JOIN USCommunication in the 21st Century is truly revolutionized. Although the penetration of internet is just around 12% of the population, India already constitutes the third largest internet population after China and the US. Even in social media, with around 66 million users, we are close to the user base of USA.
This is a significant consumer population and even as we await greater internet penetration and bandwidth, along with lower 3G pricing and a nationwide 4G roll out, it is already having a great social impact which is also of increasing importance to marketers and business men. Digital, mobile and social media are now integral to the communication strategies of businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
As we experience all around us, the medium is most dramatically changing the way we communicate with each other or behave as consumers; whether it’s the ‘simple’ SMS or booking tickets online or anywhere-banking on the smart phone.
Interestingly, according to IMAI research, over 60% of social media access happens from the smaller towns of India – the mobile smart phone may possibly be the game changer in India.
Today, there are many institutions that are at the forefront in the study of communications. They offer various courses in new media specialization; including that of ‘Mobile as new media’. There are also alumni of various colleges pursuing successful careers in the field of new media. Given the rapidity and enormity of the changes, there was a felt need to offer it as a complete specialization to equip students with adequate knowledge and expertise in pursuing careers, entrepreneurship or research in this area. Hence, colleges offer specializations in Digital Communications Management to students through PGDM-Communications course, besides continuing with the research efforts.
Types of courses
The courses offered by institutes of communications are of two types;
n Foundational course: This will be taught to all the students (such as Digital Marketing, Digital Transformation Framework, Information and User Experience Design).
n Electives: These courses will help students to design their career paths in a particular domain (like Search Marketing, Social Local and Mobile Marketing, Integrated Content Management, Online Display/ Video Advertising, KPI of Digital Channels). Elective courses would include not only those courses that focus on career building but also look at the basic lifestyle and consumption changes that digital revolution has brought in. Examples of such unique courses are Consumer Insight through Data Integration, Online Ethics and Morality, and Digital Citizenship.
Entering an academic vertical in the domain of digital communications is equally innovative and challenging. It will open new doors for students and lead to development of a new dimension in the industry-academia interaction. This is especially true because the specialization additionally has a digital project which will result into a marketable digital product/entrepreneurial opportunity for a student choosing a particular elective.
In research too, students are offered with a wider arena like that of mobile marketing, and research on facebook and other social and new media. Besides researching these relatively ‘urban’ phenomena, students can collaborate themselves in understanding the performance of different ICTs in various parts of India and come out with strategic analysis to strength these initiatives and publish project papers. The use of new media, as is being realized, can have a significant impact in rural development. In social and political movements too, we are experiencing its power, with Egypt standing out as a case in point.
(The writer is the director of an institute of communications...)