ding the questionnaire to interview you for The Yamuna. Rijuta, class XI student of Springdales school has developed it.
With warm regards
Vedabhyas
- Do you think unbridled expansion of modern media technology is having a negative impact on children and their holistic development process? How can we improve this situation?
I am intrigued and a little perturbed by this expression "unbridled expansion of modern media technology".
Intrigued, because technology is bound to expand. So who will bridle them? Has any technology been bridled so far? So why do you expect the media or communication technology to be bridled.
Perturbed, because by calling it “unbridled expansion”, we are already assuming a victim position. Technology is a tool. We should be able to use it. The danger is in being used. The victory is in mastering technology rather than being enslaved by it.
We should not leave “holistic development” of children to media or technology. Children and young people themselves, as well as parents and teachers should assume that responsibility.
This means children should be able to watch media critically. Parents and teachers should be able to guide children to do so. Parents and children should not only use media but be able to discuss it openly. Society at large and media in particular should discuss and hold producers, writers and telecasters accountable for what they show the public.
In other words, media literacy and critical viewing, listening and reading should become a societal habit. Children should be initiated into this competency early in life.
- Media handling of various issues lately has been exceedingly inappropriate. Is is fair to say that the media has become insensitive to the emotional social well being in its quest to attain higher TRPs or circulation?
A section of the media has always been insensitive and inappropriate. A number of media people have always been commercially minded. Cynicism has been the hall mark of media professionals. There is nothing new in it.
What has perhaps increased is the competition, the mad rush for your eyeballs.
It is important that we the viewers and we the audience publicly express our anger, frustration and outrage and expose the dishonest media tactics and evenly rate their performance regularly.
When something jars our sensitivities, threatens our moral fibre we should be able to express it, individually and collectively.
Social boycott of channels and publications and even those who advertise in them are in order. A public boycott is possible only when we engage the society in a conversation and there is a public debate and an increasing consensus on the subject.
- Increasingly, violence is portrayed all over the media more than ever before. Is it not fair to say that the violence among children has increased due to exposure to such gruesome depiction?
I am not sure that media alone is responsible for violence on or among children.
In fact there is more violence in media dark areas. Just think of Afghanistan or Somalia
Media makes violence visible. Media also has the power to expose and counterbalance violence.
It is true that media can be subtle in inciting violence. Therefore critical viewing of media and public discussions are important.
- Children are the future of nations. How can children be made more informed about the present media scenario? Do you think introducing some sort of media training at the school level will help children? How can children be advocates of introducing media training at school level?
Children are also the present of the nation. Therefore we must invest in children. Invest more money, more time and more love. Training for critical viewing (listening and reading ) of media should start at the nursery level. Children should be encouraged to discuss what they watch on television, in films and hear from radio among themselves, with teachers and with parents. Schools should set aside time for that. Teachers should have the knowledge and competency to critically view , understand and discuss media.
This new culture of child reporters, and you are one, should become universal. The internet can be a great medium for children to raise questions and find answers for them.
Let us have thinking and vibrant citizens and media consumers and not just couch potatoes.
- How can children get more space to express themselves in the mainstream media?
Nobody will give space to you. You have to grab it. Grab every inch you can. Write letters to editor. Raise questions. Write articles. Invite writers to school. Walk into newspaper offices if the issue is serious enough. Learn to issue press releases. Organize public opinion polls on the net. Vote for them. Vote against them.
If they refuse to listen, organize yourselves. Cancel subscriptions. Put pressure on parents and elders. Threaten or actually boycott the products and services of those advertise in that particular medium.
Switch off inappropriate channels. When they are wrong tell them they are. Do Gandhi giri. Send those flowers, or give them stars. But let the world know. When they are stupid, tell them that they are. Use ridicule when they are ridiculous. Call the bluff of the grave yard media when they try to sell you black magic.
Exercise your citizenship. Don’t say we are the future. You are the present. Claim your rights. Read the relevant articles in the Convention of the Rights of Children. Read it out to your elders, to the senior people in the media.
But to do all this you should develop you thinking capacity, learn analysis skills and articulate your views, regularly and collectively. Do please take charge.
No comments:
Post a Comment