New media: an influencer or a ruse of political parties?

Affordable android phones and better connectivity has made it easier for the common man to access the World Wide Web. After the radio, TV and digital media, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram began to be considered as powerful tools for sharing and discussing views.

Political parties too could not resist the lure of social media, which has whetted the interest of the public in politics. Social media is one of the most important channels for parties to communicate with their supporters. Almost every party has a social media presence.

Suggestions abound that social media maybe changing the politics in the country. India is a diverse country and the youth makes up 42% of the population. It would be worthwhile to examine how the use of social media affected the youth in UP elections.

It probably did not make much of a difference. Social media has become a tool used to curb the ability of the youth to be analytical and sceptical and rather to influence them into easily accepting what is apparent without taking the effort to dig inside. Some claim that social media has become more of a platform to advertise than a medium of staying connected. They add that today people are abusing the benefits of social media under the pretext of “informing the public”.

A group may post information with no backing, and it starts to trend thanks to blind supporters who like disregarding facts. “As this generally misleading so-called information reaches those with conflicting ideas, a war of words or rather obscenity ensues,” a youngster said.

The youth in a developing state like UP is not a typical “bhaiya”. They are analytical and think twice before voting. Even incendiary messages, rarely make a dent because the youth observe things around them. The younger generation naturally leans towards the party whose “kaam bolta ha” and does not always get swayed by the rhetoric on social media. The average UP voter, rooting for freedom of expression offline, tasted democratisation of expression through social media.

Loudspeakers, battling it out at high decibel levels, were hijacked this time by hashtag wars. But only a chosen few actually responded.