Document is current

Journal Name

: Indian Journal of Social Science and Literature (IJSSL): https://www.ijssl.latticescipub.com/

Conflicts of Interest

: Based on my understanding, this article has no conflicts of interest.

Funding Support

: This article has not been sponsored or funded by any organization or agency. The independence of this research is a crucial factor in affirming its impartiality, as it has been conducted without any external sway.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

: This study was conducted in strict adherence to the American Sociological Association's (ASA) Code of Ethics. While formal Institutional Review Board approval was not required for this study, we ensured that our research methodology and practices aligned with the ASA's ethical guidelines for sociological research. The study involved interviews with 20 Reddit users. In line with ASA ethical standards, all participants were provided with detailed information about the study's purpose, methodology, and their rights as participants. Informed consent was obtained from each participant before the interviews were conducted. Participants were assured of their anonymity and the confidentiality of their responses. They were also informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any time without any negative consequences. To protect participant privacy, all identifying information was removed from the interview transcripts, and pseudonyms were used in reporting the results. The interviews were conducted in a manner that respected the participants' privacy, dignity, and cultural sensitivities. Data protection measures were implemented to ensure the security of the collected information. Interview recordings and transcripts were stored on password-protected devices, accessible only to the researchers directly involved in the study. Throughout the research process, we adhered to the ASA's principles of professional competence, integrity, professional and scientific responsibility, respect for people's rights, dignity, and diversity, and social responsibility. These principles guided our approach to ensure that our study contributed meaningful insights while protecting the rights and well-being of our participants.

Data Access Statement and Material Availability

: Yes, it is relevant. The primary data for this study consists of interview transcripts from conversations with Indian Reddit users. Due to the sensitive and personal nature of the information shared by participants, and to protect their privacy and anonymity, the full transcripts are not publicly available. However, anonymized excerpts from the interviews are included in the findings section of this article to support the analysis and conclusions. Researchers interested in accessing the anonymized interview data for verification or further analysis may contact the author with a formal request detailing the intended use of the data. Access will be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to approval and the signing of a data sharing agreement to ensure the continued protection of participant privacy. The literature and publicly available data used in this study, including Reddit user statistics and internet usage data for India, are cited in the references section and can be accessed through their original sources. No additional datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Authors Contributions

: Vatsal conducted the 15 interviews for the article and Arpita helped edit it. Both authors contributed to the conceptualization of the study, data analysis, and manuscript revision. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.