The growing penetration of the internet in India, through cheap data plans and affordable smartphones, has added wings to social media interaction for political expression. This digital space has completely changed the relationship of voters with political parties and amongst themselves during different phases of the electoral process. While this rise of online influence creates great opportunities for democratic participation, it equally presents challenges that will have to be surmounted with much care. The discussions held between different political factions may result in varying levels of polarization, importantly determined by the topics of debate. Each of these topics can elicit manifold responses that will bridge the chasm between the two political groups or further widen it, therefore exemplifying the complex nature in which compliance and dissent interplay in the webbed world of social media discourses.
The recent 2024 general elections witnessed a remarkable surge in the utilisation of social media by political figures for their campaigning efforts. Political parties harnessed the power of platforms such as X, Instagram, and Facebook to livestream rallies and disseminate their manifestos, enabling them to connect directly with diverse audiences. This strategic approach allowed various parties to effectively showcase their agendas and campaign initiatives. For instance, the Congress party made significant strides in promoting Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ while the BJP leveraged its IT cell and social media strategies to depict Mr. Modi as a diligent worker and a vigilant ‘chowkidaar’ (watchman). Research conducted post-2019 general elections, analysing a vast database of 6.9 million tweets from 17,261 politicians across 127 Indian parties, revealed that every major political entity was actively engaged on Twitter, now known as X. Notably, the BJP excelled in utilizing a centralised party account, thereby establishing a dominant presence in electoral campaigning on the platform.
Political parties increasingly seek the services of influencers, especially YouTube and Instagram, in localising or making relevant to the localised audience and specific demography in every target set. The strategy is meant to help in influencing rural voters, creating influence, determining swing voting patterns, managing political crises, and in the long term helping gain and hold power by parties. The influencers developed messages that are both subtle and overt and are threading them in between their messages to appear closer to the human psyche, humanising political personalities and developing a bond of sorts so that they will be easily accepted by the voters. This shift towards influencer marketing marks a significant change from the traditional reliance on celebrities such as actors and athletes. What is most worrying, however, is an issue of lack of transparency on how these influencers are being paid for promotion and by whom. Most times, the fact that it is paid content possibly remains a mystery to their audiences, thus raising questions concerning ethical electoral processes. All these undeclared promotion activities float away with the rules set by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the body that monitors and guides the election terrain in India.
Though social media is employed by political parties to share important and relevant information, it has the propensity to go viral falsehoods. Before the vote, there was active counteraction of both fact-checking organizations and social media platforms to debunk misrepresentations. Such measures may begin the process to some extent, however, what can be seen is that misinformation is still being disseminated. In this segment ‘Reality Check’ some of the rumours that have been around throughout this election campaign are addressed. Creating and sharing fake opinions polls, and non-existing awards are some of the most preferred practices within social media. For a long time there was this news making rounds on social media that according to a UNESCO survey, Mr Modi was the best prime minister globally. This was a blatant lie because as far as we know Unesco does not have such an award. However, the story has come this far and has recently been revived during the election campaigns.
This has instilled a negative news mindset by arousing ‘hero worship’ or blind faith which is undesirable for the largest democracy.
Another common social media story includes one alleging that the Italian-born leader of the main opposition Congress Party Sonia Gandhi is wealthier than the Queen. But the story was debunked a few years back. Quoting Huffington Post’s rich list of world leaders that included Sonia Gandhi in 2013, but they later pulled her name out after the amount they claimed that she had was questionable. Mrs Gandhi declared assets worth rupees 12 crore or approximately one million pounds in the elections in 2024. It goes without saying that estimates of the Queen’s wealth are much higher. Such false claims can harm the image of a leader which will lead to unfair elections and fake anger among the populace.
Even rumours about the education of Mr. Modi, or the degrees he has completed, have also become stories that are spread in the air and most of the time are found to be false. A video that recently went viral, however, seems to have caught Mr Modi on tape saying that he never went to college beyond the tenth grade. That could be useful for the opposition leaders. However, the video is only a segment of an old interview in which Mr Modi clarified that he did his higher education degree through distance exams after dropping out of school. The list of false stories and claims does not end here.
With the growing use of social media, the platforms need to tackle this problem.
In the lead-up to the 2019 elections, prominent social media giants such as Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, ShareChat, and TikTok collectively embraced a “voluntary code of ethics” presented to the Election Commission of India (ECI). These platforms pledged to implement educational and outreach initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the electoral process, establish a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism to swiftly address inappropriate content, respond promptly to violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), and ensure that all political advertisements on their sites are properly certified. To effectively combat the spread of misinformation, it is essential to apply theoretical frameworks such as the Filter Bubble Theory, the Spiral of Silence Theory, and the Selective Exposure Theory. The research highlighted four pivotal recommendations: first, there is a pressing need to bolster digital media literacy programs that empower individuals with the critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate the credibility of information encountered on social media. Second, social media platforms must emphasise transparency and accountability in their algorithms to prevent the unintentional deepening of societal divides. Third, fostering a culture of civil and constructive online dialogue, while actively discouraging toxic interactions and enforcing moderation policies, can create a more welcoming digital space. Finally, backing independent fact-checking and news verification efforts is crucial in the fight against misinformation, as it encourages reliance on trustworthy sources and mitigates the adverse effects of false information on political polarisation.
The implications of political polarisation are vast and extend to the very core of society and the principles of the democratic system. Future research should therefore focus on examining personal characteristics allied to culture since they could have an impact. Furthermore, it is high time that lawmakers as well as social media service providers also come out of the closet and reveal their mechanisms and make the required modifications, if necessary. The democratic nature of social media makes it possible to increase people’s participation in politics and assist them make informed decisions when exercising their right to vote. To prevent the spread of fake news and protect the democratic processes from manipulation, media literacy and responsiveness to social media content analysis should be enhanced to set up an efficient and fair future election in the future.