E-conference on mass media at RGU

RONO HILLS, Nov 3: A two-day international trans-disciplinary e-conference on ‘Crafting the contours of mass media for new India: A global perspective’ was started by Rajiv Gandhi University’s (RGU) mass communication department on Monday.

Prof Sunil Kanta Behera from Tezpur University’s mass communication department spoke on “the concept of India in context of its economy, science, technology and diplomacy,” while RGU’s Mass Communication HoD Moji Riba stressed on the importance of virtual media and the connection everyone shares during “these harsh times.”

In the technical session, Delhi-based Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication’s director, Prof Ashok Ogra presented “a comparative overview of media scene of the past and the future,” and opined that the present day “information age” would transform into an “information democracy” in the near future.

In the technical session, four papers were presented on the theme ‘Media and empowerment’. The papers presented included ‘Empowering women entrepreneurs through digital media’ by SCCZ mass communication assistant professor Geeta Zirdo; ‘Social media addiction among the youth of Manipur’ by Sonia Meitram and Dr Natasha Elangbam; ‘Tracing the periphery voices: Women in Indian media’ by Assam-based Chaiduar College’s Mass Communication Assistant Professor Dr Sayan Dey; and ‘Tiktok app as an influencer platform: A study on user-centric theory perspective’ by research scholars Hetvi Vashi and Prasanth V.

Earlier, RGU Vice Chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha released a book of abstracts of the e-conference and the November 2020 edition of The Rono Post, the university’s monthly newsletter.

The e-conference was organized in collaboration with the mass communication department of the Assam University, Silchar, and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Odisha, in association with RGU’s departments of sociology, commerce and social work.