Humanly produced and transmitted media (hptm): The indian model of communication for liberation by appavoo

The Humanly Produced and Transmitted Media (HPTM) Theory was proposed in 1993 by the late James Theophilus Appavoo, a famous folklorist and communicator from Tamil Nadu, India. It is an interpersonal network and folklore-based model of communication and the theorist proposes it as a model of communication for liberation of oppressed people who do not have access to the mainstream communication in society and to the mass media production and dissemination. The Theory and the Model developed are based on the studies conducted among the Dalits, the groups of people who face discriminations in society because of their birth in the so-called lower castes in the caste structure in Indian societies prevalent from time immemorial. The Model can be found to be applicable and extendable to all oppressed communities. In this era of digitized communication, inclusion of the use of social media that are accessible and affordable to common people, for networking, production, distribution and consumption of messages can extend the scope of the Theory and the Model.