In our very interesting Round Table (RT) at Book My Show, Mumbai, themed around Media – Creating Impact, our panellists from different spheres of media, shared their opinion on the role of media, social media tonality, the foray of digital media content channels and the need for hard true journalism.

Media is something we all consume, something we all are glued to socially, something that can change perception and drive opinion. Media and its role in our lives is at the forefront – more today than ever.

The RT was moderated by Nikhil Sangha – LWL Content and Programming.
Joining the conversation with valuable insights, our esteemed panellists included:

Speakers:

• Maanvi – Editorial Lead at Vitamin Stree
• Namrata Sharma – Research Manager, Civic Studios
• Sunchika Pandey – Consultant, Content & Creative @MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice, @PuneCityPolice, Maharashtra Police, BMC, Founder, HAT Media
• Tanvi Shukla –Consulting Editor, Boom

The 5  biggest takeaways from the talk: 

1. Social media – More of a boon!

Maanvi summed of social media as more of a boon, even though it allows unlimited freedom in communication in the hands of people, she felt that when used with the right purpose and objective, it is surely somethings that binds people over good causes as opposed to the harm done by misuse. She also highlighted how her channel uses social and digital media to create a more inclusive conversation on women related matters.

2. The Emergence of Self-Censorship!

When questioned on the existence of media censorship, while Tanvi agreed that it does happen, and governments and media need to disclose more that needs to be in the public eye, she also evoked the need of self-censorship which is the need of the hour. We as digitally empowered individuals are also a media carrier in todays day. It is up to us to communicate the right messages, upload posts and stories that serve a greater good and do not cause reasons for unrest in any walk of life.

 3. Tonality Matters:

As observed bySunchika, who manages digital communication for several government bodies, a change in tonality in communication has most certainly helped bringing citizens and government bodies closer. It has opened up a new channel of communication, largely based on ‘how you say it’ and comforted people, while offering a heightened sense of familiarity and respect to officers. It has rightfully exposed the human side of officials who are there to help and therein, broken the barrier between.

4. Breaking the Sensation:

In the last decade, something we all have noticed is how sensational news has become breaking news. In essence, the weightage and fabric of what should be coined ‘breaking news’ has been severely compromised.Namrata narrowed in on how the difference needs to be made more clear, which falls on the shoulders of media.

Impactful media cannot just be about sensation, titillation and garnering TRP’s from such pieces of news.

5. The Media Passport

Given the sheer size and scale of the country, digital media that is trying to push relevant content has still not been able to travel too far. Channels like Vitamin Stree and Civic Studios that produce content aimed at removing the bias, breaking stereotypes, bringing governments and people closer etc are pushing hard to pass the envelope to people owing to varying demographics and psychographics, where language and tonality also need to be considered. While this is a tough road, their efforts are committed in making media travel into their lives, sooner more than later.

With such a distinguished panel, it was a free flowing discussion with solid views, carefully thought out strategy and heart-warming opinions, where everyone converged on making a massive difference with the onus being on content and media.

Stay tuned for our next Round Table (RT) discussion at Ladies Who Lead and watch this space for more.