Into the Abyss: Media and Despair in Megha Majumdar’s A Burning (2020)

Abstract:
Nowadays, the fate of people can be determined by haphazardly sending a simple message through social media platforms. Media censorship has become a major tool used by many countries to control the people’s narrative and guarantee their peace of mind. In Megha Majumdar’s A Burning, media serves as a prominent element that illuminates the path to despair for the characters. The narrative highlights the influence and consequences of media in shaping public opinion, and counterfeiting the facts. The researcher argues that media’s power, biases, and sensationalism can exacerbate social inequalities and drive systematic injustices. Depending on Marshall McLuhan’s concept of Media ecology, and out of Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw’s study of agenda-setting theory, the research highlights probable negative effects of media tools and technology in shaping people’s lives and directing them to the abyss of injustice.
In her debut novel, Majumdar discusses several societal issues including the conundrum of politics, the religious discrimination, the biased way of news reporting, and the people’s use as scapegoats for claiming the peace of country. Although the story is set in India, it can happen anywhere in the world. The novel refers to the challenges faced by marginalized communities and the struggles they experience due to limited opportunities and systemic biases. Through the characters’ experiences, the writer emphasizes the potential for social media and other media outlets to contribute to the abyss of loss and calls for a more accountable and fair media landscape.