Mass Communication

The paper traces the journey of television in India which started for promoting development and serving the cause of the poor and the underprivileged. While some efforts were made to fulfil these brave goals, television also earned the unholy reputation of being a vehicle for government propaganda. Doordarshanthe public service broadcaster was the only available terrestrial network till 1991 when transnational satellite television channels began to make forays into the country. Soon Indian players entered the television industry thereby leading to enormous expansion. Since then, the very nature of Indian broadcasting has changed. Television has transformed from a medium devoted to development communication and the cause of the marginalised, to a true middle-class medium. Contemporary Indian television is divorced from the realities of the 'other half of India that lives in abject poverty and deprivation, thus presenting a distorted view of social reality. This paper seeks to examine these and other related issues, and make some suggestions for policy initiatives to put the development agenda back on television.

The internet is fast becoming a natural part of our everyday life. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of social networking sites (SNS) on the internet for maintaining friends and other relationships. Social networking sites have opened the doors of communication by providing people with new means to engage in identity creation and relationship development. Facebook is one of the most popular SNS among college students. This paper explores how young college-going students manage self-presentation on Facebook to construct their identity in the online world. Further, this research seeks to gain an understanding of the importance of virtual identity for youngsters.

From a single channel in 1990, to more than 800 channels today, Indian television has come a long way. The public service broadcaster, Doordarshan, hasn’t been able to live up to expectations that the Public Service Broadcasting model elsewhere has generated. In this context, it is significant to analyse the policy framework within which Doordarshan operates. Researches in the field of Indian broadcasting and policy have mostly looked at the absence of a clear regulatory framework for the industry. However, the impact of existing policies on public service broadcasting and the need for fresh perspective remains unexplored. This research paper examines the impact of existing policies mostly notably the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 and other policy decisions on Doordarshan. It reveals that the public broadcaster in India hasn't been empowered with adequate autonomy and is crippled financially to make any impact. The paper offers a roadmap for reform for the beleaguered public service broadcaster.

Advertising has a major influence on our lives and plays an important role in creating and reinforcing many stereotypes, including gender stereotypes. Considerable amount of research has been done on the representation of women in advertising. However, the representation of men and women in relationship roles in advertising hasn't evoked as much scholarly interest. The depiction of married life and relationship roles therein has also changed in Indian advertising-from idealised role models for husband and wife to living life on their terms. This paper analyses how contemporary Indian television ads are challenging our conventional understanding about men and women in relationship roles by examining relevant case studies.

Social media platforms are among the most used apps on the internet. Chat applications such as WhatsApp are an important medium through which individuals share news and information. Ironically, in recent years, WhatsApp has also emerged as one of the most prominent platforms for spreading fake news and misinformation in India. Online messaging applications such as WhatsApp allow fake news and misinformation to be disseminated to large numbers of people in an instant, and are, therefore, believed to have exacerbated an old problem. This paper examines how WhatsApp has been used for the dissemination of fake news and misinformation. It also reports the findings of a survey conducted amongst college-going students in Mumbai about the credibility of information received and forwarded through WhatsApp.

The paper traces the journey of television in India which started for promoting development and serving the cause of the poor and the underprivileged. While some efforts were made to fulfil these brave goals, television also earned the unholy reputation of being a vehicle for government propaganda. Doordarshan – the public service broadcaster was the only available terrestrial network till 1991 when transnational satellite television channels began to make forays into the country. Soon Indian players entered the television industry thereby leading to enormous expansion. Since then, the very nature of Indian broadcasting has changed. Television has transformed from a medium devoted to development communication and the cause of the marginalised, to a true middle-class medium. Contemporary Indian television is divorced from the realities of the 'other half of India that lives in abject poverty and deprivation, thus presenting a distorted view of social reality. This paper seeks to ...

Privacy concerns related to the protection of personal information are fast becoming one of the most critical issues in today's information-saturated society. Research studies show that Indian internet users especially youngsters trust the internet far more than their counterparts from other emerging countries. They also tend to reveal a significant amount of personal information in the online world particularly on social media platforms. This research paper examines users' perceptions about privacy with special reference to social media platforms by studying the social media habits and concerns of college-going students of Mumbai city.