In the past decade, there has been an inevitable change in the way Journalism is defined. Gone are the days when the printing press, television, and radio were the only source of information. With the advent of the digital era, it is only natural that the fangs of technology have also seeped into the way news is collected, presented and perceived.

What does a fast-paced, digital society need? Swift access to information. Thus, with the manifestation of New Media Journalism came a multidimensional form of journalism: quick service, interactivity, convergence, space and time abundance and multimedia usage are only some of its advantages over traditional media. ​Studies show that over 50% of people consume their news online, which should not be surprising, but a mass of them consumes their news from Social Media!​ According to 'India Digital News Report 2019' published by the Reuters Institute, 56% of English-speaking online news users consume news from Social Media surpassing 16% of print media consumers.

Making friends with change, many mainstream publications have moved online, but a lot has changed for them. For one, they have largely lost the role of being news distributors as there are many media outlets and the competition is infinite. Additionally, there exists the role of algorithms, and the availability of infinite space and time- which makes the consumption behaviour more ​passive than active with the consistent availability of new stories. As a result, many media publications present a combination of hard and soft news ​in the same space to attract attention as well as tackle news fatigue.

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Illustrated by Evita

In fact, a section that is absolutely owning it with this combination is ​Independent Media which is rising on Social Media, particularly on Instagram. To put it briefly, people want access to information that is brief, accurate and creative. On the other hand, there is a demand for genre-hybrid stories, multiple perspectives and voices of the people that may not be covered by the mainstream media. Here are some of the Independent Media on Instagram that embody this and so much more:

@thearchivenews: The Archive News is a student-led media publication that aims at breaking down important news that is without bias and is fact-checked from multiple sources. It is an initiative by the youth, for the youth, to keep them in the loop about the happenings of the world. With a quick look at the page itself, it is apparent that the short captions and uniformity achieve

their purpose- capturing only the essence of the news and delivering it. While their focus is on hard news, they also occasionally pour in some interesting soft news stories like a well-oiled machine!

@projectinkalaab: Project Inkalaab started as a student initiative that aims to document the stories of the Indian subcontinent that is unheard of. As an Independent Media company, they believe they can resonate the voices of the otherwise silenced in the mainstream. In the most creative ways, Project Inkalaab is a fair example of incorporating various perspectives of stories. When asked about their views on the potential of Independent Journalism:

“Independent journalism most definitely has opened floodgates of opportunity for thriving journalists. Majorly because the organizational set-up in most such institutions is horizontal, which provides a creative and safe space for people to explore. It also gives authors ownership of their work, as they can exercise their professional integrity without any restrictions, be it on either side of the ideological spectrum!”

On the usage of multimedia and its benefits on audience reach: “Definitely, usage of multimedia has benefited in persuading the audience towards our content. We believe that the graphics and aesthetic of the way you're presenting information matter a lot because the attention span of the audience in these dynamic times is really short. The idea is to reach out to tier 2 and tier3 cities and provide a stage for their narratives. We have a team of people who are working to retrieve such stories from different states.”

@theswaddle: The Swaddle is a media outlet that pivots around the ideas of health, culture and gender in India and brings in numerous narratives on why it matters. They incorporate occasional hard news and a whole lot of opinion pieces that have been garnering a lot of attention lately. With a very catchy prompt, some of their opinion pieces touch upon topics that may be considered taboo or may not be considered important to make it to the mainstream. The stories they bring to the table are also very well-researched and thought-provoking, clearly giving them an upper hand in redefining what counts as a story and what does not in this new age of journalism.

@thedoe: The Doe is a progressive digital publication that aims to ‘promote civil discourse’. Something rather unique to this publication is that all their narratives are anonymous, but verified. They try and put forward original testimonials from people on various issues and personal life experiences which are insightful and raw, giving considerable reason for the anonymity. By displaying the experiences of people as is, The Doe intends to help people change their biases and break out of the echo chamber space that the mainstream has created for them. Besides that, they frequently interact with the audience and gather their opinions on the subject matters that will be addressed on their page. The Doe follows themes every month and follows colour schemes for each of them. And at the end of the month, they have an interesting initiative termed the ‘Endoement’ in which they allow their followers to vote for the charity organizations that are deserving of a donation, largely related to their theme. The Doe is the epitome of the famous analogy of the shift in journalism- from a lecture to a conversation on a whole new level at that.

@catharsismagazine: The Catharsis Magazine is a growing magazine publication that is centred around themes- ‘Ideas, Culture and Words’. In the ‘Ideas’ section they produce original pieces that incite thought and question, attempting to take a path that no one has walked through before. These ‘Ideas’ cover a range of topics from the fields of science and philosophy to politics, economics and law. In the ‘Culture’ section they aim to provide in-depth analyses of a broad range of topics related to humans and culture- the intriguing nature of human behaviour and its consequents: films, art, literature, sociology, anthropology etc. With ‘Words’, they publish creative pieces like poetry and short stories. These three themes combined with its simple, white space aesthetic, give off a sophisticated appeal much like its content.

@maktoobmedia: Maktoob Media is an independent online publication that has strived to uphold journalistic performance and show the other side of the story. With special emphasis on amplifying the voices of the marginalized sections of India, Maktoob Media largely covers hard news. They have played a large role in covering some major stories like the student protests in Jamia Millia and Aligarh University respectively. They have a larger reach on their website but also promote on social media platforms like the other mainstream media publications. Maktoob Media may even be seen as one of many rising forces in maintaining media pluralism in India.

@headlineswatch: Headlines Watch as the name suggests, watch out for headlines and delivers them fact-checked and with no bias. This Media only focuses on giving people reliable news through accurate headlines and keeps it to the point, convenient for anyone who is the type to skim through headlines only. As language plays a key role in the way news is portrayed, they emphasize this factor and practice using it efficiently as closely as possible- ideally how the mainstream should be executing their headlines. With this, they hope to revive some failing journalistic practices and to gain the trust of the readers in general.

@akademimag: The Akademimag, short for Akademi Magazine is an upcoming independent print magazine on art, culture, progressive politics and theory, and philosophy largely promoted through Instagram. They occasionally update hard news and deep analyses or opinion pieces on the same. They also interact with the audience and generate specific content for them like a ‘How to respond’ series. Besides that, they have photo essays, essays, newsletters and the like, to break down complex concepts and incorporate pieces from other independent writers on many issues. Not only do they give the feel of an actual print magazine virtually, but as an independent magazine, they have the freedom to bring stories that people need to see but may not be used to.

@braindedindia: Brainded India is a media company that uses comics and humour to shed light on important issues, with a focus on independence, dissent and diversity. A perfect and creative example of presenting hard and soft news lightheartedly. Although not a new strategy, unpopular opinions and straight facts being represented through cartoons are refreshing. By eliminating space and time constraints that would be on mainstream media, cartoons use space and time to deliver the message effectively on social media.

As seen in the above-mentioned Media, there is a spiralling movement in the field of digital journalism, and journalism itself. The brewing distrust in mainstream media for politicizing and commercializing the institution, for sparsely representing minorities, for sensationalism and for questionable journalistic performance and reliability, has had people leaning towards publications such as these.

The youth in particular is inextricably linked to this movement. Growing up as the generation that moved from traditional media to being familiar with technology, they are at the forefront of producing creative multimedia content. Not to mention their access to information from a young age, which has made them a self-conscious and well-educated demographic (as producers and consumers both).

It is also fair to say that the pandemic has accelerated the process of adapting to the online forum, and while this comes with a fair price it has changed the perception of people and there is a profound appetite for accurate and extensive information that the Independent Media try to fill in.

Although Journalism has gone through many transitions which are largely for the better, this raises many other questions. As the mainstream slowly loses its hold, will journalism completely move into a state of communication autonomy? Is the abundance of information increasingly blurring the lines between what counts as a story and what doesn't?

Or is this evolution going to continue to break down barriers and provide us with unbiased and well-researched reportage from a fortune of sources? Only time will tell.