Indian Institute of Mass Communication

Cyberspace with unlimited potential in the field of communication may be a friend or a foe. If the person dealing with it is a mature person with well-developed cognitive faculties and emotional resilience, it fosters a vibrant community on a global scale with the sense of a peculiar belongingness and friendship; but if he belongs to the other set, he is bound to face hitherto unknown risks and challenges. The anonymous nature of interactions taking place in a digital environment extends perfect opportunities for predatory people to target impressionable minds; in this context, children need special mention as they are particularly vulnerable because of their still developing brains and lack of worldly experiences. Child grooming scandals, suicide attempts, other such self-harming incidents, child trafficking, sextortion, parting with private information about families, etc. have been some of the direct consequences of cyber addiction. This study examines the prevalence of cyber addiction in children in India and its effects upon their behavioural aspects and daily pursuits. It shall also assesses the law governing this area and make a few suggestions, if required, for safer digital environment for one and all including children.

Social media is an evolving challenge to public health communication efforts, making it necessary to explore the communication pathways involved. The present study used bibliometric co-occurrence mapping and thematic analysis of 51 articles that were indexed on the Web of Science database. The findings of this analysis indicate that there are platform-based differences in their effects: studies using X/Twitter and YouTube for research primarily focused on vaccine misinformation and studies on Facebook/WhatsApp typically focused on the dissemination of false information. Key theoretical frameworks that assisted in understanding the dynamics of misinformation spread included the eight-element communication model (modified version of Laswell’s model), media richness theory, social normative theory and stimulus-organism-response framework. Factors such as demographics, digital health literacy, belief in authority and scientists, pre-existing belief/misbelief patterns, and emotions play a role in how individuals perceive, share, or challenge misinformation. Key communicative factors (especially the presence of media, algorithmic bias, and message credibility) impact how audiences engage with and respond to misinformation encountered on social media. The findings show a need to implement strategic health communication interventions that utilize effective messages, build digital health literacy, and foster trust with public health authorities. Regulatory safeguards, combined with community-based outreach and targeted communication campaigns, can enhance public resilience to misinformation and support the effective dissemination of accurate health information.

The study aims to examine the influence of information overload on the life satisfaction of young adults, with a focus on the mediating influence of personal stress and anxiety. The study seeks to understand whether the mentioned psychological constructs mediate the negative relationship between information exposure through digital media and life satisfaction. The research adopted a quantitative research design, and the sample comprised 755 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 from Karnataka state, collected through purposive sampling. The research analyzed the data through the mediation and cross-validation tests using the Python programming language. The results revealed that anxiety mediated the relationship between information overload and life satisfaction significantly (β = -0.047, p < 0.001), whereas the results did not support the role of personal stress in the mentioned relationship. The research findings suggest that anxiety, rather than personal stress, is the psychological state that reduces the overall life satisfaction of young adults due to information overload. The research findings also show the differences between the roles of stress and anxiety in the mentioned relationship, revealing anxiety as the major psychological state influencing the negative relationship between information overload and life satisfaction.

Mass communication and journalism has continued to draw a constant number of post-graduate students in India, where the overall enrollments have risen from 4,849 in 2019-20 to 5,126 in 2021-22 (AISHE, 2024), despite the growing structural challenges in the sector. Using a mixed-method triangulation design that includes a survey of post-graduate students at mass communication institution in New Delhi, and thematic analysis of the qualitative responses, the current study explores the socio-cultural reasons, career aspirations, and the factors for the preference of specific disciplines that have led to student enrollment in postgraduate programs in mass communication and journalism. The study attempts to address the significant gaps in the current body of knowledge, which has primarily centered on the outcomes of professional training and the employability of graduates, while neglecting the explanatory variables that are determinant to the choice of discipline. The study aims to address these gaps from the proposed framework and situate students’ motivations in a socio-cultural context that captures the role of media personalities, aspirational constructs, family, peers, and the socio-cultural multiplicity of Indian students, where the profession of media, advocacy, and journalism may be a creative form of expression for some and a means of vertical socio-economic mobility for others. From global perspectives, it has been observed that students have been choosing journalism for some level of civic engagement, creativity, along with personal, professional independence (Bowe, Davenport & Blom, 2024). However, for the Indian context, especially for post-graduate level, this set of motivations requires an introspection.

This study investigates how the film attempts to address chronic institutional apathy and persistent public ignorance toward a debilitating condition. If handled properly, this condition could tap into latent human potential and even special abilities possessed by visually challenged individuals, enabling their contributions to self-development, national progress, and global productivity. Through the narrative depiction of Bolla’s life in the film Srikanth, the film forcefully counters stereotypes, propelling positive action and drawing attention to disability from a fresh perspective—not as a disease but as an issue that requires empathetic engagement. This paper explores the art of narration in film media and its adaptation of Srikanth Bolla’s life into a captivating biopic. It conducts a narrative analysis to understand how biographical events are adapted into film and further assesses the film’s effectiveness as a tool for social change. This paper also examines the representation of disability in numerous cinematic precedents, highlighting the common tendency to focus on limitations rather than achievements associated with blindness. However, Srikanth(2024) breaks this pattern as the first biographical film to authentically showcase both the struggles and triumphs of a differently-abled protagonist.

With the increasing popularity of soap operas both on television and OTT platforms, particularly of those serials aimed at women homemakers, this article examines gratifications sought by women who watch soap operas in South India. The study has used the theoretical framework of uses and gratifications and collected data through a survey method, focusing on gratification typologies for television. The parametric tests employed in the study pointed to the fact that women tend to spend more time watching soap operas as they age. Women homemakers spent significantly more time when compared to other women, and education as a variable was a significant factor determining the amount of time women spent watching soap operas. Beyond entertainment, emotional relief was the primary gratification women sought. The findings of the study help in understanding the dynamics of using largely women-oriented content in soap operas, as they are largely targeted towards women homemakers who seem to patronise them more than any other stakeholders.

An important role is played by the media in understanding international relations, especially when the audience has limited access to information and diplomatic processes. This study examines the editorials of newspapers of India, China and the Maldives which have framed the India-Maldives relations over a specific period of time (2013-2024). This paper adopts a qualitative design and analyses 96 editorials from 6 different newspapers. Two newspapers from each of the three countries were chosen through purposive sampling. Using a longitudinal and cross-national approach, this paper analyses how bilateral relations are interpreted through the lenses of different media contexts. The data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis, to help identify patterns and narratives. The findings indicate a clear variation in media framing across the three national surroundings. The Indian editorials focused more on partnership and regional stability, whereas the Chinese editorials highlighted themes like economic cooperation and non-interference. The Maldivian editorials focused more on political autonomy and sovereignty. In all three editorials, diplomacy, development, and emotional narratives emerged as recurring elements. This study contributes to existing studies by comparing different editorials and bringing small states and major powers within the same framework. This study also highlights that editorials not only report, but they help people understand by shaping foreign policy.