Unlike the dramatic decline of the media in
the west brought about by smartphones and the internet, the situation in India
could not be more different. The value of the Indian newspaper industry has in
fact grown by two-thirds in the past six years, and, according to KPMG, is
predicted to fluctuate comfortably between 12 and 14 percent for the next
several years.
The contradictory growth of print media is
a perfect example of the Indian digital paradox, an amazing phenomenon where
India — a country of more than 1.2 billion people — is developing in a
distinctly different manner than the west.
Popular culture references to India tend to
focus on the “developing” aspects, often skirting over the fact that the
country is the seventh largest economy in the world, the fourth largest IT and
tech hub, the second largest population of English speakers after the U.S. and
a nuclear and space power. However, that said, a quick tour around bustling
cities like Mumbai or Delhi will highlight the stark differences between
different socioeconomic groups living just meters from each other.
We see the “first India,” which is
currently competing to become the world’s biggest Amazon, Facebook, Uber and
Apple markets within the next few years. The majority of people fortunate enough
to live in higher-income demographics are on par in every way with their peers
in the west: highly educated, using the newest technology, fluent in English
and often educated in foreign universities.
In the same way as young people pick up
papers in their own languages now, as smartphones become cheaper and more
accessible, they will pick them up too. For now, though, the amazing social
economic makeup of the country provides a fertile ground for certain industries
to grow in a manner not seen anywhere else.
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