | differ significantly. Presently, electronic technologies find |
| keenness with which political decision-makers have | | | | more scope and applicability in the field of education. |
| taken it over at all levels- local, regional, national and | | | | Internet, combining information and entertainment has |
| transnational. More accessible and transparent | | | | evolved as a medium of infotainment. Many universities |
| information is an easy expression, something that is | | | | and colleges have launched their own websites |
| unequivocally good both from the point of view of | | | | offerings admissions and online courses through them. |
| social resources and democracy. According to Mitchell | | | | This finding is defended by Krzysztofek (2003) who |
| (2003) the ideas of an information society and | | | | observed that the number of educated people in |
| e-culture have also implied expectations of economic | | | | Europe is rapidly growing; thousands of private |
| growth and stability, opening up of new sectors of | | | | educators compete to lure new students by offering |
| production, increased productivity and the advent of a | | | | many attractive course possibilities through digital |
| new, fluctuation-proof economy. In the views of Marsh | | | | platform. Vijay Kumar and Murthy (2001) observed the |
| (2003) the emergence of e-culture leads to cultural | | | | e-status of libraries in India, and found that INFLIBNET a |
| homogenization and immense concentrations of | | | | national level library network, established by UGC |
| financial power thereby cautions that "learn English and | | | | (Universities Grants Commission), engages in |
| buy a computer or you're out." De Haan & Huysmans | | | | development of national union databases and has |
| (2002) emphasize that e-culture makes it imperative to | | | | already hosted an online database of Indian theses. |
| develop digital skill concerning the handling of electronic | | | | This survey reveals that monthly income of the people |
| products and especially the use of computer and | | | | influence their e-culture (table 7 and 8). The entire |
| Internet. | | | | sample was classified into five groups based on their |
| Currently, studies on e-culture are at a rudimentary | | | | monthly income. The mean scores indicated that there |
| level. The concept of e-culture is evolving and is far | | | | existed significant difference in their level of e-culture. |
| from conclusive. However, today e-culture is | | | | Langer (2003) stated that the adoption of third |
| increasingly perceived as a new digital media culture or | | | | generation technologies mainly depends on its |
| digitalization of culture. Netherlands council for culture | | | | affordability and availability, which in turn depends on |
| (2004) argues that, within the context of the 'digitizing | | | | the income of the people. He also mentioned about the |
| society', e-culture should be seen as the integration of | | | | digital divide, that there are two groups in society; one |
| ICT into the primary processes of productivity, | | | | which has access to the new information technologies |
| distribution, presentation, preservation and (re)utilization | | | | and the other which has not. |
| of cultural expression. According to the view of De | | | | CONCLUSION |
| Haan and Huysmans (2002) the term 'e-culture' is | | | | This study reveals that gender, nativity, education and |
| stated to refer to the diffusion of new technology, its | | | | monthly income influence e-culture but age and marital |
| application for various avenues such as information | | | | status does not influence it. |
| and communication in addition to shifts effected in | | | | Table 1 Showing the Mean, SD, SEM and t-test for |
| related attitudes, values and norms. Patel and | | | | e-culture score of the groups on the basis of gender. |
| Rajendran (2005) have defined "electronic culture" as | | | | Gender N Mean SD SEM t-value LS |
| "increased use of electronic goods by individuals in | | | | Male 200 32.57 16.10 1.14 1.96 0.05 |
| various areas." | | | | Female 126 35.98 14.79 1.32 |
| PURPOSE OF THE STUDY | | | | Table 2 Showing the results of One-way ANOVA for |
| E-culture though prevalent widely, is a recent | | | | e-culture score of the groups on the basis of age level |
| phenomenon. The scientist community has just begun | | | | Age N Mean SD SEM F-value LS |
| to study it. The exploration of e-culture may only be | | | | 20 to 25 years 76 33.91 16.69 1.91 0.24 NS |
| the start of a long-term process of change taking | | | | 26 to 30 years 105 33.71 15.07 1.47 |
| place at a global level (De Haan and Huysmans, 2002). | | | | 31 to 35 years 57 32.51 15.37 2.04 |
| The impetus for the new interest is the realization that | | | | 36 to 40 years 32 35.66 17.98 3.18 |
| e-culture is widespread, inevitable and places adaptive | | | | Above 40 years 56 34.57 14.68 1.96 |
| demands upon people. | | | | Total 326 33.89 15.67 0.87 |
| Looking around one finds a vast and versatile | | | | Table 3 Showing the Mean, S.D., SEM and t-test for |
| spectrum of electronic products used commonly by | | | | e-culture score of the groups on the basis of marital |
| the people. In general, the indefinite progress made in | | | | status |
| the field and frontiers of electronic technology has | | | | Marital status N Mean SD SEM t-value LS |
| ameliorated the quality of life of all. The e-culture | | | | Married 203 34.80 15.46 1.09 1.35 NS |
| scenario in India is not much different from the | | | | Unmarried 123 32.37 15.96 1.44 |
| international one. The spread of e-culture would be | | | | Table 4 Showing the Mean, S.D., SEM and t-test for |
| influenced by a plethora of factors. Few among them | | | | e-culture scoreof the groups on the basis of native |
| may be socio-demographic factors such as age, | | | | place. |
| gender, income, education, native place, marital status, | | | | Native Place N Mean SD SEM t-value LS |
| etc. | | | | Urban 225 36.42 16.16 1.08 4.87 0.01 |
| The review of related literature indicates that research | | | | Rural 101 28.25 12.91 1.28 |
| studies of e-culture are scarce and negligible. Since | | | | Table 5 Showing the Mean, SD for e-culture score of |
| e-culture is the recent development there are no much | | | | the groups on the basis of educational qualification. |
| standardized tools available and accessible to assess | | | | Educational qualification Group N Mean SD |
| it both at national and international levels. In India, | | | | U.G. A 82 35.12 14.21 |
| unfortunately, the research efforts in understanding | | | | P.G. B 141 36.00 16.87 |
| and investigating the status of e-culture have not yet | | | | M.Phil C 62 28.39 13.35 |
| gained momentum. The research and academic | | | | Ph.D. D 41 32.46 15.86 |
| community are dormant regarding the influence of | | | | Total 326 33.89 15.67 |
| e-culture. Reviews on e-culture in Indian context | | | | Table 6 Showing the results of One-way ANOVA for |
| indicate that it has received poor attention. Deplorably, | | | | e-culture score of the groups on the basis of |
| many researchers belonging to various disciplines are | | | | educational qualification. |
| yet to take up this issue. In particular, from a | | | | Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F-value LS |
| socio-demographic perspective, e-culture still remains | | | | Between Groups 2713.11 3 904.37 3.78 0.01 |
| unexplored. A socio-demographic approach to | | | | Within Groups 77113.68 322 239.48 |
| e-culture in Indian context is lacking absolutely and is | | | | Total 79826.80 325 |
| worth conceivable in the light of the modern | | | | Table 7 Showing the one-way ANOVA for e-culture |
| unfathomable dimensions attained by it. Hence an | | | | score on thebasis of Monthly income. |
| attempt is made here to study, assess and evaluate | | | | Monthly income Group N Mean SD |
| e-culture in India from socio-demographic perspective. | | | | Below 5000 A 118 29.32 14.37 |
| This study is a pioneering effort made to explore | | | | 5,001 - 10,000 B 87 36.64 14.17 |
| e-culture from a psychological perspective in India. | | | | 10,001 - 15,000 C 59 37.29 17.82 |
| METHOD | | | | 15,001 - 20,000 D 31 34.06 16.32 |
| Sample | | | | Above 20,000 E 31 36.87 16.25 |
| The sample for this study comprised of 326 educated | | | | Total 326 33.89 15.67 |
| individual (200 males and 126 females) randomly | | | | Table 8 Showing the one-way ANOVA for e-culture |
| selected from three different towns of Tamil Nadu, | | | | score on thebasis of Monthly income. |
| India, namely, Chidambaram, Coimbatore and Erode. All | | | | Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig. |
| the respondents were between the age group of 20 | | | | Between Groups 4079.627 4 1019.907 4.32 0.01 |
| to 76 years (mean age= 42.5 years). Samples were | | | | Within Groups 75747.173 321 235.973 |
| selected from the universe based on the judgement of | | | | Total 79826.801 325 |
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