Topic: IT and the changing face of the Media

Speaker: Mr.Ratan Mani Lal

A real-life war theatre in your living room.

A live news programme with participants in different parts of the world speaking to each other at one platform.

A discussion on news in which you can participate anytime you want.  These are just a few examples of what media today is all about. It is not an exaggeration to say that the most significant and visible impact of the information technology revolution has been in the world of the media.  Till a couple of decades ago, recently, what readers or viewers, in India at least, had in the name of the media were newspapers and magazines, with radio having been relegated to the background and access to television being limited to select areas.

But rapid strides in information and telecommunication technology made it possible for TV to reach almost every household in urban and semi-urban areas, while the advent of satellite TV brought home all the choice in terms of programme content.

The way in which we look at the world has since undergone a complete transformation. The combination of computers and TV has made possible those tasks in the media world that took days and a considerable expense of effort in the past.

The media was among the first industries to feel the impact of the change and absorb the changes to come out with a better product, whether a newspaper or magazine, or a programme on radio or TV. The massive structures that had to be installed to compose the newspaper matter in the hot metal technology till as late as the seventies, gave way - almost overnight - to desktop terminals that did not involve the use of furnaces or metal or messy ink at all.

Not only did newspaper industry's operations become cleaner, more efficient and time-saving, the quality of content also underwent a drastic change since more time could be devoted to improving quality since the composing and printing time got reduced.

The journey towards automation has continued.  Today, photographs are scanned noiselessly and on a table top within minutes, composed matter is transferred from one part of the world to another in seconds, voice, visual and other data can be integrated in a media product as and when required to give an entirely new definition to reality.

Today, as the world of media assimilates new technology almost as soon as it is introduced, new frontiers are being conquered in the integrated field of media, communication and entertainment.  In fact, in years to come it would be hard to make out the difference between the business strategies of the media and the entertainment sector; and information technology will make it all happen, of course with the platform provided by the communications industry.

In what is routinely referred to as convergence sector in today's business world, it is foreseen that IT, communication and entertainment sector will see the maximum investment and fund flow from within and abroad. The maximum number of opportunities is also expected to arise in the convergence sector.  Globally, the activities of media and entertainment giants like Star, Disney, Time Warner, Sony, NBC and Fox are closely getting interlinked with that of IT companies or brands like Netscape, AOL and so on.  Closer home, even Indian media has started realizing the close linkages that would be vital for growth, and accordingly, tie-ups and mergers are being worked out.

Here are some examples where developments in IT have made a difference to the media industry, much to the benefit of the ultimate user - the consumer.

Newspapers: Fast and reliable satellite linkages, supported by relevant hardware and software, have made it possible to bring out one uniform newspaper for the entire country.  Although a noteworthy example may not be there at the moment, as in the case of USA Today, most of major Indian newspapers in English and other languages are making good use of IT services and products to come out with multi-editions with uniform content and quality.  Not only it is simple and easy to share contents between centres as far removed as Chennai and Delhi, it is possible to transmit entire pages from one center to the other within minutes, taking care of any shortcoming or emergency situation if it arises.  This has led to greater flexibility and quality control at the same time, with the product's credibility and uniformity gaining the most in the eyes of the subscriber.

Besides, the exchange of data, pictures, illustrations are specialized components at the table top of as many employees as required, has cut down on time wasted on clearing such an exercise.  Some one making or designing a page, for example, can get a special component for his or her page at the work place itself, leading to a decentralized pace of work.  In fact decentralization and cost optimization have been the biggest achievements in multi-center organizations with each center free to make use of the material available in-house.

News gathering is another area where the impact has been tremendous.  Now, it is immaterial whether a news event is taking place in a remote corner of the world with no access to electricity or telecommunication facilities.  Laptop computers, digital camera, satellite phones and wireless data transmission technology have taken care of all such hurdles. One big example was the coverage of Mahakumbh Mela in Allahabad this February when the coverage of all events was transmitted to live to all corners of the world by journalists who had descended in hundreds at the Sangam, armed with laptops, cameras and other sophisticated equipment.  Another example for such technology being put to use is in the extraordinary programmes shown on TV channels like Discovery and Animal Planet.

An extension of news gathering technique is the process of information exchange between different centers, as made possible by video conferencing.  It is now possible to make three persons sitting in different places in the world come together in a virtual world, talk to each other, answer questions and argue about their favourite subjects, with someone anchoring their discussions.  Needless to say, such exchanges require a lot of networking and equipment support, but new technology will soon ensure that it is accessible to even hand-held devices with small screens.  Hands-off mobile communication, now commonplace, has already made it possible to narrate something which one is seeing or reading without bothering for holding the instrument.  The utility of these devices for newspersons can very well be understood.

The Internet is the latest frontier for the media world and it is being conquered fast.  A medium with no geographical or time boundaries, it is like a network which is always there, everywhere.  A stock of material on the Internet that is regularly updated is like a newspaper that has the latest edition for all its readers in all corners of the world.  Media organizations have been quick to realize its potential and have set up their presence in the form of web editions on the Internet.  Not only are these sites run parallel to the print edition, in many cases special editions are put for the Internet as well.  With the facility of quick, easy and frequent updating of material being easily available, readers of Internet editions can be sure they never get stale news, whatever the time they choose to read it.  Imagine a newspaper produced just for you.  A media group can ask you about your preferences, hobbies and interests.  And a customized newspaper with all the news you want to read will be ready for you.  It will be possible to update it at regular intervals or, if you want, at any time you want it to be done.

Or, imagine an on-line newspaper that is available for perusal at convenient points in the city, or any other public place.  You are in a market place, conference hall or a cinema theatre, and you want to see today's headlines or stock rates: there is the possibility that you have a kiosk-quite like the ubiquitous weight or slot machine-where you insert a coin or a password, and the entire newspaper, either a general edition or your own exclusive edition, flashes on the screen.  There can be a newspaper available on the display of your mobile phone as well, with interactive facilities such as voice and visuals, in addition to text.

Coverage of live events with the viewer being involved not as an onlooker but as a participant is also one distinct possibility.  At present, you see things as an onlooker in similar circumstances in all those reality TV shows, but imagine the excitement and danger of finding yourself-virtually-in the midst of a full-blown riot.

This brings us to the question of challenges in front of IT professionals in this field.  In satellite or wireless technology, the major areas of some concern are of security, health, fraud and ethical standards.

As media is all set to move to Cyberspace, the question whether a newspaper is going to be extinct is an relevant as whether computer will replace shopping malls.  It is really not a question of time but the pace at which people adapt to these new technologies. In the words of a noted IT expert, "Cyberspace is an image on a computer screen, sometimes called a virtual world - not actually real.  But travel anywhere in the world and you have its risks and rewards.  Information is the currency of cyberspace.  You may enjoy the freedom of reading or buying whatever you want in a free market, but you may get frustrated on how retailers get your personal information without you coming to know about it.  As websites gather information directly and indirectly, they can collect a complete data picture of you and your family.  It is difficult to be anonymous once you have ventured into cyberspace.  Expect to receive unsolicited advertising mails, even personalized ads that seem to know you.  Whether you agree with this type of strategy or not, consumers must be alerted."  In an era when information is power, the delivery of information has become one of the most important requirements for one to survive.  Technology continuously provides such capacity to remain innovative.  Satellite technology plays a major role in global information delivery and most of our communications today are based on satellites technology, including international news broadcasting, long distance phone calls, and the Internet.  It allows people to be aware of current events happening around the world.  Providing them with the tools and opportunities to be aware of not only their surroundings, but also the entire world.

Thus, as journalism  moves to the e-era, principles of news research, gathering, structuring, writing and presentation are set to undergo a drastic change.  New values and priorities are coming up and the relationship between the press and the government over the use of sources and application of reporting skills has to be examined afresh.

The education and training of students of media is also undergoing a change, with IT skills becoming an integral part of the curriculum.  Accordingly, students have to learn HTML in order to produce websites as a matter of routine, besides a range of software packages.

There are unending opportunities for students of information technology, specially in the area of applications, in the field of media.  Some of them that exist right now are in areas of publishing, DTP related hardware and software, creation of newer, faster and more creative designing and layout programmes, networking within office, between office and between nations, that is, LAN, WAN and NAN, or local area, wide area and national area networks, the hardware and software aspects of networking, application of web-related technology encompassing webpage building, assimilation of video and sound files and movie files.

Among opportunities that would arise in the near future are those related to convergence of information technology and telecommunication, all the protocols related to mobile telephony, provision of larger and more complicated bits of information on the mobile phone network.

Growing strides in the world of media, incidentally, have flip side as well.  The dividing line between a private world and a public world will increasingly be obliterated, since a free media will have - or try to have - access everywhere.  If you are somebody, be sure that the media will be interested in you.  And then forget about having a private world of your own.  Technology will make sure that every moment of your life is made public all over the world.  The hair-raising possibility was explored a recent Hollywood film "The Truman Show" where an ordinary citizen did not even know that his entire life was part of the script of a never-ending TV drama.

But every new invention, or opening of a new frontier throws up a host of issues that concern our pre-set values.  History teaches us that what survives is that which is in the best interests of the people in general.  Democracy, needless to say, will not be strengthened in this e-era as monopolistic control over such a vast network is virtually impossible.  This, obvious, is the biggest strength of the future media, but its biggest weakness as well.