EVOLVING CYBERSECURITY CHALLENGES IN INDIA DEMAND CONSTANT INNOVATION AND AGILITY: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SAFEGUARDING CYBERSPACE

सार

India’s swift march towards digitalisation has profoundly altered the way, the society functions; shaping how people interact with each other, manage finances, access healthcare, and communicate with one another. Digital governance platforms, online banking systems, telemedicine services, and social media networks have become integral to everyday life, blurring the boundaries between physical and virtual spaces. Yet this rapid digital expansion has also brought with it a growing exposure to cybersecurity risks, that cannot be understood or accepted as merely technical failures.

Rising incidents of cybercrime, data leaks, misinformation, digital surveillance, and online abuse reveal underlying social faulty lines, including unequal access to digital resources, patterns of risky online behaviour, and institutional gaps in preparedness and accountability. This article contends that responding effectively to cybersecurity challenges in India demands more than technological upgrades or flexible regulatory frameworks. It requires a deeper sociological engagement with awareness to the masses,  how people perceive risk, place trust in digital systems, negotiate power within online spaces, and experience vulnerability in unequal social contexts. Through a sociological lens, the paper explores the role of digital divides, trust erosion, gendered exposure to cyber harms, organisational cultures, and governance mechanisms in shaping India’s cybersecurity environment. It ultimately argues for a holistic socio-technical approach—one that integrates cybersecurity with social awareness, ethical institutions, and participatory governance,  to strengthen India’s ability to protect its cyberspace amid an ever-evolving digital landscape.