By EM
It is vital to connect with people with real-time information. Shwe Yamin Oo said that she had a handful of experiences in New Media during her visit to China.
Lwin Min Oo said that during his visit to the Temple of Heaven, he found that senior citizens could get access to public transport, recreation sites, and parks free of charge. He witnessed the health activities of the senior citizens in the park. I am so happy with it. We should also encourage the elders to participate in health activities.
Although our country is lagging in terms of digital technology, we will make efforts to do it, and I believe it will be achieved sometime in the future.
Wint Wah Han said, “We connect with Myanmar people through vlogs. I have taken many vlogs at the Temple of Heaven and Olympic Park and will share my vlogs and experiences on Facebook soon. I saw the maintenance of the museum and the renovation of the ancient buildings.” They affirmed that preserving culture and heritage through generations is of vital importance.
In Myanmar Vlogs, it is straightforward, unlike the ones with AI and VR technology. Sky Net has also initiated AI, but it still needs to keep up-to-date with AI technology in other countries. AI technology made an impression on them.
Kunming Gateway to Southeast Asia and South Asia
They arrived at Kunming city at night on 26 April. It is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province. The Myanmar Media Delegation attended the New Media Workshop at the Yunnan Daily and acquired knowledge about the functions of the Yun News app and media convergence in English and Myanmar channels. It will serve as a gateway for South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. Yunnan Gateway, which was founded in 2012, is a news web portal of the Yunnan International Communication Centre of South and Southeast Asia. They make news available in seven languages (Chinese, English, Thai, Myanmar, Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese) for international communication.
They also hosted international exchanges, including the China-Myanmar Media Spring Festival Party and China-Myanmar Media Forum.
Mr Hwang, deputy director of Yunnan Daily Press Group, shared his experiences of how he took part in the transformation of Yunnan Press. He highlighted that disseminating information effectively in a real-time manner does not change. Yet, one can view detailed info through a QR code. Unlike traditional media, it has various forms of news presentation with multi-angle views. It is a kind of news product. Yun news shows trends for young people, includes feedback categories to interact with people and provides real-time info.
Mr Zhang, deputy director of Yunnan International Communication Centre for South and Southeast Asia, said that he presented a video clip of the Myanmar-Kunming direct flight for mutual interests, trade, transport, travel and contribution to Myanmar young people’s education in Ruili. He emphasized that he hoped the people of Myanmar would have a good understanding of China.
Mr Wang, director of Yunnan International Communication Centre for South and Southeast Asia, elaborated on Yunnan Daily’s mobile platform “Yun News” app, which prioritizes the stories of South and Southeast Asian countries. They also have Mingala, Champa, Khama and Mekong monthlies.
Lwin Min Oo, Editor of The Standard Time Daily, said I got a new insight into news as a product with an innovative app.
Soe Yu Hlaing, editor of Swe Myo Pauk Phaw Magazine, explained their monthly publication and distribution of 5,000 copies to schools and libraries for free. She hopes to deepen the ties between the two countries.
Ei Myat Mon from The Global New Light of Myanmar said, ‘‘I felt a good impression of Yunnan Daily’s effort to increase circulation to more than 200,000 copies amid new media evolution. We, the GNLM, will also endeavour to develop digitally. China is the top trading partner with Myanmar. Chinese food, music, and culture have also influenced the people of Myanmar. I hope cultural exchange will foster civil dialogue and understanding between China and Myanmar.”
The Myanmar media delegation left for Yunnan University and viewed round the campus. We climbed a man-made artificial hill adorned with flower plantations. Breathtaking scenic views enchant us.
In the School of Journalism at Yunnan University, the exchange focuses on the joint training of journalists from China and Myanmar. The Journalism School of Yunnan University and Myanmar Golden Phoenix built an overseas teaching practice base, sending students to Yangon to carry out overseas internships. The school has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Journalism Department of National Management College. One of us, Khin Lay from Monnet Group, is also an alumnus of the NMC, and she was delighted by the cooperation between the two universities.
“I look forward to future cooperation with my juniors. I’m so proud of it,” she added.
Daw Cho Thet Tun, general manager of Myanmar Golden Phoenix, said that we should pay attention to the topic selection to show empathy and appeal and narrow the distance between the hearts of the two countries. She suggested short videos that portray empathy, compassion, kindness, and humanity and that can draw the attention of the Myanmar people.
China-Myanmar Paukphaw Friendship
The 2024 China-ASEAN People-to-People dialogue (China-Myanmar Paukphaw Friendship) was held on 27 April at Yunnan University under the theme of “Our town, Our home”, with a view to promoting people-to-people exchanges and telling the story of China-Myanmar friendly cooperation. Myanmar Media delegation, officials from the China Communication Centre for International Development (CCICD), Yunnan International Communication Centre for South and Southeast Asia, and lecturers from Yunnan Normal University shared their stories. The dialogue highlighted China-Myanmar cooperation in various sectors and the role of media in bridging the hearts of the people.
The following are dialogues of Myanmar Media delegations regarding new media and relations between the two countries.
“In the era of integrated media, we cannot rely on the traditional media anymore. With the help of new media, our content can attract the younger generation and penetrate easily into our audiences,” Kywe Kywe Htike, Deputy Director of Myanmar, pointed out.
“There is no doubt that the media plays a critical role in promoting relations between two countries. And I think the cultural perspective is particularly important because culture can help us embrace diversities and achieve mutual understanding,” Ei Myat Mon, sub-editor of The Global New Light of Myanmar, said.
“The rapid development of new media does not necessarily mean the decline of traditional media. Traditional media still plays an important role in the media industry,” Captain Myo Min Thant, Officer of Myawady News, claimed.
“As a TV news host, I believe that video content, especially short videos, is quite effective for communication. We have also begun to learn the AI technologies, including the application of virtual anchors in the programme,” Shwe Yamin Oo, presenter of Skynet, elaborated.
“China and Myanmar share a border, and I hope to create content that promotes friendly exchange between the two countries along with Chinese media and serve as a bridge for communication through Vlogs and other innovative formats,” Thet Zin, marketing and product manager of Vidya Myanmar, said.
“New Media formats such as short videos are capturing the attention of the younger generation. I hope that in the future, leveraging the power of AI and within technological bounds, we can create innovative short videos that bridge communication between Myanmar and China,” Wint Wah Han, presenter of Vidya Myanmar.
“New media should be objective. I hope to objectively record the real situation in China so that the audience can independently form an understanding of Myanmar-China relations and feel the friendship through real and objective information,” Lwin Min Oo, Editor of the Standard Time Daily.
“Establishing Myanmar-China bilateral relations is like making friends, which is built upon mutual understanding. The media plays a crucial role in fostering mutual understanding between Myanmar and China,” Soe Yu Hlaing, editor of Swe Myo Pauk Phaw Magazine, highlighted.
“Media practitioners are also facing a transition from traditional media to new media. Emotional communication can be important to international exchanges during this period,” Daw Cho Thet Tun, general manager of Myanmar Golden Phoenix said.
“Being a documentary producer, I hope Myanmar and China can collaborate in the production of documentaries to show more stories of ordinary people of the two countries. I also hope to communicate with Gen-Z groups to understand their thoughts,” said Khin Zar Thwe, programme director of Monnect Group.
New media allows people to communicate and express themselves through various forms of media (blogs, mobile apps, social media networks, streaming services, and virtual reality). The advantages of new media include global reach, effectiveness, interactivity, engagement, real-time updates and data analytics. With a different method of distribution from traditional media, it empowers individuals and institutions to connect with a vast audience instantly. The key advantages of new media are connectivity and real-time communication. However, the significant challenges of new media are misinformation, privacy concerns and addiction. We will endeavour to adapt to new media trends with ethical considerations. I wrote this article with the expectation that constructive feedback will cultivate open dialogues for better civil understanding and progress between Myanmar and China.
