Abstract
The discourse in public space on media at the time of the 2014 Parliamentary
elections to 543 seats in 28 states and 7 union territories with 814.5 million
voters was characterized by two seemingly disparate but interconnected issues:
first, that mainstream media was partisan and wavering in its loyalties to political
parties; and secondly, an intense focus on the social media as the most effective
means to reach the 23 million first-time voters in a nation with 16 per cent
Internet penetration. This article explores the role of the mainstream media in
the elections in the context of the shift in India’s economic policy which has led
to the prioritization of commercial interests by media while relegating other
considerations to the background. As a result of the overriding commercial
agenda of mainstream media, it has pushed political actors, activists and voters
alike onto the new media space. The employment of new media space during
the 2014 Indian elections is, thus, to be read in the context of mainstream
media’s role rather than in the context of new technologies’ potential to impact
upon democratic politics. It must be noted that media’s disregard of other
considerations, including ideology, however, cannot be construed as an argument
that media were neutral.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 23-38 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Asia Pacific Media Educator |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2014 |
Keywords
- Indian national elections 2014
- public space
- new media technologies
- mainstream media
- social media