An article by INgene member Neha Shah
The internet has become the most popular medium of mass communication after the recent terror strikes in Mumbai. The candle light march held on 1st December in Mumbai, where hundreds of civilians turned out to pay homage to martyrs of the nation and hope for a peaceful India, was a result of anguish against the system posted on a blog by a citizen, which was supported by several others online and assumed magnitude in no time because of social networking sites, websites and mobile text messages.
The internet is flooded with opinions, news, visuals, surveys, polls, forums, mails and much more all relating the 26 /11 Mumbai terror attacks. Social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook are playing a major role in bringing about a virtual change. Communities on Orkut are undertaking polls and forums with regards the horrendous event. Sites like Facebook were used largely by the Indian youth to notify their friends and relatives about the candle light march happening in Mumbai during the first week of December.
Not only Indians but people all over the globe are posting thoughts onto their blogs about the incident. Such acts are largely responded with comments of readers. Yahoo answers and indiatimes QnA are loaded with surveys and opinions of users not just about 26/ 11 but also about related issues like global terrorism, politics and efficiency / inefficiency of governments, actions and changes to be brought about by Indians and especially youths etc...And surprisingly the respondents are not just Indians but even Pakistanis and civilians all over the world, comprising of all age groups.
Several websites have sprouted in wake of the event, condemning the acts of terrorists and expressing views to make this nation and mankind a better and safe place to survive. Other than social networks, emails on latest updates and latest online news sites are other areas that have gained popularity recently.
The most obvious reasons for the virtual networks gaining popularity in wake of such events and acting as a major change medium, is the ease of availability of the internet, predominantly in Indian metros and tier- I cities. The youth, who dominate social networks and survey websites like Yahoo!Answers and indiatimes QnA; have an easily available arena to communicate with the rest of the virtual world. One does not have to spend finances to advertise an event, print pamphlets and send posts or book venues for gatherings.Emails and offline messages are the fastest means to spread information. Opinions and suggestions are available for minimal costs and maximum participation is possible with help of the internet.
Virtual networks do not categorize anyone on basis of religion, age, sex or nationality. One is free to express ones opinion without the fear of being suppressed or unheard. People with similar feeling of anguish against the governments or systems, youngsters with urge to bring about a change, even civilians from different nationalities have an equal platform to comment. There is no question of bias when it comes to virtual communications, as the identity of an individual is unknown. This works well when online debates or surveys are conducted.
Even though the virtual media has done tremendous good in terms of creating awareness, spreading news and gathering opinions one fears that the actions will be restricted only to the virtual medium. Picking on drawbacks of governments and commenting on the defects in the system is not sufficient to bring about a ‘real change’ in the society. Also credibility is an issue when one is online; misuse of knowledge shared online is the most common risk these days.
Thus, virtual networks have their pros and cons. However, there is no denying the fact that they are here to stay for decades and only enlarge in magnitude. Whether the acts will just virtual or fructify in real deeds is a question that only time will answer.
References:
• www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
• http://in.answers.yahoo.com
• http://in.indiatimes.com/
• http://qna.indiatimes.com/
• www.orkut.com
• www.facebook.com
• http://epaper.timesofindia.com
Copyright to:
Neha Shah
Masters in Design, NIFT
B.E (Telecommunications), Mumbai University
&
INgene team
About INgene blog : First ever Indian Youth trend Insights blog
About INgene : First ever Indian Youth trend Insights blog:
This blog explores the detailed characteristics of Young-India and explains the finer & crucial differences they have with their global peers. The blog also establishes the theory of “adopted differentiation” (Copyright Kaustav SG,2007) and how the Indian & Inglodian youth are using this as a tool to differentiate themselves from the “aam aadmi” (mass population of India) to establish their new found identity.
The term youth refers to persons who are no longer children and not yet adults. Used colloquially, however the term generally refers to a broader, more ambiguous field of reference- from the physically adolescent to those in their late twenties.
Though superficially the youth all over the world exhibits similar [degree of] attitude, [traits of] interests & [deliverance of] opinion but a detailed observation reveals the finer differential characteristics which are crucial and often ignored while targeting this group as a valued consumer base. India is one of the youngest countries in the world with 60% of its population less then 24 years of age and is charted as the most prospective destination for the retail investment in the A. T. Kearney’s Global Retail Opportunity Report, 2007. With the first ever non-socialistic generation’s thriving aspiration & new found money power combined with steadily growing GDP, bubbling IT industry and increasing list of confident young entrepreneurs, the scenario appears very lucrative for the global and local retailers to target the “Youngisthan” (young-India). But, the secret remains in the understanding of the finer AIOs of this generation. The Indian youth segment roughly estimates close to 250million (between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five) and can be broadly divided (socio-psychologically) into three categories: the Bharatiyas, the Indians & the Inglodians (copyright Kaustav SG 2008). The Bharatiyas estimating 67% of the young population lives in the rural (R1, R2 to R4 SEC) areas with least influence of globalization, high traditional values. They are least economically privileged, most family oriented Bollywood influenced generation. The Indians constitute 31.5% (A, B,C, D & E SEC) and have moderate global influence. They are well aware of the global trends but rooted to the Indian family values, customs and ethos. The Inglodians are basically the creamy layers (A1,A SEC) and marginal (1.5% or roughly three million) in number though they are strongly growing (70% growth rate). Inglodians are affluent and consume most of the trendy & luxury items. They are internet savvy & the believers of global-village (a place where there is no difference between east & west, developing & developed countries etc.), highly influenced by the western music, food, fashion & culture yet Indian at heart.
This blog explores the detailed characteristics of Young-India and explains the finer & crucial differences they have with their global peers. The blog also establishes the theory of “adopted differentiation” (Copyright Kaustav SG,2007) and how the Indian & Inglodian youth are using this as a tool to differentiate themselves from the “aam aadmi” (mass population of India) to establish their new found identity.
The term youth refers to persons who are no longer children and not yet adults. Used colloquially, however the term generally refers to a broader, more ambiguous field of reference- from the physically adolescent to those in their late twenties.
Though superficially the youth all over the world exhibits similar [degree of] attitude, [traits of] interests & [deliverance of] opinion but a detailed observation reveals the finer differential characteristics which are crucial and often ignored while targeting this group as a valued consumer base. India is one of the youngest countries in the world with 60% of its population less then 24 years of age and is charted as the most prospective destination for the retail investment in the A. T. Kearney’s Global Retail Opportunity Report, 2007. With the first ever non-socialistic generation’s thriving aspiration & new found money power combined with steadily growing GDP, bubbling IT industry and increasing list of confident young entrepreneurs, the scenario appears very lucrative for the global and local retailers to target the “Youngisthan” (young-India). But, the secret remains in the understanding of the finer AIOs of this generation. The Indian youth segment roughly estimates close to 250million (between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five) and can be broadly divided (socio-psychologically) into three categories: the Bharatiyas, the Indians & the Inglodians (copyright Kaustav SG 2008). The Bharatiyas estimating 67% of the young population lives in the rural (R1, R2 to R4 SEC) areas with least influence of globalization, high traditional values. They are least economically privileged, most family oriented Bollywood influenced generation. The Indians constitute 31.5% (A, B,C, D & E SEC) and have moderate global influence. They are well aware of the global trends but rooted to the Indian family values, customs and ethos. The Inglodians are basically the creamy layers (A1,A SEC) and marginal (1.5% or roughly three million) in number though they are strongly growing (70% growth rate). Inglodians are affluent and consume most of the trendy & luxury items. They are internet savvy & the believers of global-village (a place where there is no difference between east & west, developing & developed countries etc.), highly influenced by the western music, food, fashion & culture yet Indian at heart.
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