18

Apr

MEDIA MESS: CAN SOCIAL MEDIA RETRIEVE  THE SITUATION

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Today’s Edition

New Delhi, 18 April 204

Prof Pradeep Mathur

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A few years ago when private channels had not become part of the ruling establishment a media-savvy friend told me that some TV and Youtube channels were showing stuff that was frivolous, cheap and objectionable.

 

I said I do not know.

 

"What you are a media teacher and you say you do not know this ? I cannot believe it,"  said my friend.

 

" I really do not know this but how come you know about this "? , I asked him.

 

"Well it is there for all to see. I see it on the screen," he said still a little surprised that I do not know this basic thing.

Article at a glance

The article discusses the need for a campaign to rejuvenate mainstream media, which is currently in a state of decline due to various issues such as sensationalism, lack of media literacy, and biased reporting.

The author suggests that social media can be used as a platform for this campaign, despite the fact that a majority of posts on social media are frivolous. The author argues that if even a small percentage of social media users engage in intelligent debate on the problems facing mainstream media, it could bring about significant change.

 The author also emphasizes the importance of audience demand in shaping media, and encourages readers to demand high-quality media that serves the needs of society. The article concludes by urging readers to move beyond cynicism and petty political concerns to demand better media.

 

 

" I do not know because I do not see this. Why do you see this bad stuff ? If you do not see you will have nothing to complain, " I told him. Our conversion ended on this note.

 

I was trying to convey a simple point to my friend. The fact is that media survives on audience which is oxygen  to it. If audience ignores a particular channel, journal or brand of journalism it will die a natural death.

 

At present media is the favourite whipping boy of all educated and semi educated  people in our urban society. Media has more spin doctors than qualified doctors in our entire  health care system.. However, media literacy of these media lovers is unabashedly poor .

 

Many of these spin doctors and warriors for good media are on social media sites.They strive to seek limelight and besides projecting themselves and their families they also express their views which are  often half baked , ill informed and partisan on issues of polity and economy.

 

Though reasons are many the fact remains that our mainline media is in a total mess. Something has to be urgently done  to save it from a slow death in the interest of  democratic aspirations of our people in general and protection of constitutional norms in particular. What is needed is a massive campaign to rejuvenate media-- print, broadcast and digital. And for this campaign we need a a strong and enduring platform.

 

Can social media sites -- WhatsApp,  Twitter,  Facebook and others provide that platform ? They have massive reach, high networking ability, easy operational mobility and zero cost input.

 

 Unfortunately 90 + per cent posts on social media sites are plain bull shit -- marriage and birth anniversaries,  promotion of children from class 3 to class 4, expression of thanks to someone, forwards of political propaganda and good morning mantras  A big majority of those who write/forward such posts are those who criticize mainline media day in and day out and rightly so.

Even if 10 per cent of those who write frivolous posts on social media sites involve themselves in an intelligent debate on problems confronting mainline media it will make a sea change in the scenario.

 

About few years ago I was external examiner for a group of postgraduate students in CCS University, Meerut. A student told me that he was intern at a TV news production house where he was forced to give fake news in the TV clips and  asked me what  could he   do about such things. I asked him to set up a WhatsApp group by the name Fight Against Fake News and involve some people to examine news items of doubtful credentials. The experiment has been successful.

 

Little do we realise that media is always in the hands of audience --- readers of newspapers and periodicals, viewers of TV channels and videos and listners of radio broadcasts . If even 10 per cent of  those who are on social media sites decide that they want good TV channels, good journals and good radio programmes those controlling these media  organs will have to fall in line.

 

The time has come to shun cynicism and rise above petty political concerns to demand a good media that caters to the need of our society. Social media no doubt has many shortcomings but still it can be used as a platform for an effective campaign to stop the decline in mainline media traditions, culture and standards.

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