The Journey of Media: From 'Too Much' to 'Never Enough'

chillibreeze writer — Nidaa Bozo

There are two maladies that affect the world today and both are diseases of plenty. One is what is often termed as ‘Affluenza’ or the disease caused by affluence. The other is what is called ‘information overload’ or the problem of having too much information, so much so that you are unable to differentiate between what is significant and what is not.

Many thoughtful persons are deeply troubled by the extent and depth to which our minds are being controlled by the media. Today, the media blitz is insidiously constricting and contorting man’s malleable mind.

The media has played a huge part in arousing people’s consciousness and righteous anger against atrocities like ethnic cleansing, famines, gross violations of human rights, repression of religious freedom and unpopular wars. Sometimes, a lone journalist or a single story can turn the tide and change history.

In India, journalistic excellence, ethics probity and credibility leave much to be desired. A passive and weak media leaves a critical void in our democracy. It epitomizes our mindset of mediocrity as well as paves the way for it.

Our media, save for a few exceptions, mirrors and contributes to the national malaise. Much of the media is owned by business houses and is treated as another business enterprise.

Even if democracy is inevitable to India, our political class is disrepute. It is the new class of India driven by its own dynamics of power and alienated from those it is supposed to represent. The brazenness of its behaviour, the callousness of conduct and depth of shallowness is mind boggling.

A well-informed and participatory public is the backbone of a healthy democracy. Along with a strong civil society, a vibrant and vigilant media is a sinew that connects and binds the people and their representative leaders. It is a bridge between political democracy and participatory democracy. It has to reflect public opinion as well as mould it. In a democracy, a personal opinion is not necessarily a public opinion and public opinion is not necessarily a public policy.

What is written in papers, particularly the daily headlines is almost the only thing that the Prime Minister, the Parliamentarian and the people see and read at the same time. At that fleeting moment, a subtle connectivity and transformation takes place, impressions are created in the readers’ and the Prime Minister’s minds alike.

Visual media like televisions and films also exert a powerful influence over humanity. Many programmes—both information and entertainment—take us to various locations which we may never be able to visit in our lifetime. This explains the popularity of channels like the Discovery, the National Geographic etc.

Today, governments have become wise to the power and potential of journalists and adopt several strategies to humour, cajole and influence them. Some succumb and compromise integrity and independence.

Journalism in India is in a sorry state and newspapers and periodicals rarely inform or investigate, analyze or appraise. Media is now a consumer-commodity, focused on satiating public prurience. Politics is entertainment and entertainment is news. We need experts to glean the truth. Taking things with a pinch of salt is advisable.

Politicians and personalities dominate our daily information intake, slowly suffocating our sensitivity. But still it is a naked truth that these are powerful instruments of cultural dominance.

If public memory is proverbially short, the attention span of the media is confined to a single issue. What one covers, others cover too. We seem to have the ability to digest one scoop at a time and there are so many, that in the end, we forget everything or worse stop caring. That becomes part of normal life. It has become normal life.

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Nidaa writes for Chillibreeze.

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