2023
#GenerationNowhere: India’s young are fighting an invisible epidemic, smartphone addiction
Entry type: Single project
Country/area: India
Publishing organisation: ThePrint
Organisation size: Big
Publication date: 2022-03-20
Language: English
Authors: Desk and editors.
Biography:
Award winning journalist with 6 years of experience in reporting India’s most critical issues–unemployment, gender crimes, human rights, politics, and policy.
Born and brought up in a village in Haryana, I fought my way out of the state’s stifling patriarchal set-up to reach the National Capital, becoming the first person to graduate in the family. During my college days at Delhi University, I learnt to wear the lens of English writers to examine the condition of Rural Women. In journalism, I wear both my rural and urban lenses to bring an element of critical intersectionality to my reporting and writing.
Project description:
Young Indians are dropping out of college, their IIT aspirations turning to dust and many are now in de-addiction centres. The story is about growing smartphone dependency in India.
Impact reached:
The story started the conversation around the use of mobile phones. It also led to more follow ups in other newsrooms.
Techniques/technologies used:
Interviews, Experts on record, data and ground reporting
Context about the project:
Since mobile phones have become the most intimate partner in everyone’s life, it was difficult for them to open up to a journalist and shareThemost private details.
What can other journalists learn from this project?
When I started working on the story, the data was vague and I had no idea how it would turn out. But my findings were seconded by experts and they reached out to me. I think we should entirely depend on private institutions or government agencies to tell us about a subject. Sometimes, our stories should alert the authorities and experts to look at the alarming trends and open data.
Project links:
