10. Digital Media Emergence in Bhutan and Distinct Media Matrix

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is embracing digital media, leapfrogging over decades of isolation. Endowed with a rich legacy of oral traditions, minimal interest in print, social media has emerged as the preferred platform for news dissemination and consumption. Bhutan’s traditional media is in its infancy given that it has had a rather freshly minted democracy since 2007. Its five private newspapers struggle for survival, heavily dependent on government advertising and hand-outs, while the single television channel is owned by the government. The challenge of sustainability of privately owned newspapers has led to a perceptible decline in both the quality and the quantity of news, and high attrition among journalists. On the other hand, more than 72% of the 8 lakh Bhutanese access social media for their news, information and entertainment needs. As a result, newspapers piggyback on Facebook and to a lesser extent Twitter, to reach people. Blogging and use of tik tok are popular, even as people get a taste of citizen journalism. The government through its initial Media Baseline Study (MBS) in 2012 concluded that flourishing of newspapers was unviable. Alternatively, citizen journalism must be boosted with the help of bloggers and online content creators. Overt dependence on social media for information has however led to challenges of malinformation in the absence of gatekeeping. Low levels of media and information literacy have further compounded the problem. This chapter will analyse the existing media matrix in Bhutan and the challenges of sustainability. It will explore the factors contributing to the growth of digital media and its role in democracy.