Of, by & for the tweeple

Delving into the minds of the Indian Tweeple, Twittamentary India is an extended version of Twittamentary (the international version), a docu-feature showcasing how Twitter has emerged as an interactive platform for youngsters from various walks of life about social and politically relevant issues. Chinese filmmaker Tan Siok Siok has shot the film, where she has joined hands with Avinash Kalla and Bhaskar Pant to tell the Indian side of the story. “In the past, journalism was a profession of few and there was a clear divide between the journalist and the reader or viewer. On a platform like Twitter, however, journalism becomes more of a participatory process where journalists, politicians and people are engaged in a constant dialogue,” shares Siok. Elaborating further, she says, “Twitter stories about India are largely untold. We are excited to crowd source and share these fascinating tales about how Twitter has a profound effect on not just how new stories are told but also on which stories are told.” Talking about its relevance for youngsters, Bhaskar Pant, one of the coordinators adds, “Twitter has given youngsters a platform to express their dissent and engage constructively with politicians even on policy matters, as many of them want a change in the system. It has also broken the hegemony of media and now you get alternative views and one realises that the words of the newspaper or TV channel is not gospel truth.” Avinash Kalla, a self-confessed tweet addict and journalist concludes, “We chose the theme after lot of consideration. We are the world’s largest democracy and in many ways there is not much dialogue between people and their representatives. With the advent of Twitter suddenly political class and journalists became more accessible to people. The dialogue had many hues and the topic seemed worth exploring.”