Unveiling The Social Media Catalyst: Beyond Impression To Impact

In a world that is increasingly and profoundly being shaped by the digital boom, it's challenging to recall a time before social media wielded its influence across diverse dimensions. In this universe, the gods and the virtues are redefined by intercepted collective influences.

We barely recall an era when our days were dictated by scheduled TV viewing, and content was confined to television, movies, and print media. Here content had a predominating hero-centric disposition and many followed such celebrities as designated and influencing heroes. That said, nostalgia and residue may still linger for the simplicity of those ‘heroic’ times, in many hearts, yet the irreversible and definite transformation catalysed by the cyber world is now our reality. No longer is the hero the centre of the world nor is his fictional world completely believable by the next gen! It’s beyond fiction and closer to reality.

Look around and we find that each head is bent deeply browsing the net, learning, experiencing, enjoying, collating, commenting, liking and hating a word or words, many haven't even been in or understood. New-gen has come to be influenced, taking off from just ardently following celebs once adored. Today the ‘hero’ world is an open book exposed by both self, fans and media. Once on the net, you are an open chapter writing a story every day, which is consumed by geo/gender and ethnicity agnostic audiences, tied up with the thread of common interest or belief.

This is the power now transferred back to the Celebrity / Influencers and the question is, imagine if this power is harnessed and leveraged to craft a better life for self and those around us.

Some of the stars began to understand reality very early and used their power with responsibility. The inception of the revolutionary show Aamir Khan’s reality talk show "Satyamev Jayate" in 2012, a collaborative effort with Star TV, exemplified the power and its appropriate use. The success of the show made a definite and noteworthy point, against traditional TV programming odds and scepticism, the show not only captivated audiences for three impactful seasons but became a cultural phenomenon. It transcended boundaries, fostering social awareness and inspiring change at all geographical and demographical levels of society. The show's profound impact birthed a foundation of many cause-based initiatives. This was the conscientious beginning towards intentionally producing content for strong social impact. Yet this was television- a one-way communicator!

The rapid development of our multi-way communicator -the omnipresent internet has completely altered the reaction and reach on various platforms. The demographics of audiences, the conversations created, mapped and the mind-boggling numbers that can be reached today are unimaginable. With mobile penetration of upwards of 70 per cent and 144 million users, the reach of the audience is breaking barriers to information access. This presents a tremendous opportunity, enabling content creators to deliver their narratives directly to viewers with newer distribution channels and media outlets.

In the current landscape content is the real hero. Content creators play a pivotal role as everyone is now connected through digital devices, ensuring content for diverse audiences. Indian Celebrities, Influencers and content, initially leaning towards urban audiences, now delve into rural realities and small-town issues. Popular shows based on rural life’s realities underscore the platform's potential to explore the full diversity of India and raise awareness of previously overlooked issues.

This transformation is egging celebrities, and all content creators talking on varied social subjects. No longer are these distant idols, as they are deprived of that luxury, they have no choice but to actively engage in a two-way relationship with their fan base. They have to be socially aware and conscientious as social media platforms have empowered them to influence markets and inspire followers to engage in meaningful conversations. The potential for celebrities to drive social movements is now naturally immense, offering a phenomenal and unprecedented opportunity for change. While many celebrities both in national and international markets do leverage their social media influence to champion causes close to their hearts, transcending mere stardom. Yet the impact is still not seen to its full potential and thus presents them and us a unique opportunity for innate transformation.

Not only limited to celebrities, social media platforms actually provide a voice for a large content influencer base. Individuals with unique perspectives now build their own brands and amplify their voices, contributing to societal change. For example, Prajakta Kohli, a well-followed influencer transcended her journey as a social media influencer to UNDP's first youth climate change champion exemplifying the transformative potential of digital influence.

The social catalyst is the critical point. A point that emphasises transformation via a face, a writing or a movement based on experience- negative or positive. This movement, fuelled by followers and the blue ticks and emojis is no longer a fastest-growing trend but is a reality. Content creators with a social conscience will find their audiences, propelling social change to the grassroots level at an unprecedented speed. This speed and power are not controllable once unleashed. However, a pinch of salt is, that the proposition needs to be appropriately curated and managed in both the real and virtual world, or else it can backfire for the cause as well as the voice lender.

Add this entire prowess, a story and now, the digital awareness for the voice multiplies. The synergy and distance between them and their good governance practices, the better culture, impact on government bodies, and the general masses, all creating a mass thunderous voice of their own is moving towards awareness, education and change. A winning story.

The era of digital influence, has unprecedented power that makes each device-filled hand, each commenting voice and each anonymous individual sharing terabytes of data daily a power centre that one ignores or misuses at their own peril. Now it's not about impressing but impacting change at every level. All in the ecosystem, the celebrities, influential faces, the masses and the extensions, that launch a hundred ships and voices that weave magic, need to ensure that they are there at the right place, right time and with the right cause!