Social Media: Challenging Status quo of Indian Media - How & Why

Social media and social network sites has emerged and matured to an extent that those have become necessity and important part of our life. As per reports “The average time spent by Indian netizens was 29.6 minutes on weekdays as compared to 28.8 minutes on weekend days” The country which tops the list of engaging highest number of hours on networking on social media is Israel with 11.1 hours/month.

The rise in India’s fourth pillar of democracy was immense necessary in times on 90’s and early 21^st century. This was a huge step toward transparent India. Those days were of licence raaj and hiding information or keeping it secret was at peak. Mainstream Media (MSM) did excellent job in checking the status quo in Indian politics, bureaucracy or it will not be incorrect to say that pure journalism was at peak and India benefitted from the same. 

Social media do exists in those days as well but the impact and honest contribution of MSM did not lead to its spread and it was mere a tool which facilitates two stranger to interact.

But what lead Social media especially in India to challenge status quo of MSM as well as in mobilizing truth and report incident better n faster than MSM?

If you analyse it closely then you will discover that it is not an overnight transformation. It gradually builds up in last 7-8 years.

Few key points which are leading to downfall of MSM or Critical success factor for social media are as follows:-

1.   Shift of MSM from news reporting toward bogus opinion pouring exercise or performing role of judges from news anchor in prime time.

2.   Shift of MSM from being neutral institute of new reporting toward loyalty of ruling party. Is it too difficult to be neutral & Honest?

3. Intolerance attitude of key Editors of Indian MSM in social media especially towards the people with diverse view to what they suggest/put-up. Such as blocking them etc.

4. 24x7 telecasting agenda of ruling party though most of time it does not hold substance. Hereby providing opportunity to Social media to expose MSM crystal clear. Thus leading to more people engaging in social media.

5. NEWS TRADING; MSM media trades with party to telecast/not telecast news against them thus leading to money exchange etc. Such as Zeenews in Jindal case; MSM as whole in Congress MP sex CD expose, Selective expose of corruption case. Targeting opposition leader on behalf of ruling party. Barkha- RADIA case etc.

6.  Regular embarrassing & shallow reporting and interviews by established journalist of MSM eg: Nidhi Rajdan and British MP Barry Gardiner interview on inviting Narendra Modi to UK house of common. Nidhi was actually wanting to control the view and wanting him to speak what she has in mind for the question put-up.

7.  MSM putting self-interest above nation interest. Point 6 interview where MP reminded the journalist what she should have known as Indian. Idea of India is missing while talking to foreign national.

8. Unbalance reporting on states ruled by party other than whom MSM is loyal too. Hence Social media come in picture as mirror. 

9.  MSM media continually failing to listen and represent the voice of Indian people from time to time against corruption, scam etc. and undermining their strength. This has led to speed up social media growth for good.

10.  List will go on and on…

So audience of MSM which includes me as well has been left on mercy of their own judgement (though we pay for MSM) to distinguish between news and noise telecast in prime time. Hence Social Media has provided platform to all kind of Indians (educated, alert, non-educated, youth, new comers etc.) to listen, learn and share the idea about daily happening and their idea of India.

Few more reference how social Media has successfully surpassed Indian Mainstream Media (MSM):-

http://www.mediacrooks.com/2012/04/why-indian-msm-wants-social-media-dead.html#.UhEIS233NO0

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/0eb44760-1907-11e2-af88-00144feabdc0.html#slide0

Thank You!

Satender Kumar Mall

Twitter: satenderiiit

 

Great Indians of Ancient India! - PART (1)

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and it has produced numerous great scholars whose contribution in shaping to the cause of humanitarian is still unmatchable. Let’s have a look on few of them and enrich ourselves about their work.

 

Kalidasa

Kalidasa (flourished 5th century, India), Sanskrit poet and dramatist, probably the greatest Indian writer of any epoch. The six works identified as genuine are the dramas Abhijnanashakuntala (“The Recognition of Shakuntala”), Vikramorvashi (“Urvashi Won by Valour”), and Malavikagnimitra (“Malavika and Agnimitra”); the epic poems Raghuvamsha (“Dynasty of Raghu”) and Kumarasambhava (“Birth of the War God”); and the lyric “Meghaduta” (“Cloud Messenger”).

It is also noteworthy that his thought on Meghaduta is today developing as Cloud technology.

 

Kabir

Kabir was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose poems and verses (Doha’s) have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. He was born in 1440 A.D. The probable date of his death is 1519 A.D.. Kabir died at Maghar near Gorakhpur. He was never formally educated and was almost completely illiterate. The beauty of Kabir’s poetry is that he picks up situations that surround our daily lives. Thus, even today, Kabir's poetry is relevant and helpful in both social and spiritual context. Few of his doha's are as follows:-

Jab Tun Aaya Jagat Mein, Log Hanse Tu Roye
Aise Karni Na Kari, Pache Hanse Sab Koye
 Translation
When you came in to this world , Everyone laughed while you cried
Don't do such work, That they laugh when you are gone
.........................x............x......................
Bada Hua To Kya Hua, Jaise Ped Khajoor
Panthi Ko Chaya Nahin, Phal Laage Atidoor
 Translation
If You are Big so what? Just like a date tree
No shade for travelers, fruit is hard to reach

 

Gautam Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day become known as Buddha ("enlightened one" or "the awakened"), lived in Northern India during the 6th to 4th century B.C. The Buddha is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in world history, and his teachings have affected everything from a variety of other faiths (as many find their origins in the words of the Buddha) to literature to philosophy, both within India and to the farthest reaches of the Western world. Gautama is the primary figure in Buddhism

 

Chanakya

Chanakya (c. 370–283 BCE) was an Indian teacher, political strategist, philosopher and royal advisor. He is also considered to be the world's first and ultimate economist. He is even referred to be the "Father of Economics." By writing "Arthashastra" and "Nitishastra", Chanakya has become a never ending phenomenon. He has truly guided the generations with his wisdom. His couple of famous saying 2300 years ago are as follows:-

Unjustly earned money stays only for ten years. In the eleventh year, it disappears along with the Principal.

The biggest guru mantra is : never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.

There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without any self-interest. This is a bitter truth

 

Aryabhata

Aryabhata (476–550 CE) was the first in the line of great mathematician-astronomers from the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. His mathematical part of the Aryabhatiya covers arithmetic, algebra, plane trigonometry and spherical trigonometry. He also worked on the approximation for pi. His greatest contribution to mathematics was ZERO. He already knew that the earth spins on its axis, the earth moves round the sun and the moon rotates round the earth. He talks about the position of the planets in relation to its movement around the sun.  He refers to the light of the planets and the moon as reflection from the sun. Aryabhata gives the radius of the planetary orbits in terms of the radius of the Earth/Sun orbit as essentially their periods of rotation around the Sun

For the readers:-

Part 2 will be coming soon , If you know any great personality of Ancient India please take a minute to write in comment section.

Thank You!

Satender Kumar Mall

Twitter: satenderiiit