Vol. 7, Issue 12, Part F (2021)

The term ‘Dalit’, connotes as untouchables, broken or the people belonging to the lowest stratum of the society but James Lochtefeld a professor of religion and Asian Studies, said in 2002 that adoption and popularization of the term ‘Dalit’ reflects their growing awareness of the situation and their greater assertiveness in demanding their legal and constitutional rights and even today despite a plethora of provisions for affirmative action in the Indian Constitution, they suffer exclusion on various counts. In this era of 21st Century after 75 years of independence the dalits are trying to express themselves by voicing out their grievances, creating awareness amongst themselves and helping to restore the dignity of a community that has been wronged for ages through various socio-political struggles, unprecedented movements, literature and social media. It is helping the oppressed to arise as they have always been looked as people with no brains, very timid, not creative and one who cannot argue. However with the gradual passage of time, the opportunity of education and modern technologies the situations are changing and their combat relating to their stigmatized identity as downtrodden and untouchables are being accorded. In the recent studies it has been seen that social networking sites are playing a significant role in mobilization, to disseminate and to become a voice to the voiceless especially to the marginalized and weaker sections of the society who are being conscious of the facts of the things that are happening around them.

The proposed study is an attempt to understand the need of social networking platform in today’s world to the unknown and to understand its path to empowerment. Secondly, to bring about the challenges faced by these marginalized section in bringing about their issues in social media. Thirdly to study how it is sensitizing and mobilizing the Dalit society in making a voice for themselves and helping to address their problems.