Sunday, March 25, 2007

YouTube Usurping Media Control

We've all talked about how blogs have been invading and liberating the space once monopolized by traditional print media. YouTube is a slightly later phenomenon, but one which has also shoved its way past traditional broadcast media and into the mass consciousness, along with cameraphones. Now YouTube is impacting the course of electoral campaigns. In a world where various messages are competing for attention, the vivid persuasiveness of video is now increasingly a differentiator that allows a message to stand out over others. Whereas in the past, excellence in oral and written talent have been recognized and immortalized by society, in the future it may be the best video editing skills which leave the biggest impression. We all need to consider this. After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then video extrapolates to a whole lot more. RSS needs to spend less effort on classes for holding lathis, and instead try to hold more classes on desktop publishing, video editing, blogging, etc. It's the only way to take on India's Left-dominated media.

1 comment:

TallIndian said...

A similar event happend back in the mid 1960s.

The DMK started putting their party messages in films and film magazines and bypassed traditional media such the venerable 'Hindu' newspaper. (All India Radio was a Nehru satrapy at the time, so the DMK didn't even bother with it)

They began reaching masses much more effectively and gained control of the ersthwile Madras State in 1967.