Politics, new social media and mobilisation in India

Abstract

New Social Media (such as blogs, social networking sites and Twitter) has made an interesting penetration in Indian Politics in the recent years. Not only has it attempted to introduce new forms of communication and mobilisation within distinct political actors, it has also brought in a slight change in the content of the political message. Whether it is by way of popular mobilisation of civil society on issues relating to corruption or crime against women, reaching out to the electorate on a real-time basis by using the latest social media platforms, or the state using the new media technology to spread messages of social policy, it does appear that new media tools are now likely to have a permanent space in the publicpolitical landscape in India. So much so that the 2014 elections were often referred to as the first social media elections in India. However; it remains to be seen if the new social media has the potential to alter the grammar of Indian politics which has traditionally been dominated by primordial factors of caste, community and religion. The present chapter attempts to look at some recent trends in social media mobilisation to explore whether it really has a transformative potential or has no more than a marginal influence in shaping opinions and outcomes.