Media sans Frontiers : A 21st Century Critical Reading

Technology has disrupted this pattern and along with it the culture of watching together. Viewers now have the liberty to choose and watch from a plethora of genres from several different OTT platforms and that too at one’s own convenience.  It is no surprise then that the OTT media has grown by 30% in the number of paid subscribers from 22.2 million to 29.0 million between March and July 2020 (IBEF Knowledge Centre 2020).Accumulation of ‘soft power’ is in any case costly difficult and time consuming. Solid reputations are only made over years. ’Soft power’ has its drawbacks though: it constrains as much as it enhances power. ‘Honour’ a term much used by governments of yore – dictated unpalatable political choices by excluding e.g. the possibility of compromise. As many an actor knows furthermore image is very constraining. The public expects behaviour in conformity with the image – sudden deviance may lead to severe loss of image. Coherence too however may be treacherous – solidity may be perceived as boring.