Social Media's Polarizing Impact on Politics: Negative Interactions Surge in Run-Up to Lok Sabha Polls
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Social Media's Polarizing Impact on Politics: Negative Interactions Surge in Run-Up to Lok Sabha Polls

Live Mint  

The 12th round of the biannual YouGov-Mint-CPR Millennial Survey found that politics was the fifth most popular topic among urban Indians, with 47% saying they follow such content. However, 37% of respondents who follow politics on social media reported having faced negative interactions online due to their political engagement in the six months before the survey. The survey also found that those with strong political leanings faced the most harassment online, with more than half (56%) of them saying so. Social media was viewed with greater scepticism, with 29% of respondents not trusting online posts and 20% having high trust. The findings indicate the polarizing impact of the current state of politics in both personal and public spheres.

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US elections plays out on social media in India
2 months ago

US elections plays out on social media in India

Live Mint  

Top business tycoons Harsh Goenka and Anand Mahindra led the ‘social’ brigade for Indian users on Wednesday, as Donald Trump ‘trumped’ Kamala Harris to claim the crown of the 47th president of the United States. Trump, a prominent figure on social media known for his meme potential, ignited an exciting “meme fest” as the election results unfolded. “As Trump makes …

Social media emerging as force multiplier for newcomers in J&K election battle
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Social media emerging as force multiplier for newcomers in J&K election battle

Hindustan Times  

Social media has emerged as a major dissemination and campaigning tool for political parties during the ongoing assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir, even creating ‘ripple effect’ for some Independents or newer candidates like Sarjan Barkati and those associated with Engineer Rashid led Awami Itihad Party. All the big and small political parties across Jammu and Kashmir are using social …

Anti-India narrative on social media: Why it’s time for government to counter online negativity
4 months ago

Anti-India narrative on social media: Why it’s time for government to counter online negativity

Firstpost  

A wave of anti-India sentiment is flooding social media, distorting our global image. India can no longer afford silence and has to reclaim its narrative on the world stage Lately, social media has evolved into a platform where global narratives are created, shaped, and spread at turbo speed. A recent example is the “What’s wrong with India?” campaign on social …

Modi’s BJP: Not Just an Inheritance, But a Reinvention
5 months, 1 week ago

Modi’s BJP: Not Just an Inheritance, But a Reinvention

News 18  

Having secured a momentous third term with a clearly outlined vision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overarching legacy, according to a new book, will be that of transforming his party into an electoral machine, a party that can win elections. ‘Indian Renaissance – The Modi Decade’, edited by Aishwarya Pandit, argues that Modi’s biggest contribution lies in dismantling a perception that …

US State Dept sets aside budget of ₹1.6 crores for hiring 'fact-checker' in India
5 months, 3 weeks ago

US State Dept sets aside budget of ₹1.6 crores for hiring 'fact-checker' in India

Op India  

The Public Diplomacy Section of the US State Department has set aside a whopping $2,00,000 to recruit fact-checkers in India as part of its ‘Empowering Media Savvy Youth.’ Through this project, the Executive Department of the US federal government claims to confront ‘online manipulation’, combat ‘external influences’, secure digital landscape and reinforce regional security. It must be mentioned that US …

As the US Embassy promotes Leftist elements in India, read how the Biden administration and CIA have been using social media, paying influencers to manipulate public opinion
5 months, 3 weeks ago

As the US Embassy promotes Leftist elements in India, read how the Biden administration and CIA have been using social media, paying influencers to manipulate public opinion

Op India  

On the 17th of July, the US Embassy in India informed about its event for Indian social media influences and content creators to learn about boosting social media engagement on social issues and learn about “active citizenship”. Is the US trying to use social media and Indian content creators, particularly those opposed to the ruling dispensation to meddle in India’s …

Interview | Sanjeev Singh Decodes the Impact of Social Media on Elections
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Interview | Sanjeev Singh Decodes the Impact of Social Media on Elections

The Quint  

People used to talk about the effect of social media, but nobody actually quantified it, which is where the scientific part comes in. What we found was a very strong correlation between the number of retweets, support, or traction that political parties and politicians received on Twitter and their vote share in elections. The statistical formula, which we called the …

China’s AI-powered influence operations at India’s doorstep
8 months ago

China’s AI-powered influence operations at India’s doorstep

Hindustan Times  

Modes of warfare have undergone several changes since the end of World War II. A recent report by the United States -based social media analytics firm Graphika revealed a pro-Chinese political spam operation promoting a new and distinctive form of video content, which has been operating since 2019 on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. In November …

As India votes, misinformation surges on social media: ‘The whole country is paying the price’
8 months, 1 week ago

As India votes, misinformation surges on social media: ‘The whole country is paying the price’

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — Bollywood stars seldom weigh in on politics, so videos showing two celebrities criticizing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — and endorsing his main opposition, the Congress party — were bound to go viral. But the clips of A-list actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh were fake, AI-generated videos that were yet another example of the false or …

Rise of Social Media Influencers in AP Politics
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Rise of Social Media Influencers in AP Politics

Deccan Chronicle  

VISHAKHAPATNAM: Politicians in Andhra Pradesh are increasingly turning to social media influencers to reach out to and sway their voters. The interviews of several candidates have been shared across various Vizag-based social media pages, even as the youtubers claimed they were not being paid, and they were only reaching information to their viewers. Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's recent …

Digital Revolution in Indian Politics: How BJP Harnessed Social Media
8 months, 4 weeks ago

Digital Revolution in Indian Politics: How BJP Harnessed Social Media

News 18  

The emergence of digital media—social media, mobile journalism, YouTube, etc—has transformed the political contour in India, with social media platforms becoming the new battleground for electoral campaigns. Among these parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party has proven to be the most successful in harnessing the power of social media to connect with voters and shape public opinion, while the Congress-led Opposition—if …

When voters turn tech-savvy, can political parties be far behind
9 months ago

When voters turn tech-savvy, can political parties be far behind

Live Mint  

NEW DELHI : The Lok Sabha elections are here, and so is the noise. “Tier-I cities are seeing a lot of digital spends with ads running across all digital channels and political leaders interviewing with digital KOLs," Rajni Daswani, director, digital marketing at digital agency SoCheers said. Mitesh Kothari, co-founder and chief creative officer at digital agency White Rivers Media …

BJP banks on micro-influencers for its social media campaign
9 months, 2 weeks ago

BJP banks on micro-influencers for its social media campaign

The Hindu  

The BJP, known to be adept at using social media in its electoral campaigns, is looking to engage micro-influencers from within the party to help it expand its reach among Delhi voters ahead of the Lok Sabha poll. They usually have a social media following of 2,000-5,000,” said Rohit Upadhyay, Delhi BJP’s social media in-charge. Bid to reach all sections …

How AI-Generated Deepfakes Are Playing A Role In 2024 Indian Elections. What Users Can Do To Avoid Pitfalls
9 months, 4 weeks ago

How AI-Generated Deepfakes Are Playing A Role In 2024 Indian Elections. What Users Can Do To Avoid Pitfalls

ABP News  

Artificial intelligence and simulated content have spurned discussions on robot takeovers, ethics, job losses, and financial fraud. But in a year of “super elections,” AI is playing a major role in campaigning — and in India, cheap and easy tools are being used to create content ranging from memes to deepfakes and simulated audio. AI's Use During Campaigning We’ve usually …

In India’s strife-torn Manipur, narrative battle is fought on social media
1 year, 2 months ago

In India’s strife-torn Manipur, narrative battle is fought on social media

Al Jazeera  

Social media warriors have sprung up to share their community’s views and put down the others’ in this ethnic conflict. “Before we got hackers, we had given access to our social media accounts to people outside the state … Social media has become important to tell people what is happening here,” the leader said. He told me, “I opened this …

Most Indians who consume news online like to watch, not read
1 year, 3 months ago

Most Indians who consume news online like to watch, not read

The Hindu  

The 2023 Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute published recently indicates a shift among online news consumers in India, who are increasingly turning to search engines and mobile news aggregators as their main source of news, thus moving away from websites of traditional outlets. Chart 2 | The chart plots responses to the question, “In thinking about your online …

Understanding the ideological divide online
1 year, 5 months ago

Understanding the ideological divide online

Hindustan Times  

Algorithms used by social media companies in drawing in and retaining users have been the subject of scrutiny for several years now. Spanning multiple election cycles and a once-in-a-century pandemic, the debates centre around a simple question: Is social media dividing people? Starting from 2008, when Barack Obama first used social media for a political campaign to the divisive 2016 …

General decline in consumption and sharing of news in India: report
1 year, 6 months ago

General decline in consumption and sharing of news in India: report

The Hindu  

Overall consumption and sharing of news declined in India compared with last year, along with a sharp decrease in access to online news while television, too, saw a 10pp decline as a news source, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023, released on June 14. “Among individual news brands, public broadcasters like DD India, All India Radio, and …

World Press Freedom Day | How free speech in India is compromised by government control over platforms: Book excerpt from ‘Caged Tiger: How Too Much Government is Holding Indians Back’ by Subhashish B
1 year, 8 months ago

World Press Freedom Day | How free speech in India is compromised by government control over platforms: Book excerpt from ‘Caged Tiger: How Too Much Government is Holding Indians Back’ by Subhashish B

The Hindu  

Published : May 03, 2023 07:00 IST - 6 MINS READ In December 2004, the Delhi Police arrested Avnish Bajaj, the CEO of Baazee.com, because someone in Kharagpur, West Bengal, tried to sell through the website video copies of two Delhi-based students having sex. Social media companies, a term left vague and expansive, need to take down content within 36 …

‘Not much change in communication barring speed of circulation’
2 years ago

‘Not much change in communication barring speed of circulation’

The Hindu  

Teacher of journalism, B.K. Ravi has said that according to researchers of communication, not much change had been witnessed in the medium of mass communication barring the speed with which information was being circulated. Presiding over the session on ‘Innovations in Media’ on the second day of 86th Akhila Bharat Kannada Sahitya Sammelana on Saturday, Prof. Ravi said that there …

Gujarat battle on social media: Cong focuses more on Bharat Jodo Yatra; BJP looks steady, AAP leads
2 years, 1 month ago

Gujarat battle on social media: Cong focuses more on Bharat Jodo Yatra; BJP looks steady, AAP leads

India TV News  

Gujarat elections 2022: With less than one week left for the high octane poll battle in Gujarat to end, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and new player Aam Aadmi Party have intensified their online campaigning to reach out to the voters active on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Less than 20 per cent of the posts on its …

Why the woes of Indian journalism affect all Indians
2 years, 1 month ago

Why the woes of Indian journalism affect all Indians

The Hindu  

The first week of November includes a day selected by the United Nations as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Though the Indian Constitution is liberal, its interpretation through legislation has been anything but; harsh omnibus laws infringe and limit liberties, violate human rights and lead to degeneracy among administration and law enforcement agents. Now, from …

India@75 survey: Political divide rising, creating strain in relationships
2 years, 4 months ago

India@75 survey: Political divide rising, creating strain in relationships

Live Mint  

For long, partisan preferences in politics in India have shaped voters’ opinions about government performance and political outlook. In comparison to the previous round held in late 2021, there is an upward shift in strong partisan sentiments and there is a sharp decline among those who don’t identify with any party strongly. Partisanship and relationships Around 39% of urban Indians …

Kulbir Kaur | Ingroup vs Outgroup & other online aberrations
2 years, 6 months ago

Kulbir Kaur | Ingroup vs Outgroup & other online aberrations

Deccan Chronicle  

Social media has recently emerged as “ Villain No. I still remember his remark made with a blank look on the face: “I lost my son to social media.” His son had been waging a lonely online battle to prove that being a Muslim does not place him in the category of being ‘anti-national’. The anti-establishment, pro-people, environmentalist Five Star …

What helps India’s BJP get lower Facebook rates? Divisive content
2 years, 9 months ago

What helps India’s BJP get lower Facebook rates? Divisive content

Al Jazeera  

New Delhi, India – In October 2020, in the lead-up to the assembly elections in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party ran an The Bihar police later found out Malik was murdered by his business rivals. The social media platform has also allowed a large number of BJP’s ghost and surrogate advertisers to campaign for the …

Sonia Gandhi says social media being abused to hack democracy
2 years, 9 months ago

Sonia Gandhi says social media being abused to hack democracy

The Hindu  

The danger of social media being abused to hack democracy was rising and the government should put an end to the “systematic interference” of Facebook and other social media giants in electoral politics of the world’s largest democracy, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Ms. Gandhi stated that …

Centre to Develop India's Road Network At Par With US By 2024: Gadkari in RS
2 years, 9 months ago

Centre to Develop India's Road Network At Par With US By 2024: Gadkari in RS

The Quint  

Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have been adjourned till 11am on 21 March. Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said in Rajya Sabha that the government was planning to develop India's road infrastructure at par with that of the United States by end-2024. Meanwhile, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi addressed the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour on Wednesday, 16 March, as …

Rahul Gandhi attacks Facebook, says 'Meta worse for democracy'
2 years, 9 months ago

Rahul Gandhi attacks Facebook, says 'Meta worse for democracy'

India TV News  

Highlights Rahul Gandhi cited a foreign media report to attack Facebook According to the report, Facebook offers cheaper deals for election ads to BJP Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha today Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked social media giant Facebook on Wednesday and alleged that it was "worse for democracy". He also shared …

Twitter campaign and the story of Uttar Pradesh poll battle
2 years, 11 months ago

Twitter campaign and the story of Uttar Pradesh poll battle

India Today  

When the first few Orkut and Facebook groups supporting Narendra Modi started appearing in 2008, nobody thought that this served any purpose other than allowing a small set of NRIs or young, upper-class Indians a means of engaging with the leader. His nemesis and eventual successor, Yogi Adityanath, went from being a minor presence on social media to one of …

Facebook undermining India’s democracy, alleges Congress
3 years, 2 months ago

Facebook undermining India’s democracy, alleges Congress

The Hindu  

The Congress on Monday said Facebook was “compromising” India’s democracy and influencing elections, and demanded a probe by a joint parliamentary committee. While it’s obvious Govt of India won’t do anything about it, it’s unacceptable that @Facebook has one set of standards for USA and another for India,” stated former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh in a tweet. Raising media reports …

Election & Voting Processes Stand Threatened By Social Media Manipulation, Says Supreme Court
3 years, 6 months ago

Election & Voting Processes Stand Threatened By Social Media Manipulation, Says Supreme Court

Live Law  

Election and voting processes stand threatened by social media manipulation, the Supreme Court remarked in the judgment delivered on Thursday in Facebook vs. Delhi Assembly case.Entities like Facebook have to remain accountable to those who entrust them with such power. Election and voting processes stand threatened by social media manipulation, the Supreme Court remarked in the judgment delivered on Thursday …

New IT rules necessitated by social media abuse: India to UN Special Rapporteurs
3 years, 6 months ago

New IT rules necessitated by social media abuse: India to UN Special Rapporteurs

India Today  

The Indian government has told the United Nations Human Rights Council that the formulation of new IT rules for social media companies was necessitated by the concerns over increased instances of abuse of new media platforms including inducement for recruitment of terrorists, obscene content, financial frauds and incitement of violence. In a letter to the secretariat of the council, the …

Twitter vs Govt of India: Importance of SM and what is the road ahead
3 years, 6 months ago

Twitter vs Govt of India: Importance of SM and what is the road ahead

Op India  

Today, when the whole world is confronted with an unprecedented crisis due to the COVID19 pandemic, another crisis has emerged over the ‘penetrative’ role of social media platforms in India. Considering the kind of enormous outreach of social media, platforms such as Twitter have started to act arbitrarily to become a state within a state Twitter decided to defy an …

Twitter India offices visited by police after labeling of a tweet from Modi’s party
3 years, 7 months ago

Twitter India offices visited by police after labeling of a tweet from Modi’s party

CNN  

New Delhi CNN Business — Twitter’s decision to label a tweet from a leading member of India’s governing party as “manipulated media” could make things even harder for the company in a key market. Police visited Twitter’s offices in the capital Delhi and nearby city of Gurugram late on Monday to order thesocial media giant to cooperate with an investigation …

Opinion: Modi has offered little more than hollow words amid India’s horrifying covid crisis
3 years, 8 months ago

Opinion: Modi has offered little more than hollow words amid India’s horrifying covid crisis

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Akanksha Singh is a journalist based in Mumbai, India. Desperate cries for medication and oxygen tanks abound on Twitter and Instagram, where posts read, “In need of ICU bed” or “Plasma urgently required for treatment of Covid patient in Max Hospital, Delhi.” One journalist live-tweeted his Covid-19 symptoms and died while waiting for help. But India’s government – …

Facebook, Twitter: A lifeline for Indians in the Covid crisis and a threat for Narendra Modi
3 years, 8 months ago

Facebook, Twitter: A lifeline for Indians in the Covid crisis and a threat for Narendra Modi

CNN  

On most days, Network Capital, a business networking group with over 67,000 members on Facebook, focuses on providing its community with information on job vacancies, higher education, and careers. Sonali Pal Chaudhury/NurPhoto/Getty Images In a statement last week, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said it had asked Twitter, Facebook and others to remove around 100 posts by users …

Rising Internet Users, Next Big Thing to Rake in Money for Social Media Platforms
3 years, 10 months ago

Rising Internet Users, Next Big Thing to Rake in Money for Social Media Platforms

News 18  

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, while unveiling the social media guidelines last month, put forward some interesting figures. A 2019 estimate by the World Bank and the United States Census Bureau put Indian population at 136.64 crore while the data statistics platform Statista put the number of internet users in India in 2020 at 69.7 million. Likewise, YouTube is used …

Twitter is stuck between a rock and a hard place in India
3 years, 11 months ago

Twitter is stuck between a rock and a hard place in India

CNN  

CNN Business — India’s efforts to crack down on dissent have left Twitter with an impossible balancing act: protecting free speech, or risking its employees and business in one of the company’s most vital markets. The company said in a blog post Wednesday that it was “served with several separate blocking orders” by the Indian government against hundreds of Twitter …

As Facebook loses traction, Instagram gains new users in small towns and cities
3 years, 11 months ago

As Facebook loses traction, Instagram gains new users in small towns and cities

Live Mint  

Across Indian cities, those with professional degrees are much more likely to rely on newspapers and news portals for news than on social media forwards. The data shows that older generations have started spending more time on social networking sites even as millennials have cut back on social media usage. 63% of singles spent more than 4 hours a week …

India Has 75 Crore Internet Connections, Over Half Joined in Last 4 Years. But What About Fake News?
4 years, 1 month ago

India Has 75 Crore Internet Connections, Over Half Joined in Last 4 Years. But What About Fake News?

News 18  

While 2020 would be remembered for many remarkable things like the emergence of an unprecedented pandemic or the entire nations surviving simultaneous lockdowns, some would also remember it to be the year when India completed 25 years of having the internet. In fact, not only did India complete 25 years of having internet in 2020, it also marked a distinct …

US Elections 2020: Social media firms on alert for Election Day misinformation
4 years, 2 months ago

US Elections 2020: Social media firms on alert for Election Day misinformation

Live Mint  

Social media firms were on high alert Tuesday against Election Day misinformation and manipulation efforts as voters began in-person balloting across the United States following a tumultuous campaign. "Our Election Operations Center will continue monitoring a range of issues in real time -- including reports of voter suppression content," said a Facebook statement posted on Twitter. Facebook said its election …

Why Hate Facebook? It Might Just Be Last Best Free Speech Measure
4 years, 2 months ago

Why Hate Facebook? It Might Just Be Last Best Free Speech Measure

The Quint  

The recent investigative reports by TIME and the Wall Street Journal on Facebook’s content handling and lobbying activities have triggered an intense political debate in India. On the one hand, Facebook’s moderation of hateful content in India seems to have been influenced by business and political imperatives; on the other, it appears as if the relationship between its public policy …

Bihar Assembly Polls: CPI(M) Flags Concerns Over Funding, Social Media and EVMs to EC
4 years, 3 months ago

Bihar Assembly Polls: CPI(M) Flags Concerns Over Funding, Social Media and EVMs to EC

News 18  

The CPI on Friday raised concerns over funding and use of social media and electronic voting machines in the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar. The letter quoted the Election Commission’s affidavit in the Supreme Court where the poll body had stated that electoral bonds would signal serious repercussions on the transparency aspect of political funding of political parties. The letter …

Social media is an extension of our physical world and it is rife with propaganda
4 years, 3 months ago

Social media is an extension of our physical world and it is rife with propaganda

The Hindu  

The 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections were just around the corner. His research underscored what he calls ‘seed accounts’— profiles that swamp the platform with specific content through their networks to manipulate information. When such accounts are followed by the Prime Minister, the issue becomes far more serious.” A 2018 study by BBC, titled ‘Duty, Identity, Credibility: Fake news and the …

Indigenisation & Not Injured Stance is the Answer to Snooping by China, Writes Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda
4 years, 3 months ago

Indigenisation & Not Injured Stance is the Answer to Snooping by China, Writes Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda

News 18  

The revelation that a small Chinese company called Shenzhen Zhenhua Data Technology collected online and social media data of 10,000 influential Indians, including political leaders, was greeted with a great deal of shock. We must also be conscious that while Zhenhua may only be collecting data from open sources, this would only be one part of the data that would …

[Facebook's Interference With Electoral Democracy] IT Ministry Probing Alleged Bias Of Facebook India: Govt Tells Lok Sabha [Read Statement]
4 years, 3 months ago

[Facebook's Interference With Electoral Democracy] IT Ministry Probing Alleged Bias Of Facebook India: Govt Tells Lok Sabha [Read Statement]

Live Law  

The Central Government has informed that it is looking into alleged political partisanship of Facebook India's high-ranking employees that allegedly interfered with India's electoral democracy. "Minister for Electronics & Information Technology has written to CEO, Facebook about alleged bias of the platform and to ensure integrity and neutrality of the Facebook and the people working for Facebook," said Sanjay Dhotre, …

Facebook India grilled over hate speech, allegations of bias
4 years, 4 months ago

Facebook India grilled over hate speech, allegations of bias

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — Facebook India executives were grilled Wednesday by members of a parliamentary committee on information technology over allegations of political bias and a role in spreading hate speech in India. The closed-door hearing followed accusations in newspaper reports that Facebook was allowing anti-Muslim hate speech on the platform and that its top policy official in India had shown …

Ravi Shankar Prasad writes to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
4 years, 4 months ago

Ravi Shankar Prasad writes to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg

The Hindu  

With Facebook already facing criticism over the alleged bias towards to Narendra Modi-led government in India, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has written to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of the social network, raising “serious concerns” over the “concerted effort” by the platform to “reduce the reach of people supportive of right-of-centre ideology”. The Minister also highlighted that the …

Social media: The new theatre of India’s culture wars
4 years, 4 months ago

Social media: The new theatre of India’s culture wars

Hindustan Times  

The phenomenal rise of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and others is proving to be a double-edged sword in the functioning of democracies. The former’s flagging of a presidential tweet as fake news, and the latter’s executive order altering the liability of SM platforms who edit content, is worth understanding better. Especially since the early 20th century, US …

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