India, Sept. 27 -- There was a time when the morning newspaper told us what had happened yesterday, and the evening television bulletin told us what had happened today. That world has not quite disappeared, but it has lost its monopoly.

The great transformation taking place in media is not merely technological. It is a redistribution of power. The authority to decide what millions of people should see, hear and discuss is moving, slowly but unmistakably, from the newsroom to the smartphone.

The numbers are difficult to ignore. India had about 1.03 billion internet users by the end of 2025, representing 70 per cent internet penetration. It had about 500 million social media user identities. By March 2026, TRAI recorded more than 1.09 bil...