- Enforced lockdown courtesy COVID 19 has confined majority of the humanity to their
respective habitations out of fear of contracting the dreaded virus. Social distancing has
indeed become the new norm and available options of keeping oneself entertained is solely
dependent on diverse media platforms – print as well as digital. Live streaming of latest
updates captioned as “Breaking News” are nothing short of breaking our hearts and resolve
amidst pall of gloom / devastation witnessed all around.
PC: 949 Power FM
- Indisputably, the humanity has stood up to many such epidemics / pandemics in the past too
but uninterrupted concentration of the media on the present crisis has crossed tipping
point, I fear. No arguments would stand ground questioning the intention of the media
houses to beam live updates for the benefit of the discerning lot but question here is are
they going overboard in their endeavor? As we debate, scores of lives are lost to other
diseases / illnesses too alongside monumental human errors like road accidents, just to
name a few.
- It’s not lost on the discerning populace that mere cursory reporting ensues on the lesser
glamorous occurrences viz. TB / HIV / Accidents / other life-threatening illnesses rather than
decent if not extensive reporting on the same. As a negative fallout, falsely premised scare
and rumor mongering owing to hugely popular social / digital media platforms has gained
traction beyond one’s imagination. Majority of people are glued to these mostly disruptive
modes of information platforms obsessing over disseminating such ‘Breaking News” further. - Point to ponder over here is whether such all-encompassing coverage helps in assuaging
grave concerns of the populace or is it advisable for the general public to divert attention on
their own to something which is not morbid at all? I would gladly prefer the latter in the
present situation simply because staying positive, upbeat and light headed should take
precedence over devouring morbid news. Make no mistake, media platforms deserve our
wholesome appreciation for risking their lives and beaming latest information to our homes
though.
PC:
- Argument put forth here is to not demonize / belittle contributions of media platforms
during challenging times but to offer options to people to diverge from disturbing news
bombardment. Plentiful options are indeed available to occupy our distracted minds and
frayed nerves away from surfeit of COVID 19 related information. Any takers for classical
movies, songs, board games, card games, cooking, mono-acting, writing etc.? Find your way!
