ISRO needs Instagram. ISRO needs an official Instagram account really quick. It also needs a few changes to its website and other social media platforms.
When I cast my eyes overhead and look across the fresco of stars, I wonder about the billion secrets they hide. The journey to search these wonders is what ISRO is built upon. That unquenchable search for the truth, the urge to venture beyond the horizon is what perhaps fuels the grand wizards (scientists) of ISRO. Before I stress on creating an official Instagram account, let’s talk about ISRO’s website.
LITTLE TINKERING REQUIRED FOR ISRO’S WEBSITE
Website is a platform where you let the world know that you are doing something really great. The content should be too good that people should drop doing whatever they are doing and should be willing to see what you have been upto. It’s a blow horn in a valley of ones and zeros. ISRO’s site will look really cool if the white background is changed into black. Black? Why? Black will give the visitor the feeling of a night sky. Haven’t we all looked up in wonder and gazed beyond those dark horizons? Giving the website a darker background will uplift its appearance and also echo the colour of its work; the space and the travel into the beyond. All we need is a simple yet very needful makeover. The site could also be a lot more user-friendly, create exceptionally engaging content which ignites the joy of learning. Content is king. The site could be categorised into dozens of segments like for example; student’s corner to learn more about astronomy, photos that depict launches of every satellite, aerial image of our lands and maybe even, writing stories about hundreds of ISRO engineers will make the visitor ask for more because hearing stories has always been nostalgic. The ideas are just limitless.
TAKE CONTROL OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media has the power to bring change if we use it in the most rightful intent. Social media platforms have the capability to spark something significant. Haven’t we all used it to share the photos of the food we eat, places we hang out and stuffs to do? If it is used wisely, it has the ability to spark the dream of a child somewhere at a remote village of India who is hoping that one day he/she will be a part of something much bigger. They are probably dreaming to send a thousand-ton rocket into space whose fuselage is painted in tricolours. When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and said his epic, “One small step…” speech, which to this days transcends across the lunar podium, there was a kid in Ontario, watching it on TV who got so overwhelmed by this phenomenal event taking place 3 lakh miles overhead. It changed his destiny. He went on to command the International Space Station. He is the Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield. So did this event inspired, Homer Hickham - a NASA legend. TV did a major role to inspire several hundred Chris Hadfields and Hickhams. Likewise, social media has this immense ability to inspire millions of kids who called India their home.
ISRO NEEDS INSTAGRAM.
At the time of writing this article, the official Instagram account of NASA had almost 30 million followers and they had posted more than 2200 photos. I scrolled through the hundreds of images and it was like observing a box of chocolate; a variety of flavours and textures (Photos and videos of Galaxies, satellites and our planet Earth.) They had posted extraordinary images of the heavenly body, images of their finest rockets and the enchilada of interstellar achievements. Each and every post is beautifully explained in very few profound words. On an average, the likes for each post ranged somewhere between 3 to 4 lakhs. I cannot fail to wonder the number of high school kids and college goers who follow this page. I think about these million kids whose belly is burning with the deepest desire to work for NASA. Even if one kid goes on to become an engineer out of the 30 million followers, that’s Instagram doing right. I believe that the opportunity is endless if ISRO creates an official Instagram account. Our net population is astounding and that is an asset worth conquering. Imagine the reaction when ISRO’s Instagram account uploads a video of the launch of one of our satellites. Imagine the number of likes we will receive for every single image that shows the picturesque beauty of our land from space. Above all, imagine sparking the hearts of millions of youths of our nation. Chris Hadfield knew he wanted to be an astronaut when he saw Neil Armstrong land on the moon. I believe there’s a young Indian hidden somewhere, surrounded by thick curtains of wild trees and wiry rivers. A child who needs only a wee dose of spark to fuel his/her desire, a child who dreams to send rockets. This child like a million others browses through ISRO’s Instagram page to tell himself that it’s possible to get in and that ISRO makes him proud and that one day he will be a part of it.
ISRO’S FACEBOOK PAGE NEEDS A LITTLE CHANGE.
I also strongly believe that the official FB page needs some makeover. It would be a feast for the eyes if the quality of the photos is enhanced. Perhaps dramatizing (hyping) every post could spark the netizens of our nation. The posters could be a lot less clunky and the accompanying messages could use a more profound tone. Sometimes, words of grace tell us how much as a person we are. It is our duty to offer the best and the most inspiring content on social media in everything that ISRO does. ISRO is never a single man organization. It is built upon the sweat of a thousand men who work day and night. Sometimes in life, the smallest things matter the most. Smallest things are where humans often always make mistake. When small talks are not spoken among couples, they eventually become bigger until it’s too late and they end up taking a divorce. When friends do not work on their differences, they end up partings ways. Relationships are built upon such tiny yet very impactful blocks of small talks. I hope that ISRO breaks into Instagram and builds a stronger relationship with the untapped million youth of India. I hope that ISRO’s website is improved. I hope that their Facebook page offers much more inspiring content. I hope ISRO continues to pursue its dream across the sea of stars where the physics of the impossible is often always shattered by the wonder of the how. P.S - If India can make a Martian Satellite successfully in its very first attempt, with a budget less than the movie “Gravity”, I believe that improving our social media accounts will be economically viable and easy to do as well. |