By Varun Sharma:
The cellular device means different things to different people. For youngsters, it is the teenage sweetheart without which survival is a humongous task and for distant lovebirds, a helping hand of god. For business executives, a medium of being 24*7 on the job and for the destitute, a dream come true.
The newest responsibilities designated to the communicating device are much bigger and broader in sphere. Mobile industry has witnessed a new dawn and the new days have brought with itself new roles to play. Mobile is now a tool of social change and is bringing knowledge within the reach of the masses. It has a reach which no other resource has and companies dealing in communication and knowledge sharing are placing their bets on this very idea. According to a study by Pew Internet, 59% of the adult population has access to internet through handsets.
The mobile technology will play a crucial role in news sharing, consumption of information and journalism. News agencies all over the world have realized the potential in the use of mobiles as a medium of communication and information exchange. Crystal gazing wasn’t required to gain insight to the thought as the changing facets of technology made it evitable.
In news gathering too, the device will play a crucial role. Due to the availability of a pool of features, it is a necessity without which the job of a mobile journalist would become a difficult task. The concept of mobile journalist is fast catching up in developed countries and is expected to show signs of life in India too. A mobile journalist is armed with electronic equipments like laptop, video recorder, smart phone etc. — making use of which he can instantly share the information and can reduce the gestation period in news telecasting.
The Huffington Post, a news and opinion website which enjoys around 22 million active users have raked in Crisp Wireless, a mobile publishing and advertising services provider, to handle the task of its mobile website services. The company bosses refer to mobile as the future of newspaper and content reading.
In another breakthrough, CNN-IBN joined hands with telecom service provider IDEA to further enhance the reach of its public forum, ‘Citizen Journalism’, the innovative concept with which public can communicate news items of importance to the channel through SMS, MMS or phone call. The editorial team will then verify the items by gaining insights into the problem and will later transform it into breaking news. This gives public the power to communicate their day-to-day problems and bring faster solutions.
Mobile technology is changing the way we consume information and share ideas. Introduction of 3G technology has opened doors to untapped knowledge and insights into the far flung worlds. A fall in the usage of newspapers will not come as a surprise as mobiles are changing into much smart machines squeezing the world to fit on our screens. It looks like mobile still has miles to cover, jobs to do and news’ to break.
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