Lok Sabha 2024: The Power Brokers Ahead of India's Major Election

Lok Sabha 2024: The Power Brokers Ahead of India's Major Election

Political parties are being promoted by influencers like Sham Sharma and Ranting Gola (left) on social media.

A few weeks before to the commencement of voting in the current Indian election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was mingling with individuals going by the names BeerBiceps and Curly Tales at an event in Delhi.

The occasion, an awards ceremony honoring some of the nation's most prominent social media personalities for their achievements, was a recognition of the influencer's power, which could have appeared unthinkable just a few years ago.

These influencers were also being lined up to play a critical role in reaching the young, the indifferent, and the disillusioned, as politicians prepared to fight it out for India's billion votes.

However, while some hail social media for democratizing the media and creating a platform where everyone may openly express their opinions, others paint a more dire image, one in which threats abound and the truth can be sacrificed for a fat paycheck.

It would have been difficult to find somebody referring to oneself as a "influencer" ten years ago.

However, "it's become a profession" these days, according to Vinay Deshpande, co-founder of the political management consulting company Rajneethi.

"I know teenagers whose are doing this part-time to earn pocket money."

Still, pocket money significantly undervalues earning potential. On the lesser end, individuals may charge approximately 2,000 rupees ($24; £19) each day, while top influencers can charge up to 500,000 rupees for a post, which is about the same as a high-level manager's monthly income.

Political parties and election management companies have offered as much as "100,000 to 500,000 rupees for a single campaign," the founder of the Ranting Gola channel told the BBC.

Although it is a significant sum, it may swing the election in a candidate's favor.

According to Mr. Deshpande, by disseminating information via a carefully selected list of regional influencers with a modest but engaged following, they have assisted an opposition candidate in winning an assembly election.

"Social stories in media is powerful and can influence the way a person feels toward an issue," said Deshpande. "It gives social currency to a belief or opinion - but this may outcome in a lack of critical thinking about an issue," he states.

Preethi Aggarwal, a 25-year-old, is among those who use Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram applications to better grasp news.

In an attempt to "really understand what's going on," Ms. Aggarwal, like hundreds of others, follows a number of "political influencers," or those who discuss politics on social media.

"At times, news may seem tedious and complex. She continues, "I think these people [influencers] make it fun and easier to understand," adding that her thoughts are shaped by the setting and their own viewpoint.

Whose viewpoint is she receiving, though, is the issue?

According to YouTuber Samdish Bhatia, a lot of politicians have contacted him with offers of millions of rupees to do interviews, particularly in the months leading up to this election.

He adds, "But they wanted me to get the video approved before it's published or share questions in advance," explaining that he turned down the offers because he "likes to maintain editorial control."

Politicians who want to showcase their human side during lengthier, more amicable conversations are especially susceptible to manipulation, according to Joyojeet Pal, an associate professor at the University of Michigan.

"Many of these types of interviews are carefully managed by politicians," adds Pal.

But even if they aren't, Mr. Pal believes that a more soft approach to probing might obfuscate the distinction between an interview and a promotion.

"If your questions aren't holding power to account, ultimately the interview just becomes a platform for easy publicity."

However, Mr. Pal sees more issues with politics on social media than simply this.

He looked at some of the biggest influencers in India and the people they spoke with for a recent study article. He discovered that opposition leaders were interviewed less often than BJP leaders.

According to his analysis, pro-BJP material has been more prevalent recently, although the number of accounts publishing criticism of the current administration has generally decreased.

"This hints at a growing concern among people to be openly critical of the government whereas there appear to be more confidence in putting up polarising content or information that supports the government's ideologies," said Pal.

"And this is dangerous for democracy," he continues.

Opposition influencers undoubtedly gave the impression that they were operating in a hostile atmosphere.

Many people who publish critical information about the government refused to talk with the BBC for this story because they were afraid of the administration's backlash. In order to conceal their identities, they also operate their channels using pseudonyms.

The Ranting Gola told the BBC that she has frequently received threatening or abusive comments on the videos she uploads, and that her Instagram account has been deleted many times without any apparent explanation from the site.

She also agreed to exclusively talk to the BBC on the stipulation that her identity be kept a secret.

Claims that the BJP administration has repressed free speech and dissent have been refuted.

However, even BJP-supporting YouTuber Sham Sharma warned the BBC that there could be issues with free expression in India:

Opposition parties claim that the current climate is challenging, yet despite these reservations, they are nonetheless reaching out to voters using the same influencer network.

"The BJP has taken over the mainstream media," claims Supriya Srinate, the Congress party's head of social media.

She continues, "Our funds have been frozen; we have no money to advertise," alluding to a move made by the Indian tax department only weeks before to the polls. Leaders in Congress have charged the government of having a political grudge, a charge the administration has refuted and maintained that the federal agency was carrying out its duties on its own.

Because of these supposed obstacles, Ms. Srinate contends, influencers are a useful tool for reaching voters. She explains that the Congress has been collaborating with "volunteers" who support the party's principles and want to promote it on social media.

Influencers have contributed to the democratization of the public relations arena, according to Ankit Lal, a former political adviser to the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Former journalist and host of The DeshBhakt YouTube channel Akash Banerjee believes that influencers have the greater capacity to push boundaries than does conventional media.

He references the widely seen video titled "Is India Turning Into a Dictatorship?" directed by German-born content artist Dhruv Rathee, which features direct criticism of the government and has had over 24 million views on YouTube. As of now, the administration has not responded to the video.

"After the video, the term 'dictatorship' has emerged up more in conversations, as this is something that has never happened before," said Mr. Banerjee.

"We owe it to the country to look outside the window and let people know if dark clouds are approaching along with they can do something about it by voting," said the influencer. "Our job as influencers may not be to open the window as well as check if it's really raining."