Absolute power over everyhing is the driving force behind any human. Nothing comes closer to this, in modern times, than the fourth estate, i.e. the press. With our dependence on newspapers, television and internet for information, these oasis of information have become very important. Not only do they shape our opinions but in almost absolute sense they control them.
How else does one account for a nation celebrating when a child was rescued from a deep well? Or people vehemently discussing why a particular singer from their region, slated to appear on a television show, is the best? Or a common lady, with her life full of problems, worried about a fictitious character's fate who incidentally has more than one extra-marital affair and a lot of money. All this is the reality of India as it is today. It seems very absurd to me, especially as a technology student. I mean aren't there better things to be happy or sad or emotional about?
I am sure there are. With a country the size of India, I am sure there are things that are of some consequence happening somewhere in some part of the country. But the fourth estate of my country is too busy gathering news about the easily accessible and sellable things. I really doubt if that is the motivation behind the existence of press in a society.
The reason I wrote this blog is that I feel very awkward when I go home, from my college. Everybody's discussing such obscure things that it makes no sense to me. I often, then, wonder if the minds of these people are being controlled by some external force!
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3 comments:
very aptly captured, but don't you think thats what we all are, members of a dog eat dog capitalistic system where things that matter are the things that sell and get bought.
We can blame the media for showing unimportant nonsensical humbug but so can we blame people who get into things they'r not good at, reason remains the same -> get rich or die trying.
True, but I really wish something could be done about it.
Fully agree with you. The news channels are busy making breaking news out of trivial things and the serials leave wondering me about the IQ of people adoring them. But its not the media but teh viewers to blame, the channels just deliver what the masses are interested in.
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