Chapter 9: From Rallies to Reels: The Digital Transformation of Indian Political Campaigning

Over the past two decades, political campaigning in India has seen a significant change, moving away from conventional strategies, like rallies, television broadcast, and print media, to one that is powered by data and online platforms. Due to social media platforms and India’s prediction of 900 million internet users by 2025, political parties can now connect directly with voters, garner support and influence public opinion which can be molded in ways that were never possible before. This chapter examines the development of political communication in India, emphasizing the ways in which digital means such as influencer marketing, WhatsApp groups, social media campaigns, and micro-targeting advertising have changed election strategies. However, the shift to digital campaigning presents many difficulties. Problems of misinformation, data privacy, algorithmic bias, and unequal access to digital technologies pose serious threats to the integrity of democracy. This chapter explores these threats and also highlights the growing importance of digital diplomacy, as seen by world leaders influencing global conversations on social media sites, such as Twitter. This chapter expands our knowledge about how technological developments have fundamentally changed the character of political participation, communication channels, and democratic engagement in the digital age by providing an in-depth analysis of the Indian environment.