Social Networking and Indian Politicians: A Love Hate Relationship

Sam Pitroda Twitter Event

Yesterday, Mr. Sam Pitroda, the advisor to PM on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations (wow, what does this mean?), held a “press conference” on Twitter. Although the said interaction did not follow the format of a press conference – it has certainly set the news wires buzzing. Only today, I have seen many news articles referring to this interaction – almost in reverential terms. On the other hand, most of the really technical hacks have dismissed the effort, and even termed it as a fail.

Shashi Tharoor: Busted by Twitter

However, this is a harbinger of the imminent change in the typical political mindset. Yesterday’s blooper apart, politicians seem to be waking up to the potential of social networking sites as tools for better connect with the constituents – the ultimate arbiters of politics. A few weeks back, the Gujarat CM, Mr. Narendra Modi had held a highly successful meet up on Google hangout, hosted by Ajay Devgn. Many other politicians, such as Sushma Swaraj, Ajay Maken, Akhilesh Yadav etc have Twitter accounts, although very few take the trouble – or rather, have the savvy enough – to update it regularly.

Perhaps they may also feel discouraged by the Shashi Tharoor episode – where just a couple of carelessly worded tweets cost him his cabinet berth, in addition to making him a laughing stock of the entire internet community in India. This just goes to show the power and potential of social networking and its importance to politicians – done correctly, it is a blessing, and done wrongly, it can have instant repercussions.

Narendra Modi and Ajay Devgn on Google Hangout

This is also an indicator of the impact of social networking and sharing on the public in general. As many events in the recent past have shown, the SNS have taken up cudgels wherever the traditional media blundered. Sometimes, the effort has been positive – as in the Aseem Trivedi case, and sometimes, it has been extremely negative –as in the post-violence phase in Assam. For the authorities, the solution lies not in suppressing or trying to control it – but rather in understanding how it works, and going with the flow.

Smart TVs as Social Centers

From its early days as a mere socializing tool, the social media itself has evolved tremendously over the years. Now, it also being hailed as an instrument of social change – for example, the Arab Spring is widely credited to having been fueled by social networking. Social networking has now become a part and parcel of our lives, to the extent that we even use our mobiles mostly for social networking – rather than just simply talking or messaging. Even the current line of Smart TVs from top TV makers has social networking features enabled on them, thus multiplying the avenues of interaction. This is possibly the face of social networking in the future – when we will perhaps interact with each other seamlessly across a host of devices – Smartphones, PCs and Smart TVs as well.