Of "Cyber States" & "Media Nations"
Tech revolution will spawn cyber states: Discovery CEO Kiran Karnik.
Javed Sayed (ET Online)
New Delhi 1 September
New media and communication technologies will result in greater decentralisation and blur national boundaries. This was stated by Discovery Channel CEO Kiran Karnik, while addressing a seminar on emerging perspectives in the Indian media industry, organised by the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, here on Wednesday.
According to Mr Karnik, developments in media and communication technologies will lead to the emergence of "cyber states" and virtual communities and spell the end of nation states. "Communities will be linked thematically and not geographically or spatially. Geography is history. Terrains don?t exist," he said.
Commenting on the communication challenges that media managers and advertisers will face in the new millennium, Mr Karnik said while mass media would continue to exist, there would be no mass communication.
"There will be a need for specific, tailored, individualised communication on a one-to-one basis," he said.
In a similar vein, Abhijit Dutta Ray, associate director, A P Lintas, spoke about the creation of "media nations" which would comprise people who shared common interests, even as territorial loyalties fell by the wayside. He added that while previously advertisers subjected their target audiences to "information bombardment", with the emergence of interactive media, they would have to pay attention to servicing the information needs of consumers.
Sumanta Pal, brand manager, The Times of India, said the biggest challenge to the print medium and TV would come from the Internet, which would galvanise the future of both the mediums.
"The Net will revolutionise the way we invent and reinvent news," he said. Just as a century ago, wars were fought for land, he said the fight for space would continue into the next millennium. "Much as land was a century ago, today, young adult?s mind share (YAM) is the wellspring of great fortunes," he said. He added that the young adult's mind was present in people of all ages and added that the key to success was to create brands and services that delighted the young adult's mind at affordable prices.
Mr Pal was of the view that market forces defined and dominated the dynamics of the media business and products must respond to the latent demand of consumers. "We have to tailor all media products to fit the wants of the customer," he said.
Commenting on the fragmentation in TV viewership, Mr Abhijit Dutta Ray said while in 1997, nine channels accounted for 75 per cent viewership, today, 15 channels accounted for less than 60 per cent.
He pointed out that "media constituencies" were being formed as the consumer was trying to find a set of channels he was comfortable with. |
