Section Article

Beyond Digital Inclusion: Examining the Emergence of Algorithmic Inequality among Marginalized Communities
Author(s): Dr. Mihir Rajput

Abstract
Digital inclusion has traditionally been understood through access to internet connectivity digital devices and basic technological skills. However the growing use of algorithms in welfare delivery employment education healthcare finance policing and public administration demonstrates that connectivity alone cannot guarantee equal participation in digital society. This paper examines the emergence of algorithmic inequality among marginalised communities and argues that digital systems can reproduce or intensify existing social inequalities through automated classification ranking prediction recommendation and decision-making. Drawing upon theories of digital inequality algorithmic governance social exclusion capability and structural discrimination the study investigates how socioeconomic position gender geography language education and limited digital capabilities influence individuals encounters with algorithmic systems. The paper employs a qualitative and conceptual methodology based on secondary academic literature institutional reports and policy documents. It argues that algorithmic inequality represents a deeper stage of digital inequality in which individuals may have technological access but unequal outcomes because of how automated systems interpret and evaluate them. The study proposes a justice-oriented framework emphasising transparency accountability human oversight accessibility participation and algorithmic fairness.