A Socio-demographic Study on E-culture

Journal of Community Guidance & Research,women to express their individuality and establish their
November 2007, Vol. 24, No. 3, p: 253-261.self-identity.
INTRODUCTIONThe results in table 2 and table 3 reveal that
Electronic culture is of universal prevalence. Thechronological age and marital status does not influence
impact and ambience of electronic technology ise-culture. This indicates that there is a homogeneous
invariably and inevitably felt by everyone throughoutdistribution of e-culture among both married and
the world. The indisputable reality today is thatunmarried people. E-culture seems also equally spread
individuals and organizations inextricably exist in anacross different age groups. People use electronic
E-world. Today, much of human needs are gratified byproducts irrespective of their age and their marital
the use of electronic goods and services. This fact isstatus.
explicit from the numerous electronic productsTable 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. Therural group (28.25). The differences in mean values
emergence and rapid spread of technologies likeindicate 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 theindustrially advanced and technologically sophisticated
importance of electronic medium in the gratification ofurban 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 inwith the finding of Doody et al (2003) who cited 'lack
e-culture. It has resulted in the simultaneousof accesses as one common cause for not using
deconstruction and reconstruction of fundamentalInternet. 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 behaviourInternet connection at home or at work, school or
(De Haan & Huysmans, 2002). Personalityuniversity and 'possession of digital skills' as two
development from e-cultural perspective involvesamong the four conditions for the emergence of
acquiring digital skills. E-culture is a transnational ande-culture.
global phenomenon; it is both technological and a socialThe tables 5 and 6 show that educational qualification
development. Internet, especially, is expected to bring ininfluences e-culture. The entire sample classified into
sweeping and lasting cultural transformations. Thefour groups based on their educational qualification viz.,
emergence of e-culture has implanted new demandsUG, 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 thediffer significantly. Presently, electronic technologies find
keenness with which political decision-makers havemore scope and applicability in the field of education.
taken it over at all levels- local, regional, national andInternet, combining information and entertainment has
transnational. More accessible and transparentevolved as a medium of infotainment. Many universities
information is an easy expression, something that isand colleges have launched their own websites
unequivocally good both from the point of view ofofferings admissions and online courses through them.
social resources and democracy. According to MitchellThis finding is defended by Krzysztofek (2003) who
(2003) the ideas of an information society andobserved that the number of educated people in
e-culture have also implied expectations of economicEurope is rapidly growing; thousands of private
growth and stability, opening up of new sectors ofeducators compete to lure new students by offering
production, increased productivity and the advent of amany attractive course possibilities through digital
new, fluctuation-proof economy. In the views of Marshplatform. Vijay Kumar and Murthy (2001) observed the
(2003) the emergence of e-culture leads to culturale-status of libraries in India, and found that INFLIBNET a
homogenization and immense concentrations ofnational 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 & Huysmansdevelopment of national union databases and has
(2002) emphasize that e-culture makes it imperative toalready hosted an online database of Indian theses.
develop digital skill concerning the handling of electronicThis survey reveals that monthly income of the people
products and especially the use of computer andinfluence 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 rudimentarymonthly income. The mean scores indicated that there
level. The concept of e-culture is evolving and is farexisted significant difference in their level of e-culture.
from conclusive. However, today e-culture isLanger (2003) stated that the adoption of third
increasingly perceived as a new digital media culture orgeneration technologies mainly depends on its
digitalization of culture. Netherlands council for cultureaffordability and availability, which in turn depends on
(2004) argues that, within the context of the 'digitizingthe income of the people. He also mentioned about the
society', e-culture should be seen as the integration ofdigital 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)utilizationand the other which has not.
of cultural expression. According to the view of DeCONCLUSION
Haan and Huysmans (2002) the term 'e-culture' isThis study reveals that gender, nativity, education and
stated to refer to the diffusion of new technology, itsmonthly income influence e-culture but age and marital
application for various avenues such as informationstatus does not influence it.
and communication in addition to shifts effected inTable 1 Showing the Mean, SD, SEM and t-test for
related attitudes, values and norms. Patel ande-culture score of the groups on the basis of gender.
Rajendran (2005) have defined "electronic culture" asGender N Mean SD SEM t-value LS
"increased use of electronic goods by individuals inMale 200 32.57 16.10 1.14 1.96 0.05
various areas."Female 126 35.98 14.79 1.32
PURPOSE OF THE STUDYTable 2 Showing the results of One-way ANOVA for
E-culture though prevalent widely, is a recente-culture score of the groups on the basis of age level
phenomenon. The scientist community has just begunAge N Mean SD SEM F-value LS
to study it. The exploration of e-culture may only be20 to 25 years 76 33.91 16.69 1.91 0.24 NS
the start of a long-term process of change taking26 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 that36 to 40 years 32 35.66 17.98 3.18
e-culture is widespread, inevitable and places adaptiveAbove 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 versatileTable 3 Showing the Mean, S.D., SEM and t-test for
spectrum of electronic products used commonly bye-culture score of the groups on the basis of marital
the people. In general, the indefinite progress made instatus
the field and frontiers of electronic technology hasMarital status N Mean SD SEM t-value LS
ameliorated the quality of life of all. The e-cultureMarried 203 34.80 15.46 1.09 1.35 NS
scenario in India is not much different from theUnmarried 123 32.37 15.96 1.44
international one. The spread of e-culture would beTable 4 Showing the Mean, S.D., SEM and t-test for
influenced by a plethora of factors. Few among theme-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 researchRural 101 28.25 12.91 1.28
studies of e-culture are scarce and negligible. SinceTable 5 Showing the Mean, SD for e-culture score of
e-culture is the recent development there are no muchthe groups on the basis of educational qualification.
standardized tools available and accessible to assessEducational 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 understandingP.G. B 141 36.00 16.87
and investigating the status of e-culture have not yetM.Phil C 62 28.39 13.35
gained momentum. The research and academicPh.D. D 41 32.46 15.86
community are dormant regarding the influence ofTotal 326 33.89 15.67
e-culture. Reviews on e-culture in Indian contextTable 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 areeducational qualification.
yet to take up this issue. In particular, from aSum of Squares Df Mean Square F-value LS
socio-demographic perspective, e-culture still remainsBetween Groups 2713.11 3 904.37 3.78 0.01
unexplored. A socio-demographic approach toWithin Groups 77113.68 322 239.48
e-culture in Indian context is lacking absolutely and isTotal 79826.80 325
worth conceivable in the light of the modernTable 7 Showing the one-way ANOVA for e-culture
unfathomable dimensions attained by it. Hence anscore on thebasis of Monthly income.
attempt is made here to study, assess and evaluateMonthly 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 explore5,001 - 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
METHOD15,001 - 20,000 D 31 34.06 16.32
SampleAbove 20,000 E 31 36.87 16.25
The sample for this study comprised of 326 educatedTotal 326 33.89 15.67
individual (200 males and 126 females) randomlyTable 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. AllSum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
the respondents were between the age group of 20Between Groups 4079.627 4 1019.907 4.32 0.01
to 76 years (mean age= 42.5 years). Samples wereWithin Groups 75747.173 321 235.973
selected from the universe based on the judgement ofTotal 79826.801 325
the researcher. In this study people with above higherREFERENCE
secondary level of education (plus 2) were considered1. De Haan, J and Huysmans, F. (2002). E-culture: An
as educated. The sample taken include persons fromEmpirical Exploration. The Hague: Social and Cultural
various occupational background like college teachers,Plan Bureau. pp. 145-155.
school teachers, engineers, doctors, Government2. Doody, M., Aizlewood, A and Bourdeau, J. P. (2003).
officers, psychologists, lawyers, merchants, technicians,E-citizenship and civic participation in Canada. In S.
assistants and housewives.Dragojevic., D. Dodd., B. Cvjeticanin and C. Smithuijsen
Tools used(Ed)(2005): E-Culture: The European Perspective-
The research tools used in this study for dataCultural Policy, Creative Industries, Information Lag
collection were the (1) E-culture Inventory and (2)(From the proceeding of the round table meeting,
Personal Information Schedule.Zagreb, 24-27 April 2003). Zagreb: Institute of
(1) E-culture inventoryInternational Relations. pp. 53-64.
This inventory was developed by Patel and Rajendran3. Krzysztofek, K. (2003). Will the be more edu or
(2005) to measure e-culture. The inventory consists ofcom? In S. Dragojevic., D. Dodd., B. Cvjeticanin and C.
42 items with 2 responses, i.e., "yes" and "no"Smithuijsen (Ed)(2005): E-Culture: The European
respectively for each item. The 42 items are classifiedPerspective- Cultural Policy, Creative Industries,
into 4 areas, namely, home=16 items, office=11 items,Information Lag (From the proceeding of the round
personal=8 items and public=7 items. The score fortable meeting, Zagreb, 24-27 April 2003). Zagreb:
'yes' in home area is 2, in office is 1, in personal area isInstitute of International Relations. pp. 73-80.
3 and in public area is 1 were as the score for 'no' in all4. Langer, J. (2003). About the Cultural Texture of the
the areas is 0. The maximum score possible in thisDigital Divide. In S. Dragojevic., D. Dodd., B. Cvjeticanin
inventory is 74 and the minimum score is 0. High scoreand C. Smithuijsen (Ed)(2005): E-Culture: The European
indicates high e-culture and low score indicates lowPerspective- Cultural Policy, Creative Industries,
e-culture. The reliability and validity co-efficient for thisInformation Lag (From the proceeding of the round
inventory were found to be highly significant at 0.001table meeting, Zagreb, 24-27 April 2003). Zagreb:
levels.Institute of International Relations. pp. 65-72.
(2) Personal Information Schedule5. Marsh, J. B. T. (2003). Cultural Conflict in the
This personal information schedule was designed byInformation Society. In S. Dragojevic., D. Dodd., B.
the investigator of the present research. This aim ofCvjeticanin and C. Smithuijsen (Ed)(2005): E-Culture:
this schedule is to obtain relevant demographic andThe European Perspective- Cultural Policy, Creative
biographic information from the respondents. ThisIndustries, Information Lag (From the proceeding of the
schedule consists of 6 items such as gender, age,round table meeting, Zagreb, 24-27 April 2003). Zagreb:
marital status, native place, educational qualification, andInstitute of International Relations. pp. 21-30.
monthly income.6. Maslach, C (2000). The Influence of Gender and
ProcedureCulture on the relationship between emotional control
The primary method of data collection was adopted inand well-being. The Berkeley McNair Research Journal.
this study. The informants were contacted individuallyPp. 99-114.
by the researcher. The data collection was done over7. Mitchell, R. (2003). Information Society and E-culture:
a period of 2 month. The obtained responses wereOn the Rise and Popularity of the Concepts. In S.
scored and statistically analyzed.Dragojevic., D. Dodd., B. Cvjeticanin and C. Smithuijsen
Statistical analysis(Ed)(2005): E-Culture: The European Perspective-
Mean, standard deviation, t-test and F-test were theCultural Policy, Creative Industries, Information Lag
statistical analysis done.(From the proceeding of the round table meeting,
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONZagreb, 24-27 April 2003). Zagreb: Institute of
This research study is an attempt made to exploreInternational Relations. pp. 9-18.
e-culture from a socio-demographic perspective. The8. Netherlands Council for Culture. (2004. English
current study investigates the influence of variousEdition). From ICT to E-culture: Advisory report on the
socio-demographic variables such as age, gender,digitalization of culture and the implications for cultural
educational qualification, monthly income, native place,policy (Submitted to the Netherlands State Secretary
and marital status upon e-culture. The results revealedfor Education, Culture and Science, June 2003). The
that only 4 out of 6 demographic variables studied doHague: Netherlands Council for Culture Publishing.
differ significantly in their e-culture.9. Patel, J. M. A and Rajendran, K. (2005) E-culture
It can be inferred from the results summarized in tableInventory. SCOPE- Annamalai Psychology Journal, Vol.
1 that gender differences tend to influence e-culture.I, pp. 1-11.
The comparison of mean values indicates that10. Robbins, S. P. (2003). Organizational Behaviour (10th
females are more in their level of e-culture than males.Ed.). Delhi: Pearson Education, Inc. pp. 459-464.
The mean score of the males (32.57) is less than the11. Roberts, B.W and Helson, R. (1997). Changes in
mean score of the females (35.98) which indicatesculture, changes in personality: The influence of
that females are more on e-culture than males.Individualism in a longitudinal study of women. Journal of
Perhaps the reason for such an outcome may be aPersonality and Social Psychology, Vol. 72, No. I, PP.
compensatory response. Digital culture (e-culture)641-651.
demands soft skills (digital skills) permitting females to12. Van Dijk, J. (2001). The accessibility of ICTs and the
easily operate electronic products, hence here theyquality of infrastructure and services. In: Ministry of
may try to compensate by dominating males for theirTransport, Public Works and Water Management of
shortcomings in those areas which demands physicalthe Netherlands (Ed.), People in networks: A
stamina. Maslach (2000) observed both gender andcontribution to the discussion of the Ministry of
culture influenced well-being, it was found thatTransport to the debate about the Digital Divide. The
increases in the level of emotional inhibition decreasesHague: Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water
well-being for the females. In this regard it seems thatManagement.
women are involving more in e-culture than men and13. Vijaya Kumar, J.K and Murthy, T.A.V. (December,
tend to use it as a platform for emotional expressions2001). Need for a digital library for Indian thesis and
thereby enhancing their well-being. Roberts and Helsondissertations: A model on par with the ETD (Electronic
(1997) has empirically observed that the culture ofThesis and Dissertations) initiatives at International level.
individualism has affected the attitude of women andIn R. Shalini., T. B. Rajashekhar and K.S. Raghavan (Ed).
also shaped their personalities and adult adjustment,Digital Libraries. Conference papers of the 4th
women showed increase in the index of individualism.International Conference of Asian Digital Libraries
The digital world may appear more conducive for(ICADL, 2001). Bangalore. pp. 384-390.