Traditional media are an effective and important part of the communication system.
Theses are unique in nature, as they resemble the day-to-day life pattern of the rural
masses. These media are a source of popular entertainment for the rural audience, in
addition to providing instruction and information. Our country has a rich heritage of folk
arts, folk dance, folk tales, epics, ballads and plays that can be used for development
work.
If we critically analyse the characteristics of some of the most famous traditional and
modern media on their awareness, knowledge, attitude and mental evaluation function in
the technology adoption process then we find that most of the traditional medias have a
high effect in creating awareness and influencing the attitude of the audience while most
of the modern media have a high effect in creating awareness and enhancing the
knowledge of the audience.
My personal opinion is that both the traditional and the modern media complement each other.
The modern media are more effective in changing the knowledge, while the traditional media are
more effective in changing the attitude. In fact the traditional media have some added
advantage over the modern media like their indigenous nature, local appeal, direct
personal contact, local dialect, more credibility and more cultural compatibility which
make them so unique and useful.
Therefore we need to keep our traditional media alive by continuously and cautiously
using them as and when possible along with the modern media. These traditional media
will not only help in developmental activities but will also help in preserving and
transmitting our culture, tradition and values to the next generation.
