is traditional media coming back in fashion?

since we all like to label anything and everything, i am part of "generation jones" or "generation x". born at the tail end of the 60s, when the beatles had just ended their maharishi binge, when the students’ revolution in paris exploded big time, and when "computer" was a word that only the eggheads knew. media then was the daily newspaper, radio, and the family / friend grapevine. and oh yes, the family photo album.

the last decade saw a breath-taking surge in the internet, leading to the development and propagation of a variety of new content dispersion methods (aka media). the development of tablets and smartphones made access to the internet easier and encouraged information consumption on the go, which fostered the 160-character infobyte. the internet also helped some very smart nerds design something called “social media” and “digital networks”. the means to spread, and access, information previously available only to a select few became completely democratic.

information and influence could now spread without barriers (it must be mentioned that digital media can influence far more subtly and insidiously than traditional media). anyone anywhere, could "post" anything, without 3rd party mediation or control. self-published content became the driver of information, rather than carefully curated and verified data. the onus of "reliability of information" shifted from unknown, erudite individuals (editors and publishers) to our neighbours, friends, colleagues and the tea-stall owner at the nearest railway station. the house-help retained her position as master information jockey, aided now with a mobile phone and cheap data to flash information, innuendo and gossip as the gospel across the universe (with apologies to george harrison). and most importantly, consumption of this media is free, leading to entry and exit at will.

this is in contrast to traditional media, which has restrictions on consumption (through paid subscription), has a physical form and shape (newspapers, magazines, allowing for leisurely and therefore more engaged consumption), is limited in reach (since only those who like the medium's ideology or focus will pay for it, and offers better and targeted advertising (since the brand can choose the medium which appeals to or mirrors its target audience). this allowed traditional media to tap advertisers and subscribers to earn enough to pay star “content creators” (journalists, anchors, and similar), have qualified media bureaux in important cities and generally keep the information flowing, and unbiased.

digital / online media forgot all this! the fact that it was open to all was surprisingly touted as the best means to reach a targeted audience, with minimal wastage and immediate engagement! it abjured the vary principles of targeting and offered itself as the best channel of communication in an increasingly wired world.

this is pure bollocks. digital media is like a woodstock gathering – open for anyone. a harley enthusiast can “browse” a website meant for chefs learning to make consommé. a fashion icon can be followed on social media by a scraggly, pimpled youth whose idea of fashion is burlap sacking. the only restriction is self-imposed, through which neither the harley enthusiast nor the pimpled youth will theoretically visit sites not meant for him. but that is expecting the average joe to have far more intelligence than is seen in reality. paywalled websites are a miniscule fraction of the internet universe, and most popular information is free and open to all. this allows individual biases, restrictions and power to play a far larger role in shaping a narrative than in traditional media.

acknowledging this, digital media companies in recent times have attempted to smoothen out biases through a process of automated ad targeting and buying. also called programmatic advertising (it is to be noted that digital media has birthed a lot more jargon in its short life than traditional media did in the couple of centuries of its existence). but programmatic advertising is ARTIFICIAL intelligence, not HUMAN intelligence. which removes the sensitivity to biases, restrictions, relatability and other factors which complete the entire engagement.

hence, the chances of an online ad being placed within a completely irrelevant context are vastly higher than in traditional media. this leads to higher chances of the brand’s reputation being affected negatively. recent controversies in this area have made big brands reduce or stop digital advertising and re-ignite their “passion” for traditional media. this in turn has made some prominent digital media companies reduce headcount due to a slowdown in revenue (mainly derived from ad campaigns). digital media is clearly going in for a much needed reboot!

so, to address the question of whether traditional media is coming back in fashion, my response is a resounding yes!

death is a...breath-taking experience!

i recently joined the vast army of people on this planet who have lost their father. the loss could have been in different ways, with different timelines and with different reasons. but the end result is the same for all of us - there is a gap in our lives which will never be filled.

my father lived his life guided by 1 or 2 key principles from which he never deviated. the 1st was the importance of family in all matters. not just immediate family, but everyone connected by filial / sibling bonds. he was after all the 8th of 10 children of his parents and knew perfectly well the meaning and importance of "large family".

the 2nd principle was discipline in every life routine. there was a time and a place for everything, and everything had to have a time and place. deviations from this rule were just not accepted and woe betide he or she who was late or otherwise breached the rules!

he loved books, crosswords, cross words, black label and chess - hallmarks of an intellectual who could hold his own in any argument (as was expected of a man who had three degree and had became a lawyer by the age of 21 years).

a sharp mind, a sharp tongue and a very soft corner for his grandchildren and all other children of that segment, all made my father a much-loved patriarch of the clan. i used to be quite scared of him as a child but over the years our relationship matured into one of easy camaraderie, of a deep but unspoken love. he had many regrets, of opportunities missed (plenty of them), of giving up personal choices at the feet of "family first", but he never let on to anyone about them. stoicism was his middle name, and he bore with a fortitude and grace seen rarely, a lot of what an unforgiving life threw at him.

his passing left me without the chance to catch up with him of what he had been up to in the 18 months since i last met him. and also the chance to be by his side after nearly 2 decades away from home. he left us in the same way as he had lived his life - quietly, without fuss and with dignity. indeed a very breath-taking departure!

goodbye papa, and thank you for everything.