By: H.K. Dahal

Media mirrors society. Through free access to information and the exchange of opinions, media empowers citizens to make free choice. Societies depend on this flow of information to keep it moving in the right direction. We have seen how modern societies rely so much  more on the media and how, in comparison, communities such as ours’ know so much less.

We can use internet  as media. We can unleash the power of internet in shaping the future of our community.

The internet media is the fastest online means to interlink with others. Internet media includes forums, blogs, podcasts, pictures and video, email, instant messaging, discussion boards, chat rooms, Google Groups, Wikipedia, Search engines and a host of social networking sites and tools including Myspace, Facebook, youtube, Twitter etc.

You do not need to be a journalist to be able to inform people via the internet. It is increasingly accessible and it helps connect people from different parts of the world at minimum expense. A few  websites, which Bhutanese journalists in exile have launched, have proven this point. These  websites are growi9ng in popularity despite being new and young.

We can use the power of internet to connect inform and educate audience. The internet will be a great instrument in thread9ng our communities, especially as they settle in different parts of the world. Whether it is used as a vehicle of communication or as a platform for discovering each other, exchanging information or exploring our history,  the internet stands out above any other form of mass communication. Internet forums can also be used for initiating, enabling dialogue and bringing together people of different political views to meet, discuss, and explore solutions.

Most importantly, the internet can bring together all sections of our community and serve as both a conduit for communication and a connector.

 Modified from ‘Becoming a Journalist in Exile’( By T.P. Mishra).