KES’ Shri. Jayantilal H.

Patel Law College, Mumbai

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON ELECTIONS IN
INDIA

A project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for

The Second Semester of the B.A,LL.B Course

By
KHYATI GUPTA

ROLL NO – 13
First Year B.A., LL.B
Division A

Under the Supervision of

Asst. Prof. Nilima Gupta
29th March, 2025
Sr. No. Topic

1. Introduction

2. Political Campaigning and Advertisement through Social

Media
3. The Positive Impact of Social Media on Indian elections

4. The Proliferation of Misinformation and fake news

5. Conclusion

6. Bibliography
 Introduction

The beginning of the internet in the 1990s onwards gave rise to the digital and networked
population around the world. The invention of ICT and Web 2.0 has provided
people with many opportunities. The internet and social media revolution have affected
various
fields of life, and politics is not immune to it. Over the last decade, the digital population of
India have been growing. India is the world's largest democracy and has the most significant
proportion of young people. The Internet and Mobile Association of India states that India is
the second country with the most internet users. In the recent decade, the significance of
social media in politics has increased in India and across the globe.
Social media is used not only for making friends, but now politicians
worldwide are using it for political communication to attract voters. The emergence of ICT
and
Web 2.0 has given rise to new media communication. Previously, the dissemination of
information was dominated by traditional media like TV, newspapers, etc., but now it has
become more democratized through social media.
American President Obama was the first politician who successfully used social media for his
campaigning and communication during elections. He successfully won the US presidential
election through the effective use of social media. Again, in the 2012 US election, Obama's
high engagement with his followers through social media helped him to lead a victory.
.
American President Obama was the first politician who successfully used social media for his
campaigning and communication during elections. He successfully won the US presidential
election through the effective use of social media. Again, in the 2012 US election, Obama's
high engagement with his followers through social media helped him to lead a victory.
The first-time social media started gaining prominence in Indian politics was when Mumbai
was attacked in 2008. At that crucial moment, it was through social media that people in India
and abroad were getting updates regarding this incident. Social media was used in the 2009
national election to engage people politically. It was also the first time that Twitter was used
for diplomatic purposes by the Indian Foreign Ministry. The significance of social media in
Indian politics was further raised when Anna Hazare started an anti-corruption movement.

Political campaigning and Advertisements through Social-Media

Two months before the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP, INC, BSP, and SP were sharing junk
news and divisive content through their WhatsApp groups (Narayanan et al. 2019). There
were
more than 9 lakh volunteers ‘cell phone pramukhs' who were creating WhatsApp groups to
disseminate the development programs, policies and achievements of BJP and Narendra
Modi.
The opposition party, Congress had also been using WhatsApp groups to send their messages
to voters. Congress had launched the ‘Digital Sathi’ app, which used digital media to connect
directly with voters in polling booths.
Social- media has become a trailblazing forum for political leaders to connect with the
electorate. In 2014, just before the elections, political parties, namely Congress, AAP, and
BJP,
were using Google Hangout to answer party-related queries. Thus, Google Hangout served as
a source for these parties to get feedback from the general public. Facebook had added the ‘ I
am a voter’ feature to remind users about election updates, and about 23 million youth were
expected to vote in 2014(Reuters 2014). Times of India also mentioned that games like' Modi
Run' and ' Kursi Cricket' were made accessible to the google store to grab the voters' attention
for a party.

Instagram is a famous social media platform for young people in India. Politicians in India
have also shown their presence on Instagram. On Instagram, political leaders share their
softer
side with the young audience. Narendra Modi is also dominant on Instagram, with
around 71.3 million followers as of December 2022. Modi is the most followed politician
worldwide on Instagram. However, on Instagram, politicians mostly show their human side
rather than their political side.
Some studies and reports showed mixed pictures of social media both as a game changer and
not a game changer during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Saba elections. Digital Marketing firm
conducted a survey that showed that political messages on social networking sites affected
roughly one-third of first-time voters during the 2019 national election. One study
found that social media was not a game changer in the 2014 Lok Saba elections but raised
several other significant issue. Another study by (Centre for the Study of
Developing Societies 2019) revealed that social media was not a game changer during the
2019
Lok Saba elections. It also revealed that social media exposure could hardly impact voters'
voting behavior, but social media exposure increased political participation during the 2019
elections.

Political parties increasingly engage influencers on YouTube and Instagram to post content
that is hyperlocal and micro-targeted (directed at demographics and interests). It is intended
to reach rural voters, “swing voting patterns, manage crises, and help them secure power”,
among other things. Influencers publish both direct and subliminal messages, which are
undifferentiated from their opinions. The messaging aims to humanise the political figures,
who are the subject of the message, and create a persona of them, fostering a sense of
closeness and active involvement among voters.

The Positive Impact of Social Media on Indian Elections

These social media platforms have facilitated direct and unfiltered communication, enabling
politicians to share their policies, perspectives, and visions instantaneously. Social media
empowers citizens with diverse sources of information, fostering political awareness and
enabling individuals to form opinions beyond the confines of mainstream media. Hashtags,
live sessions and group chats became indispensable for political parties, enabling them to
interact directly with constituents, address concerns, and showcase achievements.

Social media’s impact transcends traditional politics and extends to the realm of social
movements and grassroots activism.
The Proliferation of Misinformation and Fake News
Algorithms and social media networks play a crucial role in amplifying fake news by
prioritizing engagement and virality over accuracy. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and
WhatsApp are designed to maximize user interaction, relying on algorithms that promote
content likely to generate reactions, such as shares, likes, and comments. Unfortunately, false
or sensational information tends to evoke stronger emotional responses than factual content,
leading these algorithms to amplify misinformation disproportionately. As a result, fake news
spreads rapidly, often reaching millions of users before factchecking mechanisms can
intervene. In the Indian political landscape, algorithms create echo chambers, where users are
exposed primarily to content aligned with their pre-existing beliefs. This reinforces biases and
makes individuals more susceptible to misinformation that aligns with their ideological or
emotional predispositions. The closed nature of platforms like WhatsApp further exacerbates
this problem, as information circulates within private groups, making it harder to detect or
counter false narratives in real time. Political actors, including parties and influencers, exploit
these dynamics by deploying bots, trolls, and targeted advertisements to promote misleading
content and amplify polarizing narratives. Moreover, algorithms personalize content feeds
based on users' interactions and preferences, creating a feedback loop where misinformation
that resonates with a specific audience is repeatedly surfaced. This micro-targeting strategy
enables political campaigns to reach specific voter groups with tailored messages, often
spreading false claims about opponents or manipulating voters with fabricated promises.
Since social media platforms thrive on high engagement, they have little incentive to curb the
spread of such content unless pressured by public outcry or regulatory action.
Ahead of the 2019 election, major social media companies – Google, Facebook, WhatsApp,
Twitter, ShareChat, and TikTok – among others, agreed to a “voluntary code of ethics”
submitted to the ECI[20]. The companies committed to conduct education and communication
campaigns to bring awareness about elections, create a high-priority dedicated grievance
redressal channel to address objectionable posts, quickly act upon reported violations of the
Model Code of Conduct (MCC), and advance certification of all political advertisements
published on their platforms. However, this self-regulatory mechanism is inadequate for
countering problems of extreme speech, algorithmic bias, and proxy campaigns.
Regulatory frameworks, such as those established by the Election Commission of India and
the IT Act, struggle to keep pace with the evolving nature of misinformation. Implementing
content moderation policies involves balancing the need to curb harmful content with
concerns about free speech and censorship. Additionally, platforms have been slow to
respond to regulatory directives, often citing jurisdictional issues, technical challenges, or the
need to maintain neutrality.

There is an urgent need for a comprehensive approach to combat misinformation, including

stronger regulations, enhanced collaboration between social media platforms and authorities,
and widespread digital literacy initiatives. These measures are vital for preserving electoral
integrity and fostering a more informed and engaged electorate in India’s democratic process.
 Conclusion
The symbiotic relationship between social media and Indian politics is a double-edged sword,
replete with opportunities and challenges. As technology evolves, it is imperative for
policymakers, tech companies, and society at large to collaboratively navigate this terrain,
harnessing the benefits of social media while mitigating its potential pitfalls. The advent of
social media has enabled an unprecedented empowerment and engagement of the ‘aam
aadmi’ for expressing political opinions. A positive development of social media emergence
has been that the youth is talking about the political issues. Earlier the political discussions
were restricted only to those who read newspapers, watched news channels or participated in
discussions in nukkad of a village or clubs. But now, social networking has made the youth of
India to sit up and discuss political issues. They spend time to analyze and discuss politics.
They now have views on the happenings of political events and they also influence the
administrative decision making. But getting the youngsters together to vote in elections and
using social media as a platform to help political parties is still a pipeline dream. It may take
decades in India to replicate USA in the use of social media campaigning and to influence the
voters.so we should always participate in all electoral programmes for awakening our rights
and values also

Bibliography
1. Indian Elections 2024: Social Media, Misinformation, and Regulatory Challenges |
Heinrich Böll Stiftung | India Office. (n.d.). In.boell.org.
2. Mir, A. A., & Rao, A. N. (2022, November 6). The Use Of Social Media In Indian
Elections: An Overview.
3. Yadav, P. K. (2023). Impact of social media on Indian politics in contemporary
Era. International Journal of Political Science and Governance, 5(2), 284–286.