The Digital Divide And It’s Impact On Society. A Study Conducted In Mysuru

This study explores the multi-dimensionality of the digital divide and its wider socio-economic implications in the context of Mysuru, Karnataka, a fast urbanizing tier-2 city of India. Macroscopic infrastructure programs have been successful in increasing baseline connectivity, but there is a huge gap in digital literacy and productive use of these technologies. The paper examines the transition from basic hardware access (first level divide) to advanced operational skills (second level) and concrete socio-economic outcomes (third level) based on an empirical primary dataset of 54 residents surveyed (57.41% male, 42.59% female; 62.96% aged 18-60). The reliability test of the scale indicated that the instrument was robust with Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.858.The empirical data shows that 51.85% of the respondents have reliable daily access to the internet at home, but there are significant systemic vulnerabilities. A high level of lack of confidence in using digital devices independently to complete online forms or downloads is reported by approximately 24.08% of participants. Furthermore, 44.45% of the respondents feel socially isolated or excluded from community dialogues as they are not online. Importantly, descriptive statistics indicate high mean scores indicating that low digital proficiency is a major barrier to job opportunities and the growth of remote businesses (Mean = 3.63) and makes it difficult for people to independently access essential e-governance platforms such as the Gruha Lakshmi portal and land records (Mean = 3.56). Furthermore, a Pearson Chi-Square test (\chi^2 = 30.963, p = 0.014) indicates a significant statistical relationship between the availability of daily high-speed internet and the receipt of formal educational or familial digital support. The study concludes that connectivity is not a sole determinant of upward social mobility and highlights the urgent need for human-centric policy interventions that prioritize localized literacy campaigns to mitigate deepening societal stratification.