Bangalore, February 8, 2024: The Centre for IT and Public Policy (CITAPP) at International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B) organized a symposium on “Emerging Opportunities and Challenges in the Digital Society,” on Thursday, 8th February 2024. The event featured an overview of CITAPP’s research and outreach activities, release of the Digital Society survey report authored by itihaasa Research and Digital, and a panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges presented by the current moment.
Reflecting on the evolution of India’s digital society, Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co-founder of Infosys and Founder of itihaasa, Research and Digital said, “Since the advent of its first computer in the mid-1950s, India has seen a spectacular growth of its digital society. Itihaasa set out to delineate a clearer picture through the India Digital Society Survey, focusing on Bengaluru. The survey explores people’s experiences and beliefs, shedding light on various facets of digital technologies.” The comprehensive report, based on a survey conducted in the Bengaluru Urban district, encompasses responses from over 1800 individuals across various socio-economic categories. The report was released by Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, along with Prof. Debabrata Das, Director, IIIT-B.
The report launch was followed by a panel discussion featuring Prof. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice Chancellor, National Law School of India University Bangalore, Prof. Rajalaxmi Kamath, Centre for Public Policy, IIM Bangalore, and the authors of the report, Dr. N. Dayasindhu and Mr. Krishnan Narayanan. Moderated by Prof. Balaji Parthasarathy, IIIT-B, the discussion focussed on questions concerning the perception, rhetoric and the experience of the digital society, and the idea of an ‘inclusive digital society, from economic, political and social vantages.
At the event, IIIT-B launched a new one-year full time Post Graduate Diploma programme in Digital Product Design and Management, to start in July 2024. The programme will include courses that equip the students with necessary skills and knowledge that can help them in contributing to better product designs that serve the underserved market segments well. Announcing this new programme, Prof. Debabrata Das, Director, IIIT-B said, “The focus of our research and educational programmes has always been on all aspects of Information Technology design and use. This includes the evolving interaction between digital technologies and varied social contexts and populations. Through our Digital Society research domain and the Centre for IT and Public Policy, we have not only engaged in impactful research, but also offered novel educational programmes with major and minor specializations in Digital Society.” The new programme is expected to further strengthen IIIT-B’s digital society education portfolio.
