“The Fourth Estate”

“The good aspect of it is that as much as we hate the current role of media, it is what is demanded by the consumer” Govindraj Ethiraj

The Majority decides the majority of the decisions, but is it always the right decision in the interest of the whole society? When Rakhi Savant does her antics on stage, people just love it. When Models walk down the ramp with wardrobe malfunction or mind malfunction whichever it is, people talk about it. When people here a beep during programs, they enjoy it. When the news channels produce a home grown animation of a small fiasco, people want more of it. When Abhishekh Bachan goes to visit a temple with Aishwarya Rai, people start hyping it up.
The fourth estate is crumbling. “As I see the trend, 30-40% will be focused towards entertainment, and the remaining 60-70% will be the actual content” says GovindRaj Ethiraj. There will be counterbalancing market forces which will ensure that the ratios are maintained. And the entertainers will be the biggest money earners.
Earlier, when I saw a child watching a game of cricket, I didn’t feel any fears. I did that myself. But now, if I see a child watching a cricket match or the advertisements, I am embarrassed to see a lascivious woman promoting condoms. And I am sorry to say that we are moving in the wrong direction.
There are some values ingrained in our Indian society. And we need to respect them. To cross the lines will be more than just blasphemy. Govindraj was right on the button when he said that there are very few people (educated) who want to see the real content on front page news. Others want the predictions of an astrologer who tells when should Aishwarya Rai and Abhishekh Bacchan get married. It defeats the basic purpose of role of media.
And the more unnerving thing is that the consumer wants more. We cannot blame the people for it’s their wish. At the end of the day, they want to talk with their friends about what? Obviously Rakhi Savant.
So the question comes again. Is the forth estate doing its job to maintain the balance between money and nobility. When we talk about media, we should be talking about TV, News Papers, Internet and lots more. But here too the insidious virus has crept in. Presently around 38 million people use the internet. And this number is going to increase to a billion. We need to watch out for the implications that this might have on the society as a whole.
Let’s hope that this is the worst phase that we are going through, and times can only improve from this. Let’s endeavor to make the society a better place to live in for our next generation to grow. Let’s not flounder on the fourth pillar.