Revisiting New Media and the Cyber Public Sphere of Kerala

Today, we live amidst a digital, new media revolution. The new media have triggered revolution of a different genre in the country. Every technology with its own capabilities in terms of sound, image and live interaction has played a key role in transforming the media while replacing or subliming with the invention of newer or other media. The emergence of the internet has offered a digital platform that enables to interact with all the communication features – print, sound and videos. Social networking platforms such as Facebook and Google, blogs and microblogs like Twitter, content communities such as YouTube, collaborative content creation projects such as Wikipedia enhance the communication possibilities of people. Globally, the Arab Spring and Anna Hazare movement emerged victorious by dint of new social media like Twitter and Facebook. New media serve as the greatest manifestation of democratized media culture. The street campaigns of civil societies, anti-war campaigns etc. create a rhetorical public sphere according to Gerald Hauser. Truly, new media far surpasses any traditional media in terms of accountability and social vigilance.

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