An upcoming book titled “Social Media in Asia” includes a chapter written by Ohio University Southern Communication Studies Professor Dr. David Lucas.

Lucas’ chapter provides insights in the various perspectives of social media in India by noting historical, economic, political, cultural and ethical aspects of social media’s impact on the country.

“India has emerged as a competitive market within the global social media outlets,” Lucas wrote in an abstract via email. “With a rapid growth rate in communication technology and with a tendency toward early adoption of technology, India’s population seems poised to become the single most logged-on people in the world.”

Social media use has penetrated the seams of the fabric of Indian culture, Lucas said, and data demonstrate that the culture of India stands at the precipice of a great cultural revolution to be ignited by the influence of social media.

“Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Orkut have become the driving forces behind this tech savvy, logged-on population,” Lucas said. “Indians tweet, give status updates and post online at a remarkable rate by using smart phones, handheld devices and computers.”

According to Lucas’ abstract, the densely populated cities of India contribute heavily to the total number, but surprisingly, rural areas also swell the sum of Indians logged on during any given hour of the day. Going online has become a national pastime in India.

“Social Media in Asia” is scheduled for release next year by German publishing house Dignity Press.

Lucas’ book “The Handbook of Folknography” was released in January 2006. Folknography is a flexible and practical qualitative method of cultural research and depends heavily on the researcher’s ability to engage a culture. As a research method, folknography allows the researcher to collect data in various forms and quickly share findings over the Internet.

Communication and sharing of inferences made by investigators become an integral part of analysis. Investigators seek the voice of the people and provide a platform for them to speak out about issues that concern them. Folknography provides a flexible and practical method to approach social and/or cultural research.

Other than Ohio University Southern, Lucas has taught communication studies courses at Marshall and Kentucky Christian universities and is very active with the Boy Scouts of America.