How does media influence one’s self-image?

What’s the ‘perfect’ look? That is the million dollar question.  Everybody wants to look presentable and beautiful, especially when they interact with other people.  In the old days a gentleman or a lady would trust their tailor to give them a suitable ‘look’, as they were the people who made garments. Today, we have something called the fashion ‘industry’. Fashion magazines and even newspaper articles tell us what the ‘well-dressed’ man is wearing.

Media influences one’s personal identity or ‘self-image’in the following ways:

[1] Reinforcement of personal values:  We look to the media for affirmation of our personal values. For example, we like certain films or serials because we agree with the ideology.  People who have a liberal outlook will watch and discuss TV programmes, books or newspaper articles that reflect their value system. A TV serial such as ‘Modern family’ is appreciated by all who believe in equal rights for all, especially LGBT rights. ‘Masterchef Australia’ may be popular with guys who like to cook, because it ‘proves’ that it’s okay for men to become chefs if they want to.

[2] Finding models of Behaviour:  The characters in TV series, films, books and celebrities whose lives and actions are reported in the newspapers and magazines, provide models of behaviour, which often influence the way we interact with each other and the world. It is often noticed that children and young persons may copy the way a particular character acts in a movie or television serial. Others may be inspired by a ‘role model’. Before Abdul Kalam became the President of India, few people knew about him. But when the press and the media made President Abdul Kalam a celebrity by reporting on his achievements as a scientist and a human being, there were several school children across India who declared that they wanted to be like Dr Abdul Kalam.

[3] Getting insight into ones’ self :  There are several publications, magazines, talk shows, and TV programmes that discuss practical problems, psychological problems, family problems and many individuals seek them out to understand themselves in a better way. Even films and Television dramas can help a person introspect, and change his attitude and behaviour.

In conclusion:
Media constantly presents to us a barrage of images that are designed to influence our choices in the form of advertisements. One can view Lady Gaga’s bizarre costumes as an ongoing protest against the ‘fashion industry’. We should be aware and not become a victim of some hard selling advertisements that make us feel ‘small’, ‘left-out’ or inadequate just because we don’t own a particular brand of shoes, clothes, or television.

What influences news construction?

News, as I have said, is  a construction, not a reflection of events.
 
So what influences this construction?

There are many factors : commercialism, story formulas, resource constraints, organisational forces, advertisers, use of sources, deviance, and geographical focus are some important ones.

Commercialism

One of the strongest influences on the construction of  news is its commercial nature. In the 21st century, news organisations are businesses that compete with each other for audiences and advertisers. A successful media house is one that reaches the greatest audience and that bags the greatest revenue from advertisers.

Earlier, journalists regarded themselves as having a professional responsibility to inform the public about the most important and significant events of the day, so that people could use the information to make better decisions as citizens of their society.



THIS 'SENSATIONAL' PHOTOGRAPH OF GANDHIJI DANCING
IS STILL UNEARTHED FROM TIME TO TIME.THE FACT THAT 2015
IS A JUBILEE YEAR FOR THE MAHATMA MEANS THAT HE'S A HOT NEWS
ITEM ALL OVER AGAIN!

Today we have 'media workers' or 'news workers' replacing journalists who operate under a marketing perspective. they try to produce stories that grab the attention of large audiences by shocking them or highlighting the unusual. They are careful not to alienate potential audience members or advertisers as well. The influence of commercialism has moved the news away from the 'professional responsibility perspective' and has placed it squarely in the 'marketing perspective'.

Have you watched a show like Arnab Goswami's 'News Hour' carefully and critically? All that shouting and heckling that the anchor does, in the name of 'presentation' is just to create an atmosphere of a brawl, that grabs the attention of a channel surfer and keeps them watching. It is rather like the way a crowd gathers on a street corner to watch two women fight over a public water tap!  Postman and Powers (1992) illustrate the growing commitment of news channels to 'entertainment' when they point out that what TV news says it is presenting and what it actually presents are two different things!

Some news programmes are like advertisements for the media house. Haven't we all been treated to news about the 'social work' and 'tie ups' that have taken place between the news houses and the corporate sector. NDTV and its tie up with Coca Cola for its school campaign is one such example. There are several such instances to be seen if you observe different news channels carefully.

[to be continued]

Social Media is important because ...

Social media is a great barometer of mood and reflects very quickly whatever people see any political, social or economic development. Social media is influencing mainstream media discourse. Look at the way TV news channels have begun incorporating Facebook posts and twitter feeds as a part of their 'prime time' news debates and panel discussions.

Social media is no longer for the new kid on the block. Don't think that social media is the tool for the young only. More and more people of the 'older generation' have become the new users of social media.

The social media is changing  the way we study the media because

- it connects people and generates massive traffic
-it leads to speedy and direct communication
- it allows communication to become creative, provocative, emotive, and interactive
-strategists can use social media to target specific demographic audiences, address the interests of smaller groups, and produce the intended communication.
- It has a captive audience
-it is influential and allows for influencing an audience by appealing to them, their friends, acquaintances, and family
it empowers people, turns them into information seekers, opinion makers, and gives them a sense of participation.
 

Street Theatre

A note on Street Theatre

Street theatre as a form of communication is well-rooted in the Indian tradition as noted in the presence of the ‘sutradhar’ in Indian puppetry and the existence of the narrator in Indian folk theatre.



The highlight of the street theatre form is that it breaks the formal barriers and approaches the people directly. This form has been used to propagate social and political messages and to create awareness amongst the people regarding social issues. There have been plays taking up issues of black marketing and corruption.



Street theatre has also been used as a political weapon during elections or to get across an ideology or use of political powers for pressurising people. It has also been successfully utilised as a vehicle for inducing a scientific outlook in some people by bringing to them news from the world of science.



Some trace the history of street theatre to the 19th century when labourers and party workers wrote and did plays during the Industrial Revolution in Europe. Women produced plays like "How the vote was won" during the suffragette movement in London in the 1900s. The Soviet Revolution spawned its own kind of street theatre to reach the unwashed masses. During World War II, street theatre played a role in fanning anti-war sentiments.


The history of 'modern' street theatre in India can be traced to Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), formed in 1943, the first organized body to adapt the form to a more political end, raising issues of imperialism and inequality. IPTA is regarded as the pioneer of the people's theatre movement in India.


Issues concerning women are an important theme in street plays. In 1980, the famous Mathura rape case instigated a lot of shows on the need to make the rape laws more stringent. ‘Om Swaha’ dealt with demands for dowry resulting in harassment and sometimes death. There have been several productions which give a short summary of the life of a woman in India and examine a woman’s needs and abilities.


Others highlight caste conflicts or ideas about hygiene and health. Street theatre is also used as a means to encourage literacy amongst villagers. There have been notable plays on environment projecting a beautiful relationship of trust and friendship between humans and their natural environment.


Habib Tanvir and Utpal Dutt used street theatre as a political catalyst in the 1940s and the 1950s. Street theatre was revived in the 1970s and the movement spread all over the country. There are about 50 groups in the country, mainly in cities and the immediate suburbs that are active in the genre of street theatre.


Indian street theatre developed as an art form to illustrate the feelings of common people; hence germinated a whole new theatre form. Common people, day-to-day life problems and the colours of daily life gained a dimension in Indian street theatre whilst making this particular genre of Indian natya stand apart. It was during and after the independence of India that Indian street theatre drastically developed as an artistic expression in illustrating the colour of daily life. Gradually

 Indian street theatre became a method of communicating the message to the people illustrating the realities of daily life. Breaking all the boundaries of orchestra, galleries, audience, music, songs and stage to reach the common people, street theatre is just not a form of entertainment but has evolved as a meaningful art form for creating social awareness.

 The street theatre is a much direct, brief and concise theatrical expression. The objective is to convey a particular idea or to portray a significant meaning—a direct, intimate and effective means of dramaturgy.

 One of the earliest streets plays in Calcutta (now, Kolkata) was Chargesheet (1949). Early street theatre seems to have mimicked the stage, with the action often taking place in front of a wall or some other backdrop, and actors entering from and exiting into makeshift wings. But plays like Utpal Dutt’s Din Badaler Pala (1967) were more elaborate.

 During the turbulent 1970s, hundreds of such performances were brought out by radical outfits. With the Emergency declared by the central government, repression unleashed against Communists and the revolutionary Naxalbari uprising in Bengal, street theatre entered a new phase. Performers were attacked, often by the police.

 Some names are prominent in the field of ‘street plays’ as a genre. Badal Sircar abadoned mainstream drama and took to open-air performance, communicating with the dissatisfied and uprooted urban working class. Many street theatre groups benefited from the workshops he held all over the country.

 In Bengal, a vibrant tradition is there with regular shows performed by veterans like Probir Guha. Safdar Hashmi’s Jana Natya Manch (or Janam), formed in 1973, led the movement of Indian street theatre. Till 2002, it had notched up about 7000 performances of fifty-eight street plays, many of them later translated or adapted across South Asia. Its first play was Machine (1978), and then came Aurat (1979), Hallabol (1988), and Scream (1996) on sexual abuse of children. The popular political theatre featured direct confrontation and energy as well as artistry.

 Theatre Union (1983-9), in Delhi did some excellent street productions, such as Toba Tek Singh, based on Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story. Nishant, a group in Delhi, and Gursharan Das in Punjab have been dedicated to street plays. In Gujarat, the groups Samvedan, Garage, Lok Kala Manch (all in Ahmedabad), and Parivartan (in Vadodara) perform street plays.

 It has some of the best exponents, starting with Samudaya which was formed in 1975. It has its units in Karnataka. Among Kannada dramatists, Chandrashekhar Patil used the form to satirise social evils and human follies.

 The revitalised Praja Natya Mandali in Andhra Pradesh, Nija Nataka Iyakkam (formed in 1978 in Madurai), an energetic Tamil street theatre, and the Marxist Chennai Kalai Kuzhu (formed in 1984 in Madras, now Chennai) were among the groups that became prominent. Kerala also has considerable street theatre.

 In 1984, the shocking death of thousands after a poison gas leak from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal sparked off protest theatre at street corners in many towns, some groups mobilising support and donations for survivors.

 A point was reached in street theatre after the murder of Safdar Hashmi during a show in 1989.

 The theatre movement has spread to all states over time.

 In Bihar, street theatre is very common and theatre troupes such as Hirawal, IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Assocation), etc, are well known. School and college students also practise this art form, though in most cases they do not actually perform on the street, but within the confines of their institutions.

  Non-governmental organisations have used street theatre in the 1990s, to promote ecological consciousness, awareness about HIV and AIDS, and family planning. Today, in India, street theatre continues to be a popular form of expression.

Is news a reflection or construction?

News, you may say, reflects reality.
But let's take a closer look.

It becomes clear that news does not reflect reality. Instead news is a construction by journalists.

No doubt news coverage is triggered by actual circumstances. Like a flood, or a plane disappearance or a church being set ablaze.

But the coverage of these occurrences is influenced by process and constraints in the same way as fiction is.

News is a creation resulting from the active selecting and interweaving of images into a 'processed' reality.

No doubt, in constructing stories, all of us journalists rely on the facts of the event being covered. But let us admit it: we are also strongly influenced by elements outside the event - such as deadline, space limitations, and our own 'news sense'

The construction process basically encompasses three tasks
[a] selecting what gets covered
[b] deciding what will become the focus of the story
[c] determining how the story gets told.

Think of all you did last week. No doubt your week must have been filed with all sorts of things that interested and excited you.  How many of these events were covered as news? Probably none. Why?
Journalists don't think of you as a newsworthy person.

But journalists will readily write about the suit that Narendra Modi wore, or the dinner that Arvind Kejriwal had on the night of his electoral win.

Remember, the journalist decides how the news should be presented

So, news is not something that happens, News is what gets presented.
We almost never see news events as they happen.
Instead we are shown the media's manufactured version of events.

Some Milestones in Indian TV

Milestones in Indian Television

September 15, 1959 – An experimental television T.V station started in New Delhi to train personnel and particularly to discover what T.V could achieve in community development and formal education. A UNESCO grant of 20,000 dollars and offer of equipment from United States and Phillips India make the experiment possible. The range oftransmitter was 40 Km Audience members of 180 T.V clubs.


1961 – Educational T.V programmes on Science for teachers were started.



August 1965 – Entertainment programme introduced under pressure from T.V manufactures and public.



January 1967 – Indian T.V goes rural KrishiDarshan programmes for farmers in 80 villages in U.P, Delhi and Haryana began.


October 1972 – Bombay centre inaugurated Transmitter range from 70 - 100 Km.


1973 – Srinagar and Amritsar centres started producing T.V programme Pune centre begins relaying programme from Bombay centre.


1975 – Calcutta, Madras and Lucknow are put on T.V map.


August 1975 – 1976 – Site (Satellite Instruction T.V Experiment) began beaming education programme to villages in 6 states.


January 1, 1976 – Commercial telecast for 1st time. T.V is separated from AIR(All India Radio) and given a new banner Doordarshan.


1977 – Terrestrial transmitter put up at Jaipur, Hyderabad, Raipur, Gulbarga, Sambhalpur and Muzaffarpur to extent T.V coverage to a population of 100 million people. Political party share T.V time for election broadcast.


August 15, 1982 - National programme inaugurated Insat IA, India’s first domestic com. Satellite placed in geostationary orbit but fails to become operational. Colour T.V was introduced during ASIAD. National network established with the help of micro wave links and Doordarshan live coverage of ASIAD and NAM minister conference is applauded.


1983 – INSAT IB was placed in orbit by American shuttle challenger.

Can you add more dates?

 

Indian Society- an overview

How does one describe Indian Society?

 

India is a multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-ethnic society. This multi-tier social set-up is vibrant and complex. The social and cultural layers of this nation have strong indigenous traditions. However, the society is also reflective of cultural and social evolution. Mass media including television, newspapers, radio, film and Internet have been an integral part of this evolution. In a society like India with so much diversity and differences, mass media have played a significant role in every phase of development.


Mass media facilitate dissemination of information and communication to a vast number of people. There is a strong heterogeneity of media audiences. And more often than not, the media content caters to different groups rather than to a homogenous set of audience.


Media performs four basic functions for society: surveying the environment to provide information; correlating response to this information (editorial function); entertaining the media user (diversion function); and transmitting the country's cultural heritage to future generations (socialization or educational function). In a developing country, mass media is also expected to play an additional role to mobilize public support for national development.


Media also performs a role in subtly shaping perceptions and moulding public opinion by means of this symbolism. The use of media effectively helps citizens to engage meaningfully with the media in an active and a critical manner.

Despite the diversity in cultures and traditions that prevails throughout India, there is an underlying similarity in the social structure. This contributes to a unity within this diversity.


Here is a brief explanation of the existing Indian social structure:


1. Caste system: The caste system forms the basic foundation of Indian society. According to this system, there are four major castes - the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas and the Sudras. The caste system started off as a division of labour. The Brahmins were the priests and teachers. In terms of hierarchy, Brahmins were considered the first caste. The Kshatriyas were the warriors, rulers and soldiers, Vaishyas included merchants and traders while the Sudras were responsible for all the menial labour in society. While it started off being merely an occupational division, the caste system assumed a hereditary nature resulting in discrimination and ill-treatment in the name of the lower castes. Untouchability is still practised in the Indian society, though the constitution does not permit it and has deemed it as a punishable offence. However, with growing literacy and economic progress such as urbanization there is an evident decline in the practice of the caste system.


2. Family: The family holds great importance in the Indian social structure. Joint families are a popular phenomenon in the Indian society. However with greater urbanization, and youth leaving home for better educational and employment opportunities, there is a growing trend towards nuclear family settings, especially in the cities.



3. Women: History shows that there have been many significant women figures in the social and political context of the country. However, there are several instances of atrocities against women including domestic violence and sexual abuse as by and large India has had a patriarchal set-up. The country also has an imbalanced sex ratio with relatively fewer girls as compared to boys. With an overtly male dominated structure, some parts of the country are infamous for female foeticide, infanticide and for denying the right to education to girls.


4. Men: Indian society is pre-dominantly patriarchal in nature. There is a strong desire prevalent in most families to have a male heir to carry forward the name of the family. Men are also officially designated as bread earners. However, there is an evolving trend towards women's active participation in the matters of the house and their financial independence because of progress and participation on the professional front.


This multi-tier Indian social set-up is both vibrant and complex. The social and cultural layers of this nation have strong indigenous traditions. However, the society is also reflective of cultural and social evolution. Mass media have been an integral part of this evolution.