Pal: Narendra Modi’s use of social media is driving popularity

Smartphone use in India is extremely high. Its citizens use more mobile data than the United States and China combined, a fact not lost on India’s prime minister Narendra Modi. For years, Modi has built entire political campaigns through his use of social media, bypassing mainstream media sources and speaking directly to his very engaged audiences. 

This has led to Modi’s booming popularity in India, says University of Michigan School of Information associate professor Joyojeet Pal. 

“Modi’s use of social media will be the playbook for politicians in various parts of the world — he is the apex predator of the social media food chain,” Pal says. “He’s not just on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn; he has over 100 playlists on YouTube. There was a time he could make social media celebs salute on demand, now he doesn’t even have to try because it is part of their ritual.”

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Read “How Narendra Modi became India’s influencer-in-chief” at Rest of World. 

Check out more of Joyojeet Pal’s research on the role of technology in democracy and labor by visiting his UMSI faculty profile. 

Read more of Pal’s commentary on Narendra Modi’s rise in The Financial Times, Countercurrents and Newslaundry.