We love to provoke him, and he loves to take us on. But at the end of it all, we laugh out loud. Hmm. So here’s Dr Bhaskar Das’s response in our January 27 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on..
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Q. If digital – mobile phone specifically – is what new India embraces, including the hinterland, why do the normally ears-to-the-ground political parties spend tens of crores on newspapers
A. In this question indicates a legacy mindset is still at work. And we are already in the midst of such an empirical scenario now. For example, the Election Commission has imposed restrictions on public rallies for campaigns and parties have no choice but to opt for adopting digital routes. Now while digital adoption by parties can democratise campaigning, a majority of the politicians may need some time before they get acclematised to the new grammar. It is no longer a one-way speech from a stage but it can be more personalised. Releasing advertisements in the mass media has its benefits for reaching a mass of voters in one go (notwithstanding some wastage). So it’s not [either-or’ but ‘and’ in the current level of maturity of the political communication process. So, a unidimensional conclusion , as mentioned by you, may not be appropriate.