Media

Media - in its very abstract form - is a medium of communicating information - without any barriers on the mode of communication and the nature of information. The communication could be about whats currently happening around the world, in one's own country or maybe somebody's home. The information being transferred could vary from topics of national interest like the recent conflict at Galwan Valley to something very personal like how someone baked an icy chocolate cake at home. The central idea however remains the same - transfer of information.

When one hears the term media, it is a very common perspective to think about the news channels we see on the television, the age old newspapers and the magazines. While this medium of information ideally focusses on the political and cultural happenings at the geographical location of the host, the medium also throws light on the current affairs and natural incidents around the world. While news - as one would expect - should be unaltered by who is covering it and should ideally just be facts, one would notice that in the current world that is unfortunately not the case. It depends a lot on the perspective and biases of the reporter and contains more interpretations than facts.

In recent times, with the emergence of smart phones and internet, social applications like Facebook and Twitter have become major digital media platforms. This segment of media is way more diverse as compared to typical news media as they not only cover news via various groups and pages but also include a significant amount of personal posts about one's travel diaries, culinary skills and leisure activities. It also gives a platform to individual thinkers to share their opinion and analysis of what is happening around the world and how it impacts them and the society that they are a part of. However, one major drawback of this form is how quick and easy it is to spread rumours and false narratives.

Instagram, on the other hand, is a type of media that no doubt would be counted as a social media platform but differs from the above mentioned ones. This is primarily because it is a platform whose fundamental purpose is not to connect with friends, relatives and neighbours but rather to bring about people with similar interests together - hence the huge focus on hashtag based searching capabilities. Although folks use it for literary content as well, it is primarily meant for images and videos. Whether it be the varied forms of drawing and painting or it be the numerous styles of dance and music - Instagram brings like minded people under one umbrella to share their work and inspire each other to live a life full of passion.

The rise of digital media platforms has enabled individuals to be able to express themselves and their opinions. Whether it be in the form of micro-blogs on Facebook and Twitter or via non linguistic forms of expression like memes - people chose what appeals to them the most. The world of memes is growing very fast - primary reason being how it conveys information and emotions without expecting the audience to be masters of their language. Video making apps like Roposo have seen a huge number of users in the recent times. Blogging websites like Blogspot and Medium have helped organise a lot of content that would have otherwise been lost on the internet. Youtube has grown as an educational hub not just for academics but for learning music, painting and cooking as well.

If there is one commonality among all of the media platforms that one interacts with today - it is the internet. Until the end of 20th century, internet was just an exotic service meant for the rich and hence the usage was minimal but with its widespread disposition today, it has changed the way media works. It has given a platform to a huge number of individuals to showcase their opinions and to rise as influencers. It has helped people display their ideas and make their living - while helping an aspiring audience to learn and grow. While the internet has remarkably eased the process of communicating information in public domain, the change has led to many useless information making circles on media - including "Amitabh Bachchan ne hospital mein nashta kia". Are you as sick of it as I am ?