Cutting-edge courses in the digital age

The art of communication has been inherent to humans since time immemorial. Media and communication strategies have made amazing progress over the centuries. While communication has been intrinsic to humans forever, science and innovation have brought it to a different level.

Online platforms

According to a recent report, India ranks second in the number of web users after China, with around 570 million subscribers. More and more Indians are subscribing to online content. The report also says that the number of Indians who consumed digital content went up from 7.5 million in 2017 to 12-15 million in 2018.

Media in the present day and age does not incur cosmic costs. Today, anybody with a PC or phone and a web connection can be a key media influencer. Media is a field that is drawing interest from many individuals. For whom is media a right fit?

For individuals interested in looking at culture and its intricacies through a wider perspective.

For individuals who have creative interests, with an investigative and critical attitude.

For individuals who are passionate and curious about film, television, global culture and arts.

For individuals who wish to pursue a career in the creative industries as consultants, researchers or advisers.

Here are a few niche courses one can pursue in media and communication:

One of the recent additions has been brand ecology - a bottom-up framework that identifies and maps what contributes to the life of a brand. By utilising insights from consumers and brand custodians, brand ecology provides a unique perspective on the entire ecosystem. Of late, brand management has expanded to include spatial and public contexts, producing creative assets that promote and market the brand. Brand ecology not only considers the emotional, attitudinal and behavioural aspects of brand consumption but also investigates how brand-related behaviour integrates with a wider cultural and social experience, as well as the life of the active customer.

Another addition in the contemporary media programmes is over-the-top (OTT) content that include the likes of television, video and other services that are sourced through the internet.

Delivered across the internet, OTT services have become extremely significant in generating revenues for numerous media organisations. Individuals pursuing the course can deep dive into the principles of video on demand (VOD), architecture and components of OTT, value proposition, fundamental technical aspects, deployment and architectural choices along with the challenges that come along the migration paths.

Growing relevance

Owing to the digital revolution, institutions have also started including digital communication management in their curriculum. The field concentrates on catering to the demand for digital marketers and on how we interact with offline spaces vis-a-vis online spaces.

The course covers subjects ranging from digital advertising to the digital ecosystem in the present times. With aspects like business models of digital startups, search engine marketing, cybercultures and digital marketing metrics, the specialisation has seen an upward shift, both among students and recruiters.

Students pursuing media programmes can get themselves involved in any of the multitude of roles in the industry — from the content side to creative directors to producers in television or films. They can also work for production houses as researchers. A lot of work in the media industry is currently centred on digital and multimedia production, and advertising, with a multitude of technical specialisations. From management to technical specialisations, the media offers a plethora of career prospects.

This is the age of communication, and the digital revolution has enabled the sharing of information throughout the world. Although there have been criticisms about media concentration and consolidation, it is still a largely democratic space that is home to diverse ideas, opinions and thoughts. Given the dynamism that technology lends to this industry, we can safely assume that it will grow further, perhaps emerge in different shape and form than it appears now. However, it will continue to present a world of opportunities for those with inquisitive and creative minds.

(The writer is director, Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communication, Pune)