Abstract

Social exclusion and digital inclusion have emerged as closely interconnected dimensions of development in contemporary societies. The expansion of internet connectivity smartphones digital financial services online education electronic governance digital health services and platform-based employment has created new opportunities for participation and empowerment. At the same time unequal access to digital technologies can reproduce existing social and economic inequalities and generate new forms of exclusion. In developing societies digital inequality is influenced not only by the availability of internet infrastructure but also by affordability digital literacy gender education geographical location disability age language social status and institutional capacity. This paper examines the dynamics of social exclusion and digital inclusion from a critical social science perspective with particular attention to developing societies. The study adopts a qualitative and descriptive researc