On Gravitas Plus with Molly Gambhir:
Are you becoming a digital dopamine addict?
What is digital dopamine? 
How can you take control of your devices?
Do you need digital detoxing? 

Are you becoming a digital dopamine addict? Do you need digital detoxing? 

Disruption has become a clichéd word almost rinsed of meaning by its quotidian use. But, this does not divest the term and its practice from its potency. Disruption in the world of business, finance and commerce is real and it is forcing incumbents to adapt, adopt or wither away or even die. One such sector that is being disrupted swiftly is banking where the adoption of technology and digitisation is not only leading to new business models and ways of working but some of the traditional functions of banks are being encroached upon.

The function that is perhaps feeling the pinch is retail banking and payments system thereof wherein nimble disruptors are taking over both the retail function and offering new products and services. To state the obvious, this trend known with the neologism ‘fintech’- a combination of finance and technology- has been enabled by the forces of technology, advances in computing, communication and the widespread penetration and use of smartphones, altering the competitive landscape of banks in the process.

Nimble players are foraying into the retail banking space and offering stand-alone retail and payments services at the click of a button with important addons like security architectures that ensure a smooth and secure flow of monies. In essence, apps on handheld devices are competing vigorously with incumbent banks that are burdened with legacy systems and old ways of working. While it's unclear what the customer attrition rate is from traditional banks but the ease of using an app for banking services intuitively suggests there is and will be the migration of customers to apps offering these services.

The how’s of the encroachment of nimble fintech players on the turf of banks can be gleaned by understanding the value chains of banks. Broadly speaking, every firm is comprised of a value chain. The forces of technology, globalisation and advances in communication allow a given firm, say a bank, to disaggregate its value chain- outsource parts of it, delegate responsibilities, rejig relations with suppliers buyers and so on. This is the traditional view of the value chain where it was assumed that the firm’s given approach to it was contingent, to a large extent, on the nature of competition and profitability potential thereof in the industry.

But now the nature of competition has changed; it is not merely between incumbents in either a static or dynamic competitive environment but new players are disaggregating the value chain of a given firm, sector and then eating away into the business or a component of the value chain of the firm or business. In banking, the first to have borne the brunt of the assault is the retail function. To extend the analysis, this assault might even be the first and not the final one. That is, other aspects of the value chain of banks might be attacked as technology makes advances with banks remaining a husk of their former selves. But, for the purposes of the analysis here, the unit of analysis is the retail function of banks.

Given the disruption and entry of new players, rapidly falling entry barriers, is retail banking dead then? Will an app be your retail banker in the near future?

While much remains in the domain of the ‘unknown unknown’ what may be stated with a degree of clarity is that there is a clear threat to the retail function of banks. But, this does not mean that banks will divest themselves of their retail portfolios and payments systems and cede space to nimble, new tech-savvy players. What this means is that the form and delivery of retail banking is and will change. &nbsp;There will be agile players(basically apps) that will offer retail services, arbitraging interest rate differences and exchange rate differentials in payments systems and also offering a compendium of allied services. But, traditional banks will not give up and cede this space to these players. Their best bet is to actually think like disruptors and compete along with the same dynamic and form. This is what many are doing.

In essence then while there is talk of the death of retail banking but this may not come to pass as banks will compete in a different idiom and take the disruptors on their own turf and beat them at their game. Or, as is happening in some cases like say, Santander, incumbents will acquire the disruptors. Whatever way competition in banking will evolve, it is that the form and shape of retail banking will change but the function will remain and even be part of the remit of incumbent banks’ functions. But, all in all, the nature, form and scope of the competition will ensure that customer is king(or queen as the case may be)! 
 
&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Disruption has become a clichéd word almost rinsed of meaning by its quotidian use. But, this does not divest the term and its practice from its potency. Disruption in the world of business, finance and commerce is real and it is forcing incumbents to adapt, adopt or wither away or even die.

Disruption has become a clichéd word almost rinsed of meaning by its quotidian use. But, this does not divest the term and its practice from its potency. Disruption in the world of business, finance and commerce is real and it is forcing incumbents to adapt, adopt or wither away or even die. One such sector that is being disrupted swiftly is banking where the adoption of technology and digitisation is not only leading to new business models and ways of working but some of the traditional functions of banks are being encroached upon. The function that is perhaps feeling the pinch is retail banking and payments system thereof wherein nimble disruptors are taking over both the retail function and offering new products and services. To state the obvious, this trend known with the neologism ‘fintech’- a combination of finance and technology- has been enabled by the forces of technology, advances in computing, communication and the widespread penetration and use of smartphones, altering the competitive landscape of banks in the process. Nimble players are foraying into the retail banking space and offering stand-alone retail and payments services at the click of a button with important addons like security architectures that ensure a smooth and secure flow of monies. In essence, apps on handheld devices are competing vigorously with incumbent banks that are burdened with legacy systems and old ways of working. While it's unclear what the customer attrition rate is from traditional banks but the ease of using an app for banking services intuitively suggests there is and will be the migration of customers to apps offering these services. The how’s of the encroachment of nimble fintech players on the turf of banks can be gleaned by understanding the value chains of banks. Broadly speaking, every firm is comprised of a value chain. The forces of technology, globalisation and advances in communication allow a given firm, say a bank, to disaggregate its value chain- outsource parts of it, delegate responsibilities, rejig relations with suppliers buyers and so on. This is the traditional view of the value chain where it was assumed that the firm’s given approach to it was contingent, to a large extent, on the nature of competition and profitability potential thereof in the industry. But now the nature of competition has changed; it is not merely between incumbents in either a static or dynamic competitive environment but new players are disaggregating the value chain of a given firm, sector and then eating away into the business or a component of the value chain of the firm or business. In banking, the first to have borne the brunt of the assault is the retail function. To extend the analysis, this assault might even be the first and not the final one. That is, other aspects of the value chain of banks might be attacked as technology makes advances with banks remaining a husk of their former selves. But, for the purposes of the analysis here, the unit of analysis is the retail function of banks. Given the disruption and entry of new players, rapidly falling entry barriers, is retail banking dead then? Will an app be your retail banker in the near future? While much remains in the domain of the ‘unknown unknown’ what may be stated with a degree of clarity is that there is a clear threat to the retail function of banks. But, this does not mean that banks will divest themselves of their retail portfolios and payments systems and cede space to nimble, new tech-savvy players. What this means is that the form and delivery of retail banking is and will change. There will be agile players(basically apps) that will offer retail services, arbitraging interest rate differences and exchange rate differentials in payments systems and also offering a compendium of allied services. But, traditional banks will not give up and cede this space to these players. Their best bet is to actually think like disruptors and compete along with the same dynamic and form. This is what many are doing. In essence then while there is talk of the death of retail banking but this may not come to pass as banks will compete in a different idiom and take the disruptors on their own turf and beat them at their game. Or, as is happening in some cases like say, Santander, incumbents will acquire the disruptors. Whatever way competition in banking will evolve, it is that the form and shape of retail banking will change but the function will remain and even be part of the remit of incumbent banks’ functions. But, all in all, the nature, form and scope of the competition will ensure that customer is king(or queen as the case may be)! (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Digital disruption: Can traditional banking hold its own?

When Danny Reagan was 13, he began exhibiting signs of what doctors usually associate with drug addiction. He became agitated, secretive and withdrew from friends. He had quit baseball and Boy Scouts, and he stopped doing homework and showering.

But he was not using drugs. He was hooked on YouTube and video games, to the point where he could do nothing else. As doctors would confirm, he was addicted to his electronics.

"After I got my console, I kind of fell in love with it," Danny, now 16 and a junior in a Cincinnati high school, said. "I liked being able to kind of shut everything out and just relax."

Danny was different from typical plugged-in American teenagers. Psychiatrists say internet addiction, characterized by a loss of control over internet use and disregard for the consequences of it, affects up to 8 per cent of Americans and is becoming more common around the world.

"We're all mildly addicted. I think that's obvious to see in our behaviour," said psychiatrist Kimberly Young, who has led the field of research since founding the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995. "It becomes a public health concern obviously as health is influenced by the behaviour."

Psychiatrists such as Young who have studied compulsive internet behaviour for decades are now seeing more cases, prompting a wave of new treatment programs to open across the United States. Mental health centres in Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and other states are adding inpatient internet addiction treatment to their line of services.

Some skeptics view internet addiction as a false condition, contrived by teenagers who refuse to put away their smartphones, and the Reagans say they have had trouble explaining it to extended family.

Anthony Bean, a psychologist and author of a clinician's guide to video game therapy, said that excessive gaming and internet use might indicate other mental illnesses but should not be labelled independent disorders.

"It's kind of like pathologizing a behaviour without actually understanding what's going on," he said.

'Reboot'

At first, Danny's parents took him to doctors and made him sign contracts pledging to limit his internet use. Nothing worked, until they discovered a pioneering residential therapy center in Mason, Ohio, about 22 miles (35 km) south of Cincinnati.

The "Reboot" program at the Lindner Center for Hope offers inpatient treatment for 11 to 17-year-olds who, like Danny, have addictions including online gaming, gambling, social media, pornography and sexting, often to escape from symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

Danny was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder at age 5 and Anxiety Disorder at 6, and doctors said he developed an internet addiction to cope with those disorders.

"Reboot" patients spend 28 days at a suburban facility equipped with 16 bedrooms, classrooms, a gym and a dining hall. They undergo diagnostic tests, psychotherapy, and learn to moderate their internet use.

Chris Tuell, clinical director of addiction services, started the program in December after seeing several cases, including Danny's, where young people were using the internet to "self-medicate" instead of drugs and alcohol.

The internet, while not officially recognized as an addictive substance, similarly hijacks the brain's reward system by triggering the release of pleasure-inducing chemicals and is accessible from an early age, Tuell said.

"The brain really doesn't care what it is, whether I pour it down my throat or put it in my nose or see it with my eyes or do it with my hands," Tuell said. "A lot of the same neurochemicals in the brain are occurring."

Even so, recovering from internet addiction is different from other addictions because it is not about "getting sober," Tuell said. The internet has become inevitable and essential in schools, at home and in the workplace.

"It's always there," Danny said, pulling out his smartphone. "I feel it in my pocket. But I'm better at ignoring it."

Is it a real disorder?

Medical experts have begun taking internet addiction more seriously.

Neither the World Health Organization (WHO) nor the American Psychiatric Association recognizes internet addiction as a disorder. Last year, however, the WHO recognized the more specific Gaming Disorder following years of research in China, South Korea and Taiwan, where doctors have called it a public health crisis.

Some online games and console manufacturers have advised gamers against playing to excess. YouTube has created a time monitoring tool to nudge viewers to take breaks from their screens as part of its parent company Google's "digital wellbeing" initiative.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said internet addiction is the subject of "intensive research" and consideration for future classification. The American Psychiatric Association has labelled gaming disorder a "condition for further study."

"Whether it's classified or not, people are presenting with these problems," Tuell said.

Tuell recalled one person whose addiction was so severe that the patient would defecate on himself rather than leave his electronics to use the bathroom.

Research on internet addiction may soon produce empirical results to meet medical classification standards, Tuell said, as psychologists have found evidence of a brain adaptation in teens who compulsively play games and use the internet.

"It's not a choice, it's an actual disorder and a disease," said Danny. "People who joke about it not being serious enough to be super official, it hurts me personally."

When Danny Reagan was 13, he began exhibiting signs of what doctors usually associate with drug addiction. He became agitated, secretive and withdrew from friends.

When Danny Reagan was 13, he began exhibiting signs of what doctors usually associate with drug addiction. He became agitated, secretive and withdrew from friends. He had quit baseball and Boy Scouts, and he stopped doing homework and showering. But he was not using drugs. He was hooked on YouTube and video games, to the point where he could do nothing else. As doctors would confirm, he was addicted to his electronics. "After I got my console, I kind of fell in love with it," Danny, now 16 and a junior in a Cincinnati high school, said. "I liked being able to kind of shut everything out and just relax." Danny was different from typical plugged-in American teenagers. Psychiatrists say internet addiction, characterized by a loss of control over internet use and disregard for the consequences of it, affects up to 8 per cent of Americans and is becoming more common around the world. "We're all mildly addicted. I think that's obvious to see in our behaviour," said psychiatrist Kimberly Young, who has led the field of research since founding the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995. "It becomes a public health concern obviously as health is influenced by the behaviour." Psychiatrists such as Young who have studied compulsive internet behaviour for decades are now seeing more cases, prompting a wave of new treatment programs to open across the United States. Mental health centres in Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and other states are adding inpatient internet addiction treatment to their line of services. Some skeptics view internet addiction as a false condition, contrived by teenagers who refuse to put away their smartphones, and the Reagans say they have had trouble explaining it to extended family. Anthony Bean, a psychologist and author of a clinician's guide to video game therapy, said that excessive gaming and internet use might indicate other mental illnesses but should not be labelled independent disorders. "It's kind of like pathologizing a behaviour without actually understanding what's going on," he said. 'Reboot' At first, Danny's parents took him to doctors and made him sign contracts pledging to limit his internet use. Nothing worked, until they discovered a pioneering residential therapy center in Mason, Ohio, about 22 miles (35 km) south of Cincinnati. The "Reboot" program at the Lindner Center for Hope offers inpatient treatment for 11 to 17-year-olds who, like Danny, have addictions including online gaming, gambling, social media, pornography and sexting, often to escape from symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Danny was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder at age 5 and Anxiety Disorder at 6, and doctors said he developed an internet addiction to cope with those disorders. "Reboot" patients spend 28 days at a suburban facility equipped with 16 bedrooms, classrooms, a gym and a dining hall. They undergo diagnostic tests, psychotherapy, and learn to moderate their internet use. Chris Tuell, clinical director of addiction services, started the program in December after seeing several cases, including Danny's, where young people were using the internet to "self-medicate" instead of drugs and alcohol. The internet, while not officially recognized as an addictive substance, similarly hijacks the brain's reward system by triggering the release of pleasure-inducing chemicals and is accessible from an early age, Tuell said. "The brain really doesn't care what it is, whether I pour it down my throat or put it in my nose or see it with my eyes or do it with my hands," Tuell said. "A lot of the same neurochemicals in the brain are occurring." Even so, recovering from internet addiction is different from other addictions because it is not about "getting sober," Tuell said. The internet has become inevitable and essential in schools, at home and in the workplace. "It's always there," Danny said, pulling out his smartphone. "I feel it in my pocket. But I'm better at ignoring it." Is it a real disorder? Medical experts have begun taking internet addiction more seriously. Neither the World Health Organization (WHO) nor the American Psychiatric Association recognizes internet addiction as a disorder. Last year, however, the WHO recognized the more specific Gaming Disorder following years of research in China, South Korea and Taiwan, where doctors have called it a public health crisis. Some online games and console manufacturers have advised gamers against playing to excess. YouTube has created a time monitoring tool to nudge viewers to take breaks from their screens as part of its parent company Google's "digital wellbeing" initiative. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said internet addiction is the subject of "intensive research" and consideration for future classification. The American Psychiatric Association has labelled gaming disorder a "condition for further study." "Whether it's classified or not, people are presenting with these problems," Tuell said. Tuell recalled one person whose addiction was so severe that the patient would defecate on himself rather than leave his electronics to use the bathroom. Research on internet addiction may soon produce empirical results to meet medical classification standards, Tuell said, as psychologists have found evidence of a brain adaptation in teens who compulsively play games and use the internet. "It's not a choice, it's an actual disorder and a disease," said Danny. "People who joke about it not being serious enough to be super official, it hurts me personally."

The digital drug: Internet addiction spawns US treatment programs

As a late millennial, my room was covered with old tickets to every single movie Shah Rukh Khan starred in. I saved cutouts of Kajol’s mustard- coloured sarees and cherished CDs of Salman &amp; Aamir’s latest hits.&nbsp;

I never understood what made these personalities so magnetic or why their films were so repeatable, I just knew that their aura created a ripple across crowds. I was in it for Shah Rukh’s dimples and Kareena Kapoor’s sassy dialogues that retrospectively seem to have this deep emptiness at their core.&nbsp;

But the race to win a superstar’s fan club presidency isn’t exactly the battle the Indian film industry is currently fighting. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Despite the stampedes and impressive box office collections that Bollywood superstars have drawn over the ages, the Indian entertainment industry is currently experiencing a media tech renaissance; one that demands nuance over style from its artists, and rightly so, for many reasons.

&nbsp;The most salient drivers of this trend are ones we’re faced with every day - an infinite bandwidth of choices as a result of digital streaming and collective frustration toward the status quo. India has become home to the second highest population of internet users in the world after China with close to 462 million users, out of which over a third reside in rural towns.

The average Indian spends close to eight hours and twenty-eight minutes a week on their phone according to Limelight Networks - much more than what they spend in front of their television. That number was a 58 per cent increase from 2016 and is only expected to grow in the coming years given the prediction of smartphones alone becoming a 4.6 billion dollar global industry by 2019.&nbsp;

The soaring success and positioning of affordable smartphone companies have challenged the television’s historically superior position as the go-to entertainment platform.&nbsp;

In addition to winning the numbers game, the behavioural effects of social media in the last five years have exposed audiences to an unprecedented diversity of entertainment, thus raising their expectations from artists to unforgiving levels. The rise of digital streaming across India has finally filled a void and created an insatiable appetite for content that both inspires and entertains.

Metaphorically it has put blinkers on Indian viewers, keeping their gaze away from cinema halls and glued onto their micro screens. Evidently, this exposure to refreshingly bold content has catalysed a steady decline in the footfall of Indian cinemas. There is a reason why the marketing budgets of Bollywood’s biggest productions are digging deeper into their pockets as their promotion stunts get more and more ostentatious with every passing year. From helicopter rides to college campus visits to semi-cringe worthy photo ops at charities to spread the word about a film, there isn't much marketing teams are not doing at this point to get Indians off their small screens and onto bigger ones.&nbsp;

Thematically, the topics being dealt with in Indian digital streaming productions dissolve the viewer’s lens of fixed moral and ideological boundaries. Gritty crime thrillers, Horror without the forced erotica, and tales of women’s sexual desires have stretched the possibilities for creative exploration; without the fatal legal and social backlash.

Through powerful and risky storytelling, viewers hang suspended between the blackness of evil and whiteness of absolute purity; ruminating somewhere in the vast spaces of grey that enable us to enjoy the freedom of filmmaking. This welcomed change from archaic ‘saas-bahu’ soap operas has lured the biggest names in show business to join the movement; artists who have historically been inseparable from the large seventy-mm screens across movie theatres. From Saif Ali Khan to Nawazuddin Siddiqui to supposedly now Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt - both the damsels and the demigods have descended upon the grounds of India’s latest digital obsession. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of cinematic trash such as ‘Golmaal 4’ or ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se’ - finally putting an end to franchises that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.&nbsp;

While this evolution may pose a threat to you if you’re attached to the ‘first day first show’ frenzy or if you’re the owner of a single screen cinema, I believe it is the first of many steps in the right direction both creatively and commercially for the Indian audiences. Users have clearly demonstrated a willingness to pay for premium content that is available on demand, giving brands and advertisers a new vessel to enhance their presence.

Apart from the advertising revenue per user feature, streaming services are also indirectly contributing to the evolution of payment mechanisms across the nation as they bolster Indian Fin-Tech initiatives such as third-party wallet companies, telecom wallet, mobile wallet and net banking. Content being produced, licensed and distributed digitally is also decentralising the power dynamics of traditional production houses.

Fortunately, this democratises the creative process itself while instilling a culture of meritocracy in an industry where the unspeakable “n” word is now ‘nepotism.’&nbsp;

Despite the ‘winner takes all’ aspect of competing digital streaming companies and broken regulations surrounding technology, I believe this newfound way of life is perhaps the most accurate forecast into the future of India’s volatile yet deeply loved show business.

Finally, the overall victory of content over formulae has inspired our favourite stars to lay one finger on the pulse of their viewers’ increasingly demanding sensibilities. As a country that inspires the creation of both 'Race 3' and 'Raazi' in the same year, maybe it’s time for Indian storytellers to take a moment and introspect before it’s too late and my generation replaces them with the next big thing on the internet.&nbsp; 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

As a late millennial, my room was covered with old tickets to every single movie Shah Rukh Khan starred in. I saved cutouts of Kajol’s mustard- coloured sarees and cherished CDs of Salman & Aamir’s latest hits.

As a late millennial, my room was covered with old tickets to every single movie Shah Rukh Khan starred in. I saved cutouts of Kajol’s mustard- coloured sarees and cherished CDs of Salman & Aamir’s latest hits. I never understood what made these personalities so magnetic or why their films were so repeatable, I just knew that their aura created a ripple across crowds. I was in it for Shah Rukh’s dimples and Kareena Kapoor’s sassy dialogues that retrospectively seem to have this deep emptiness at their core. But the race to win a superstar’s fan club presidency isn’t exactly the battle the Indian film industry is currently fighting. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Despite the stampedes and impressive box office collections that Bollywood superstars have drawn over the ages, the Indian entertainment industry is currently experiencing a media tech renaissance; one that demands nuance over style from its artists, and rightly so, for many reasons. The most salient drivers of this trend are ones we’re faced with every day - an infinite bandwidth of choices as a result of digital streaming and collective frustration toward the status quo. India has become home to the second highest population of internet users in the world after China with close to 462 million users, out of which over a third reside in rural towns. The average Indian spends close to eight hours and twenty-eight minutes a week on their phone according to Limelight Networks - much more than what they spend in front of their television. That number was a 58 per cent increase from 2016 and is only expected to grow in the coming years given the prediction of smartphones alone becoming a 4.6 billion dollar global industry by 2019. The soaring success and positioning of affordable smartphone companies have challenged the television’s historically superior position as the go-to entertainment platform. In addition to winning the numbers game, the behavioural effects of social media in the last five years have exposed audiences to an unprecedented diversity of entertainment, thus raising their expectations from artists to unforgiving levels. The rise of digital streaming across India has finally filled a void and created an insatiable appetite for content that both inspires and entertains. Metaphorically it has put blinkers on Indian viewers, keeping their gaze away from cinema halls and glued onto their micro screens. Evidently, this exposure to refreshingly bold content has catalysed a steady decline in the footfall of Indian cinemas. There is a reason why the marketing budgets of Bollywood’s biggest productions are digging deeper into their pockets as their promotion stunts get more and more ostentatious with every passing year. From helicopter rides to college campus visits to semi-cringe worthy photo ops at charities to spread the word about a film, there isn't much marketing teams are not doing at this point to get Indians off their small screens and onto bigger ones. Thematically, the topics being dealt with in Indian digital streaming productions dissolve the viewer’s lens of fixed moral and ideological boundaries. Gritty crime thrillers, Horror without the forced erotica, and tales of women’s sexual desires have stretched the possibilities for creative exploration; without the fatal legal and social backlash. Through powerful and risky storytelling, viewers hang suspended between the blackness of evil and whiteness of absolute purity; ruminating somewhere in the vast spaces of grey that enable us to enjoy the freedom of filmmaking. This welcomed change from archaic ‘saas-bahu’ soap operas has lured the biggest names in show business to join the movement; artists who have historically been inseparable from the large seventy-mm screens across movie theatres. From Saif Ali Khan to Nawazuddin Siddiqui to supposedly now Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt - both the damsels and the demigods have descended upon the grounds of India’s latest digital obsession. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of cinematic trash such as ‘Golmaal 4’ or ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se’ - finally putting an end to franchises that shouldn’t have existed in the first place. While this evolution may pose a threat to you if you’re attached to the ‘first day first show’ frenzy or if you’re the owner of a single screen cinema, I believe it is the first of many steps in the right direction both creatively and commercially for the Indian audiences. Users have clearly demonstrated a willingness to pay for premium content that is available on demand, giving brands and advertisers a new vessel to enhance their presence. Apart from the advertising revenue per user feature, streaming services are also indirectly contributing to the evolution of payment mechanisms across the nation as they bolster Indian Fin-Tech initiatives such as third-party wallet companies, telecom wallet, mobile wallet and net banking. Content being produced, licensed and distributed digitally is also decentralising the power dynamics of traditional production houses. Fortunately, this democratises the creative process itself while instilling a culture of meritocracy in an industry where the unspeakable “n” word is now ‘nepotism.’ Despite the ‘winner takes all’ aspect of competing digital streaming companies and broken regulations surrounding technology, I believe this newfound way of life is perhaps the most accurate forecast into the future of India’s volatile yet deeply loved show business. Finally, the overall victory of content over formulae has inspired our favourite stars to lay one finger on the pulse of their viewers’ increasingly demanding sensibilities. As a country that inspires the creation of both 'Race 3' and 'Raazi' in the same year, maybe it’s time for Indian storytellers to take a moment and introspect before it’s too late and my generation replaces them with the next big thing on the internet. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Digital streaming has left little room for mediocrity in India