The Quint founder Raghav Bahl, Republic TV founder Arnab Goswami and Qyuki’s Samir Bangara were on the panel of ZEE MELT 2017 organised by Kyoorius on Thursday, for a debate on how technology is shaping our future. The panel was moderated by PHD’s Kel Hook.
The panelists talked at length about how modern technology is transforming the way marketing, brands and consumers are perceived. They also touched upon how it has changed the very discourse of communication between news presenters and their audience.
On The Changing Nature of Technology
Raghav Bahl talked about how we’ve started to live in a world of "over-certainty," characterised by the constant need to stay informed.
Arnab Goswami chose to stress on how technology cannot elevate a product. No technology is better than the human mind, he said.
On Modern Digital Media
Raghav Bahl said that technology has changed the way media engages with its audience. He said that digital media has enabled him to converse directly with his own audience, allowing a better exchange of clarity and feedback.
Goswami chose to criticise the digital media’s dependence on social media for news.
On the Risk of Forming Echo Chambers
On the risks associated with reporting in today’s day and age, Raghav Bahl spoke about how publications can now respond to their audiences and tailor their product in order to make it more personable.
Within that paradigm however, Raghav Bahl spoke about how over-personalisation may risk the objectivity of the product.
While Goswami agreed with Bahl’s conceptualisation of an echo chamber, he argued that the Indian media industry has formed an echo chamber. He added that it was the duty of a news editor to break the traditional mediums of communication and look towards different solutions.
Qyuki co-founder & MD Samir Bangara admitted that several facets of his content business may fumble if the layers of technology that backs it were to be taken off. The content aspect of the business still forms the core, he said, adding that the human interface is the smartest when it comes to content business, and therefore sacrificing it is not a question.
Elaborating on Qyuki’s use of technology, he said: “We are trying to address certain niches, and make them into mainstream. We are leveraging trends that we pick up and look for audiences for them. For bigger networks, technology and data helps to pick trends and filter it for personalised consumption. We also use technology as a lever to help users create content. It ensures there is quality and variety of content created for the digital medium.”
Watch the full discussion here:
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