‘Voice opinions with care in media’

With the advent of digital media, it has become rather imperative for academic institutions to look at the nuances of how individuals voice their opinions on various issues using the digital medium. The conclusion was drawn at the third annual media summit on Digital Democracy organised by Kishanchand Chellaram College that concluded on Saturday.

Speaking on the matter, Manjula Srinivas, head, department of mass media said, “Every time we discuss current issues, the conference brings out various perspectives and solutions. India has become a unique case study in terms of digital growth and we decided to explore topics around the genre.”

The summit emphasised on a host of topics revolving around the digital world and concluded how technology has surely taken over a major part of our lives. It provided a platform to connect with experts, researchers, and academicians. Eminent panelists like Nandini Sardesai and former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi were part of the panel discussion titled ‘Digital Democracy and the Aam Aadmi’.

Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, a well-known writer and media specialist, was the keynote speaker at the summit. “Democracy remains the same, wherever you see, in the media. Over 15 years, we have become a massive consumer of the media. The main components of digital media are democracy, devastation and déja vu,” said Ms Khandekar.

With the debate over Internet and net neutrality being a hot topic of discussion, the students felt the theme of the conference was in touch with the reality.

Sanjana Donkar, a final year Masters in journalism student said, “The panel discussion imbibed us with the fact that if we want to be complete media students, we will have to learn all the aspects of media and adapt ourselves to this transition.”