In an age where looking at one’s phone every minute for updates has become a habit, Kashmiris experienced the longest communications blackout in a democratic nation. While 15 minutes without the internet feels like an eternity, 7 million Kashmiris lived in a blackout for more than 142 days. The youth that relied on the internet for their primary source of news was cut-off. Reaching and reconnecting despite the absence of the internet, VICE recreated the experience of the internet through their phones.

In an age where looking at one’s phone every minute for updates has become a habit, Kashmiris experienced the longest communications blackout in a democratic nation. While 15 minutes without the internet feels like an eternity, 7 million Kashmiris lived in a blackout for more than 142 days. The youth that relied on the internet for their primary source of news was cut-off. Reaching and reconnecting despite the absence of the internet, VICE recreated the experience of the internet through their phones.

The on-ground conditions ensured that newspaper circulation, both national and local had dropped drastically. As there was no other way to inform the Kashmiris, VICE saw this as an opportunity to be the only national publisher to go the extra mile and break news without breaking the law.

Since 1947, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been afforded a special status by the Constitution of India. Over the years, wars have been waged with countless lives lost and billions of dollars spent. On 5th August 2019, the Government of India revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution which afforded this special status. Along with it, the statehood was revoked, instead forming two Union Territories under the direct rule of the central government – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

For security reasons, a communications blackout was imposed. No calls and no Internet meant that the residents were left in the dark, disconnected from the outside world. For over 142 days, the youth that relied on the Internet for news was cut-off from the world. VICE, an online news publisher, wanted to reconnect them by sharing news from around the world, without the internet.

The internet, a major source for news and VICE’s primary medium was not an option. Looking to recreate the experience of the Internet, they stumbled upon a medium that was all but forgotten – SMS. As the restrictions on SMS were removed on the 142nd day, VICE found the perfect loophole to inform the Kashmiris.

Thus, giving birth to The 8-Bit Journo by VICE.

With The 8-Bit Journo, VICE was looking to target users that consumed news primarily through their phones. Mobile readers between the ages of 18-35 consuming English news were targeted.

Further, the neighbourhoods where Kashmiris subscribed to The 8-Bit Journo were targeted to increase word-of-mouth awareness.

With a goal to update Kashmiris, news stories were carefully picked from an archive of thousands. English-speaking individuals who relied heavily on the internet for their news between the ages of 18-35 were targeted. Each SMS encouraged readers to subscribe to the service. Further they were also asked to forward these messages to their friends and family.

Each article was then redesigned in pixel art using an open-source tool. Every article started with a custom artwork and headline to give readers an immersive experience. Rigorously testing the articles on 8 of the most popular devices in Kashmir, the articles were perfected. Due to the 160 pixel limitation per line, the words in the headlines were carefully chosen. The articles were edited to fit the 10 SMS limit, making for an immersive and swift experience. That’s how VICE broke the news to Kashmiris, without breaking the law.

* 947 articles were redesigned into pixel art.

* 1.2 million Kashmiris reached.

* 86% subscription rate.

* 6 news articles for each day of the lockdown.

Single-handedly, the communications blackout in Jammu & Kashmir cut-off access to online publications and news portals. The portals which were the primary source of news for the Kashmiri youth. The conditions on-ground also had decimated the distribution of newspapers. In such a disrupted situation, The 8-Bit Journo by VICE became the primary source of information during the communications blackout. By reconnecting the youth, it also helped return a sense of normalcy in an abnormal environment.