+

WHAT OPTIONS DO ASPIRANTS HAVE?

As dynamic as the media industry can be, it is now time for students and professionals to up their game to avail new opportunities in the new-age world.

The Covid pandemic pushed almost all industries in India to digitise, creating a new way of working online. In the longer term, the internet will create processes that far outlive the pandemic because of the three Es: Economics, Efficiency, and Effectiveness. This is especially true with the media which has adapted to thrive during the pandemic in a way that the paradigm shift is permanent.

Newspapers, magazines and tabloids went online to deliver news, most TV channels released ‘apps’, becoming not only time agnostic but also on-the-go. The explosion of Internet users in the country has been pivotal in bringing about this change. How does this impact jobs in the media industry when the concept of fixed time and place, and screen consumption is being replaced with any time and anywhere?

The media, as we know it today, is all-encompassing. It collectively includes over 100 separate, diverse, unique and distinct industries. As digitisation ramps up in these industries, technologically and digitally literate people will lead the change. Industries that can run and thrive when people work from home will prosper, while those where people cannot work from home will take a hit.

WHAT WILL BE IN DEMAND IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY?

In the current and future scenario, these professions will shape the outcome of the media industry: 

 Digital Marketing 

Most companies have moved their advertising, publicity and marketing strategies online. A digital marketer can use technology, work from home and still be immensely productive. India is one of the fastest-growing economies and with online opportunities on the rise, everything is just a click away – whether it is food, fashion, groceries, movies or music. The digital universe has unlocked employment offers in direct proportion to this humongous and still growing demand. 

 Content Writing and Creation/Social Media Influencer

These opportunities can be conducted from home as well as remote locations. Content writing for films, ads, TV shows, books, articles, blogs, documentaries, short films, corporate and industrial films, OTT platforms, digital magazines or blogs will take off. The more we consume digital content, the more in-demand content writers will be. The same is the case for the creation of content using photos, short videos, and interviews conducted online because of the sheer size of content consumption on social media platforms. Users with a certain number of followers on social media are paid to influence their followers and are in great demand to sell various products and services. 

 Radio Professionals and Voice Artistes 

With the growing demand for nonstop content and because shooting content on site has become a challenge, radio has moved up the list. Radio Jockeys are thriving, talking nonstop from home on their FM channels or through podcasts. Podcasters are setting up their infrastructure to broadcast from home, building loyal audiences and fan followings translating into sizable revenue. 

These are already some of the most sought after careers, and online will further propagate their reach and demand. 

UPCOMING CHALLENGES FOR THE INDUSTRY

With a boom in the uptake of digital services, let us not forget that there will also be challenges. Companies now look at people they hire differently. Organisations struggling to change the way they operate are aggressively looking at getting a piece of the digital pie from their competitors. In addition, being a media entrepreneur has its own challenges – building a business, connecting with leads, sustaining income, on-time payments etc. – to succeed. There is a good chance that the upcoming digital world will not adhere to only two languages: English and Hindi. This will instill a need for language diversity and even digital coding from kids and teenagers. As dynamic as the media industry can be, it is now time for students and professionals to up their game to avail new opportunities in the new-age world. This is a time of great challenges and great opportunities.

The writer is Dean, School Of Contemporary Media, Pearl Academy.

Tags: