A 2004 study by economists Robert Jensen and Emily Oster tracked 2,700 rural Indian households across five states between 2001 and 2003. It compared villages with and without cable TV access.
The results were striking. Cable TV exposure correlated with shifting attitudes among women. They reported greater autonomy in healthcare, household spending, and social visits. Domestic violence became less acceptable.
Did K-Serials Change India’s Women?
The study highlighted Ekta Kapoor’s popular soap opera Kyunki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi, which ran from 2000 to 2008. While these shows centered on women, their power often stemmed from family roles and self-sacrifice.
A 2014 follow-up study by Vegard Iversen and Richard Palmer-Jones found the original results largely held, but women with no education (54% of the sample) showed no significant changes.
Flying Biryani: The Future of Delivery?
A US company, Matternet, plans to launch drone food delivery in 2027 with Dave’s Hot Chicken. Each drone can carry up to 11 pounds and make four to five deliveries hourly.
India, with its massive gig worker population (over 1 crore, projected to double by 2030) and growing demand for quick commerce, seems ripe for this technology. Skye Air has already completed nearly 3.6 million drone deliveries in India, including 7-minute deliveries in Gurugram and Bengaluru.
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Drones could be particularly useful for time-sensitive deliveries like food and medicine, bypassing traffic congestion. There’s also a financial incentive: new labor laws require platforms to contribute 1-2% of revenue to a gig worker social security fund.
However, drones aren’t a complete replacement for human delivery partners. They might handle the long-distance part, but the final stage of delivery, which involves handling complex addresses and handing over packages, still requires human intervention.
Additionally, drones come with their own costs: batteries, charging stations, maintenance, and regulatory approvals.
So, while your biryani might arrive by drone, expect a human touch for the final handoff.
The Role of Education in Media Influence
This group, comprising 54% of the sample, highlights the importance of education in mediating media exposure’s impact.
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