From waking up every morning to the alarm’s tring to
sleeping every night after replying to WhatsApp’s last ping, our day is
completely occupied by the media.
A cup of tea in one hand and a newspaper in the other
is still not a practice of the good old days, it’s a tradition still followed
happily and curiously.
The issues neglected, voices unheard, letters unread
are not just left but brought to the limelight by the most powerful tool of
communication: THE MEDIA.
Living in New Delhi doesn’t mean that one is in
isolation from the rest of the world. One has the power of media with oneself
to acquire knowledge about every important issue that exists in the global
village called the World.
The aim of this article is to bring to notice how issues neglected by the society are being brought into the limelight by the different media platforms.
Let us begin with a recent example of the ICC WOMEN’S
WORLD CUP being not only telecasted internationally but also gathering equally
wide viewership across the globe. The spectators had big screens put up at
every nook and corner of every street just like they do during ICC MEN’S
CRICKET matches. Post match, the team bagged appreciation and invitations from various
media channels to make their long struggle known to the world. Names like
Smriti Mandhana, and Mithali Raj are not unfamiliar to us anymore. This is how
media not only brought them to centre stage but also made them role models and
a definite source of inspiration for thousands of girls to follow.
Media creates awareness, and educates people about the
various programmes of social importance like BETI BACHAO, BETI PADHAO.
Issues like the menstrual cycle of women which earlier was something not to be talked about in public and work as it was considered a depressant for young girls has now gathered attention to such an extent that the movie PADMAN is all set to hit the box office. Not only one but many issues like lack of toilets for women forcing them to defecate in open have been portrayed clearly in movies like TOILET EK PREM KATHA, which made its place on the big screen. Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, yet another example, appealed to the audiences because of the theme of erectile dysfunction it featured.
Slowly and gradually, we see media, strongly and
responsibly, using the platforms to bring in social issues from silence to
debates. The stereotype that women are meant for just chores at home is being
broken, the notion of washing work being restricted to them is being questioned
in present day ads. The taboo that only sons can carry the family business
forward is being challenged in the Star Plus campaign NAYI SOCH, through the ad
of a sweet shop - GURDEEP SINGH AND DAUGHTERS. Father's name only carries importance
is now a talk of the old gone days. Now we even see the legendary cricketers
like MS DHONI, VIRAT KOHLI, AJINKYA RAHANE wearing their mother’s name on their
jersey, thus carrying forward the NAYI SOCH for women’s empowerment. All these
acts bearing strong messages of social awareness are spread by the power of
media.
Media is not just restricted to the mainstream platforms but is also providing alternatives in the form of social media for the voice of the people to be raised. We see Citizen Journalism slowly widening it’s roots and making its place in the mainstream media in the form of the buzz word User Generated Content.
The ever loved media form of TV too brings in with it
not just the soaps but also shows like SATYAMEV JAYATE which highlight the
various unnoticed issues of the society as well as the solutions to them
through stories narrated by victims. The government run health campaigns like
POLIO DROPS, PRECAUTIONS TO FIGHT DENGUE, and MATERNAL HEALTHCARE are brought
to people’s reach only through their frequent featuring in ads throughout the
day.
Not just this we see the element of interactivity
coming up in the evergreen medium of newspapers via a space for readers to send
in their views and content to make them feel like a part of the
newspaper.
The Electronic media has also given birth to a new
horizon of E-Governance where the complaints, the queries, and the shortcomings
in the various governance fields are addressed at a fast pace.
A number of examples can be given, such as when help
reached out within the earliest possible time to the passengers in a
running train because of a simple tweet to the minister of railways. Railway
minister Suresh Prabhu’s Twitter account is an example of it. Another
appropriate example that can be quoted is that of the Foreign Ministry where
required help is provided to the people globally , not only to Indians
outside the country but also to ailing non-Indians wanting any kind of help
outside or in the country.
Not just this, we even have the Prime Minister sharing
his ‘MANN KI BAAT’ with the nation on simple issues ranging from class 12th
board examination to the complex issue of death of infants in Gorakhpur.
Radio as a medium is preferred for widest reach. The requests of people collected prior to the talk are also addressed. Feedback taken through social media also forms an important part of the monthly interaction with the nation.
Media today can prove the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent. This is the quantum of its power and impact. Media plays a very important role in transforming the country and can help in making the dream of a “NEW INDIA” come true. Remember, just as a shadow follows a human, so does responsibility follow power.
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