(Update added below)
So Modi has decided to go straight to this audiences! Saw his tweets?
“There are so many allegations and now itâ??s time to talk.” (Link)
“Iâ??ve finally given a filmed interview. Wait and watch.” (Link)
“Watch my interview on YouTube tonight at 9.00pm Mumbai time.” (Link)
Earlier, mainstream media searched for information from tweets and used them as ‘news’. In a way, media was being disintermediated, but they found that beaming that using their reach/network worked too.
Now, brands and individuals are their own media networks. With 249,000+ followers, Modi is a media by himself! He can film whatever he wants to say on YouTube and spread the word via Twitter!
There is no media here, to judge if the video is worth airing on prime time – if one media declines to air it, another will…so, all will air it, almost as soon as Modi shares the URL on Twitter! Depending on the newsworthiness and the network one (an individual/brand) has, people are gearing up to share their views on things. Blogs didn’t catch this trend in India, while Twitter clearly did. Now, YouTube.
Interestingly, there was/is an outcry about mainstream media staying silent on the Radia-tapes issue; now every media has a story on it, after significant chatter about it online, within limited platforms like Facebook and Twitter. In a way, mainstream media was forced to acknowledge that an issue was glaringly left out of the reporting circles. It is ironical that if Modi had chosen a particular media to convey what he wants to (on YouTube), it would be considered a scoop, by that media house. Now, he has the attention of all the media houses – no exclusive scoop to anyone…and he has timed it according to his convenience too…9pm, prime time!
The power of building your own personal media!
Update: As expected, Indian news channels are indeed going ga-ga over Modi’s utterances right now. Here’s Modi’s well-scripted and orchestrated 38 minute interview explaining ‘his side of the story’!