Use of electronic media by rural community in Gulbarga district, Karnataka state, India

The paper presents findings of the study of socio-economic status, use of electronic media and benefits derived from the use of these media by rural community in Gulbarga District, Karnataka State, India. Per capita income of 88% of the study population is less than Rs.20,000/-which is less than the national and State per capita income. Television and Radio are the most frequently used electronic media by more than 90% of them, mainly for entertainment purpose. While Cell Phone is used by 78%, use of Internet is restricted to only 12%. Major benefits of electronic media are improvement in social life and general knowledge. Findings indicate that electronic media has played a marginal role in rural development. Television and Radio need to play a major role, not only as entertainers and news providers, but also as facilitators of local change and rural development. Capabilities of cell phone need to be used extensively to provide region specific information through SMS. Internet can play a greater role in rural development, if it is accessible to them at affordable cost, in their locality, in local language.