MJM028: Digital Media

By Dr. K S Arul Selvan | Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi

Learners enrolled: 133

The invention of the network of networks, popularly called as the Internet, has created a massive communication platform in human history. It has made a titanic shift in the way communication is used in our routine life. Besides that, cyberspace, which operates on the Internet platform provided a plethora of opportunities and services that have made massive changes in the way in which traditional social institutions function, like e learning, e-health, e-governance and many more. More importantly, society-wide communications have changed from the institution-oriented mass delivery system into individual-based interactive information exchanges. The information in the web page or social media account transcends national boundaries and reaches globally.

With the 900+ million mobile subscribers, 600+ million Internet users, and 400+ million social media Millennials, the Indian online scenario is astonishing. India is the second in the global scenario to have the highest number of Internet users and mobile subscribers. However, only half of the Indian population has access to the Internet as of 2020, and there is an urgent necessity to understand the existing digital inequalities, participation, and representations of various sections in the digital environment. These features of digital media are focus areas of this course, specifically as the whole learning is centred around Indian scenarios.

This course DIGITAL MEDIA is designed to orient learners in four broad areas - the relationship between digital media and society, the significance of social media, tracing experiences of the Internet in the Indian context and the application side of digital media. The whole course is divided into 16 weeks, with the following objectives:

1. to describe the characteristics of digital media and emerging trends in Information and Communication Technologies;

2. to analyse the ramifications of social media in the Indian con text;

3. to examine the participatory role of the Internet and its utilisation for social empowerment; and

4. to explain the role of Internet-based applications in the development sectors.

Course Credit: 4

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	16 weeks
Category :	Multidisciplinary
Credit Points :	4
Level :	Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date :	15 Jul 2025
End Date :	15 Nov 2025
Enrollment Ends :	15 Sep 2025
Exam Date :
NCrF Level	5.5

Page Visits

Course layout

Block: New Media and Society

Week 1: Internet as a Medium

Week 2: Digital Media & Society

Week 3: Issues of Access and Participation

Week 4: Policy Frameworks and Regulations

Block : Social Media in Indian Scenario

Week 5: Spectrum of Social Media

Week 6: Online News Sharing

Week 7: Social Media Audience

Week 8: Applications of Social Media

Block : India’s Experiences with the Internet

Week 9: Internet and Marginalised Sections

Week10: Participatory Online Media

Week 11: Online Activism

Week 12: Democracy and Digital Media

Block : ICT for Development

Week 13: ICT for Education

Week 14: Health and ICT

Week 15: E-governance

Week 16: Entrepreneurship and Digital Media

Books and references

IGNOU Self Learning Materials of MAJMC Course - MJM028

Instructor bio

Dr. K S Arul Selvan

Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi

Dr. K.S. Arul Selvan is an Associate Professor with the School of Journal ism and New Media Studies, IGNOU, India. He is the Coordinator for the MA in Journalism and Mass Communication degree programme of the school. In addition to this, he manages an Appreciation Programme in Media and Information Literacy. He was a part of the MIL South Asia training workshop organized by UNESCO and was closely associated with the establishment of MILUNI (Media and Information Literacy Uni versity Network of India) in 2014 (afPiliated with the GAPMIL of UN ESCO). He is part of UNESCO’s international expert committee (2019) to draft global standards for MIL curricula. Dr. Arul has 13 years of media education experience in the Indian University system. Prior to that he was associated with the South Asian Online Journalism programme of the BBC World Service Trust as a trainer, mentor and project coordina tor. He worked as Indian investigator on the International Federation of Journalists ’six country research programme on HIV/AIDS reporting. He is the recipient of Summer Doctoral Fellowship from Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.

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