‘Anna Hazare’ was a trending topic on Twitter for more than a week during the anti- corruption movement recently staged in India. Social media has seeped into the various folds of the Indian society and so a medium like ‘Twitter’ has become an important tool for journalist’s, activists, social commentators and politicians!
Recent, surveys have revealed that there are more than 65 million active internet users in India and almost half of them are part of one or the other social network. The numbers are big enough to ensure that politicians can no longer ignore this medium and its benefits. For most politicians that is the very reason to be a little wary about the service. But steadily a group of tech-savvy politicians are utilizing this platform to connect with India’s online population.
In United States many politicians were seen utilizing Twitter as a part of their campaign during the run-up to the 2012 Presidential elections. Indian politicians need to learn from them and treat Twitter as another medium of interacting with the populace. Omar Abdullah’s tweet on the Afzal Guru issue sparked a controversy, but it also led to an excellent debate on NDTV 24×7’s popular show ‘We The People’ on Sunday.
India has one of the youngest populations in the world and with time a significant number of voters are going to be online. This further makes it imperative for politicians across party-lines to imbibe social media into strategy. It presents an excellent opportunity to reach out and have a direct interaction with the people whom they will be representing. A politician can find out what is happening in his/her constituency and can spell out corrective or reformative measures through social media.
We have all witnessed the power of Twitter during the Jasmine Revolution that swept across the Middle-east and Northern Africa. In Tunisia and Egypt more information was coming out through the microblogging site than traditional media. Just as it can be used for good it can also be a tool for political propaganda as is being increasingly the case in the Arab world. But yet it is the perfect place for a debate, which is instantaneous and where everyone has equal opportunity to express their view.
At the moment a miniscule percentage of Indian politicians are active on Twitter or for that matter Facebook. It is true that on an impulse they might say something stupid and their faux pas could ensure a few extra press meetings for their respective party spokespersons. But this is a price worth paying, keeping in mind the other more worthy benefits of a medium like Twitter.
BY: Riddhi Mukherjee
