Watching change from a distance

The visit of an old friend from India over the weekend, and a discussion about developments in the Indian media among other things got me thinking, about whether someone who does not live there any more, truly understands what is meaningful and important for the people over there. 

Apparently there have been a lot of changes in the media since I left. I have had some sense of the changes, from what I have seen during my visits. I think the most fascinating change has been in the proliferation of FM radio. There was very little FM when I left, and even when I do go back I do not get an opportunity to listen to radio. What little I did hear, when we were driving down to Kanakavli from Mumbai was the exuberance, the fluid bilingualism or often trilingualism of the young hosts. It seemed however a very upper class thing though - anglicized yuppies. Apparently, radio has become very regional, and mostly aquired by the Times. The radio not only is a new foray for the newspaper giant, but also reflects a change in its approach to the paper.

Made me think about technology, particularly Information Technology and the kind of changes it brings about. When video cameras became commodity, it broke through a lot of monpolies. So, the commoditization of media technology is all a good thing, as it then becomes a means for expression for all. 

What you hear and see though, is that the authentic voice or is it mimicry? Does it take a while for the true voice to emerge. Perhaps we will have to wait and see. May be there is a form this will take that I cannot foresee