————————————————————————————————————- The below piece is an account of Project Digital Heartlands, where we explore the creation and consumption of content in tier 2 and 3 towns in India. Through the study, we sought to understand the self expression of small town creators, their creative practices, their individual journeys and their overall digital tastes and practices. … Read more
The pandemic has forced qualitative researchers to pivot their methods drastically. The richness of contextual fieldwork has been replaced with virtual sessions. When the researchers at Grab switched to remote research, they had to overcome a series of challenges. In this webinar, they will review 5 key challenges, and provide an in-depth views into their … Read more
With the increasing penetration of internet and smartphones in rural India the last few years, we notice a substantial increase in people’s engagement with them. As the internet makes inroads into the previously untouched parts of the country, we also witness a surge not only in consumption, but also in content creation. A consequence of … Read more
In the past decade, a number of anthropologists have provided fascinating insights into people’s digital behaviour. People have been increasingly using the internet for a varied number of reasons such as to socialize, consume and produce knowledge, for entertainment, work etc. Moreover, the pandemic further accelerated our usage of the digital. Even in India, as … Read more
The word intimacy was first used in the English dictionary in 1632. Since then the word has gone through its own tumultuous journey. Over centuries, its meaning has evolved and branched out acquiring newer dimensions. “Intimacy has traditionally been fixed in the realm of the private and the personal and viewed as physical contact within … Read more
The ancestral village of Kamala Harris, US Vice President-elect, erupted in celebrations hailing her victory in the US presidential election. The residents of the village have been showcasing a lot of love and support as they even performed a special puja earlier to show their support for her campaign. Feature Picture Credit: The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/08/kamala-harris-south-india-joy-daughter-of-our-village)
With the onset of Covid-19 a few months back, the world around us changed in ways we had never imagined. In one way or another, people witnessed almost every aspect of their life undergoing a transformation. Like many other countries, India too began to observe a lockdown from mid-march. However, India’s lockdown was much more … Read more
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, people’s lives across the globe turned upside down. Many professions and industries found themselves unprepared to adapt to this new lifestyle and struggled to find their place in this new way of being. Even for the qualitative researchers, there was an immediate pressure to adapt to this new … Read more
Visuals by Srinidhi Chandrashekar, with inputs from Rupali Kapoor and Tanvi Gupta. About the author Srinidhi Chandrashekar is an intern at the Consumer Culture Lab. She is currently pursuing her master’s in design at NID, Gandhinagar. From advertising to design, she believes that her work has journeyed from communicating to users to understanding users, and … Read more
Food blogger Gaurav Wasan, highlighted the plight of an elderly couple who are selling fresh food in South Delhi. He made a video in which the elderly man was teary-eyed while narrating the financial plight he was going through with the business slowing down. The video went viral instantly with people sharing it on their … Read more