Opinion Explosion in Indian Social Media – A Driver for Real Change or Just a Lot of Noise?
Written by Arghya // December 18, 2012 // Economic & Social Policy // 26 Comments
[A guest post by Nandana Sengupta. Nandana is a doctoral candidate in Economics at Carnegie Mellon University]
The last few months have been brimming with activism amongst middle class Indians making themselves heard on social media. Every so often we experience sudden enthusiasm and equally sudden outrage; we publically chronicle both our frustration and celebration. Some would argue this is a good thing — interest in politics and involvement via any channel is a sign of participation and a stepping stone towards developing political awareness. Some would argue this phenomenon leads to a lot of noise, is superficial at best and is no driver for actual social change. Both viewpoints seem logical – though a lot of the views expressed are perhaps naïve and somewhat emotional, there is a lot that can be made, a lot that can be broken by strong public sentiment. This article is an attempt to look at both sides of the argument and understand why this phenomenon can be seen as symptomatic of a largely positive change albeit with some riders.
Putting the question in context: Some Examples
The most obvious example of an organized movement that has tapped into the opportunity for generating aggressive public opinion using social media is the 2011 anti-corruption movement started by the NGO “India Against Corruption” which centered its campaign around the now-ubiquitous figure of Anna Hazare. Thousands of people gathered at protests grounds throughout India– but perhaps the main impetus came from those participating in the cause via Twitter and Facebook. Smaller and less organized citizen movements have taken place in the past too where technology has been the used to generate the numbers required for the authorities to take note. Some have met with a degree of success (the Jessica Lall murder case) while some still carry on with no definite end in sight (Irom Sharmila’s fast for the repeal of AFSPA).
While the motives of the Anna Hazare movement were (arguably) noble, there is an ugly side to the herding of opinions on the internet. Consider for instance the aftermath of the recent Assam riots. Although confirmed information about the situation in the state was not freely available, stories of atrocities on both sides which had not been validated were ironically flowing freely and being propagated online. The fact that some of these rumors were highly provocative led to an atmosphere of suspicion, in some cases leading to violent consequences.
A third form of viral propaganda common online revolves around an individual. Again Anna Hazare’s emergence as the head of a corruption free India comes to mind – this hitherto little known figure could suddenly do no wrong, and anyone who dared to be circumspect about his intention was considered pro-corruption. Another obvious example is the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi who has hordes of people out for his blood (this group holds him solely responsible for the 2002 riots) as well as a sizable cohort lauding his every endeavor(this group considers him a beacon of development and even fantasizes about him as the next Prime Minister). The personality traits of the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh have also come under intense scrutiny in recent months. In all three cases these tiny bytes of opinion/information are often not backed by anything beyond the superficial and are the online equivalents of high school bullying or hero worship.
Why now?
It’s useful to think about the peculiarity of this age in the Indian context — why now, of all times is this phenomenon emerging? I can think of three major factors. The obvious one being technological – it’s easier today for the common person to be heard today than ever before. The right to hold and propagate opinions is no longer the sole luxury of the intellectual, the journalist, the business tycoon or the politician. Thanks to the information revolution anyone with an email address, a facebook or twitter account has a readymade audience.
Two other factors come to mind – and these are more to do with the nature of Indian society today. The first is demographic. Just having a mode to communicate is a sufficient condition for the opinion explosion, but whether it’s a necessary condition is not so obvious. A certain level of enthusiasm (and confidence) in a sizable proportion of the population is also a key factor. India prides itself on its “demographic dividend”: in an era where most western countries are grappling with the problem of aging populations, India has amongst the highest proportions of young people in the world. This demographic, in the most vocal stage of their lives has found a way to get its voice heard in cyber space.
There is another factor that it would be foolish to ignore — the economics. I’m in my late twenties, and unlike my preceding generation, I find that most of my friends love their life in India. Many who are studying or working abroad harbor serious ambitions of going back to the country of their birth. Part of the reason is because economically it’s an exciting place to be, especially in terms of entrepreneurship. The other, less idealistic reason is that for the upper middle class Indian, our metropolitan cities are a happy confluence of two worlds: the consumer culture of the west coexists with the luxuries the elite enjoy in the subcontinent. The informal insurance provided by a large network of family ties is another attraction. Yet, there is a lot that is wrong with our country and the young, ambitious and vocal cohort is also impatient. It demands change – perhaps forgetting that any large scale change in a country as diverse as India requires patient deliberation. This impatience and demand for change can manifest itself as outbursts online.
The Opportunities Social Media Brings
The most obvious opportunity is increased access to information as well as analysis. One can subscribe at no cost to newspapers and magazines online – something that was impossible earlier. Quality news and opinion pieces were accessible only to those willing to pay – not so anymore, most leading magazines and newspapers promote their content online via Facebook and Twitter. Not just that, we see what others in our network care about and get exposed to a whole variety of themes beyond our limited experiences.
Social media also provides an avenue for participation. The usual grouse of the middle class in India is that it is not involved in governance. The relative size of the group is so small in a country still largely poor that it really cannot control who gets elected into government (this political impotence some suspect is the basis of much of its bias against politicians). There is also a feeling that given an opportunity this group (by virtue of its higher level of education) could do a lot of good for society – but its hands are tied and its voice stifled because of red tape and corruption. With the advent of social media, more than any other section of Indian society, the middle class now has an opportunity to organize itself via campaigns and petitions online. How effective these are is questionable and this form of participation might be superficial too. That being said, those who are serious can get connected to previously established groups. For example, “Teach for India” is a successful movement that has managed to attract a number of young professionals to teach full-time in low income schools. Gathering electronic signatures for petitions has also become much easier than before thanks to websites like “change.org” and “awaaz.org”.
The final, and in my opinion the greatest positive impact that social media can have is to encourage debate and discussion. Given respect for others’ opinions and logical thinking, dissecting arguments and hearing out people who oppose one’s views can help soften stances. This calibration of world views and moving away from personal axioms has a scientific flavor and should be especially attractive to a country with an obsession for its engineers and doctors.
The Concerns
While greater discussion is a good thing, if most participants in these discussions choose rhetoric over logic, it can lead to over simplification of issues and polarization of views. The demonization as well as hero-worship of certain public figures is one example of such herd behavior. It is the multiplicity and diversity of opinions, the historically argumentative nature of the Indian populace that has sustained and nourished our democracy. It will be truly heartbreaking if on every public matter there are just two polarized groups engaged in a shouting match to put each other down – and no individuals in the middle of the spectrum to help facilitate a compromise. The result can be serious instability. The aftermath of the Assam riots is an extreme example of this form of polarization which should not be taken lightly.
I’ve often been disappointed by the wanton and widespread use of the phrase “something is better than nothing” by my friends and colleagues. This is in fact not true – doing something can be worse than doing nothing in certain situations. Supporting a cause because one can’t think of any other way to contribute is symptomatic of both impatience and laziness -laziness in thought and impatience in action. The romantic notion that large movements always lead to optimal solutions is just that—a romantic notion. In fact, giving in to the demands of large public pressure groups can be regressive. Consider the case of South Korea, where a large number of school textbooks removed references to the theory of evolution in favor of creationist theories because of a successful public petition. Another case in point is the ”Twitter Revolution” in Egypt whose outcome is not exactly what the idealist had in mind. This is not to say that public petitions and movements are always misguided, but that there are many possible solutions to a problem and it is not necessary that the solution with the most vocal public backing is the best.
Another concern is the inequity in access to social media in India – something that leads to illusionary beliefs about ground realities. Consider some of the basic requirements for posting views online on a regular basis. Literacy is one, continuous access to the internet another – rich and middle class Indians (a group that accounts for a very small proportion of the total population of India) are thus the primary suppliers and consumers of opinions over social media. The problem occurs when we try to infer population beliefs from this limited sample and claim that what we see online is an accurate reflection of the “mood of the nation”. This is a classic case of “selection bias” – an issue economists have been grappling with for some time now. Put simply: unlike data in science experiments, social science data is inherently biased (towards those who choose to participate) and therefore making inferences from it blindly, dangerous.
Survey design also matters – a lot. Some surveys suffer from “leading questions”— the way a question is framed can lead to biased responses. These two important factors “selection bias” and “survey design bias” are extremely important considerations for any student of politics or economics. Yet, public pressure groups often completely disregard these — for instance, the members of India Against Corruption regularly make statements like “This is what India wants –”, “India has spoken –” on the basis of internet polls which cannot possibly represent the entire population even if their survey designs were miraculously flawless.
Where we stand and where we are heading
Social Media is here to stay. And we are lucky to enjoy freedom of speech and expression (at least in theory). We can also hope that over the next few decades there will be substantial growth in literacy rates and internet access in India. Given this scenario social media represents a great opportunity to get voices heard and for people to get involved. It would be foolish to ignore the potential of social media as a political tool in India. However we must remember the caveats – first, that opinions on social media represent only a small proportion of the population that is self-selecting, therefore making inferences about the whole is dangerous. Second, there is a danger of oversimplification and a tendency to generate public pressure for quick-fix solutions that may be suboptimal and lead to instability.
In the long run there is a real danger of some groups being formed which will neglect these caveats and develop hard line stances based on illusionary beliefs and imperfect sampling. These groups will also actively try to polarize public opinion, possibly using social media to further their propaganda. However I believe the nature of political discourse in India is rich and diverse enough to allow these groups to exist without being engulfed by them. In his book “The Argumentative Indian” Amartya Sen argues that one of the reasons that democracy has flourished in India is the long tradition of argumentation that we enjoy. Expressing and defending opinions online is the natural evolution of this tradition. Thus in my opinion, even with the formation of pockets of people who hold extreme and hardline stances, on a balance of probabilities the information revolution is going to lead to a more equal and more aware society.
[Cover image attribution: By designbolts.com (Freeiconsweb.com) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons]
26 Comments on "Opinion Explosion in Indian Social Media – A Driver for Real Change or Just a Lot of Noise?"
Someone necessarily help to make severely posts I might state.
This is the first time I frequented your website page and up to now?
I surprised with the research you made to create this actual put up amazing.
Great activity!
We tend to gain weight during sugar consumption because it lacks these vital nutrients.
The claim that green tea can cause weight loss is no
exception to it. Obviously if we have pain or anxiety about
a tumor or cyst often times that.
Feel free to surf to my web site; easy hcg drops reviews
Just how much folic acid do you need to notice a difference in your
hair growth. The US National Library of Medicine warns against ingesting this petroleum product.
A number of would say that will sometimes they rarely find time to
rinse their hair.
Review my web page; organic hair care products for african americans
‘ Propecia is meant to be used in men suffering from male pattern baldness after consulting a doctor.
Zinc absorption and vitamin C intake could be synergistic.
By observing all the above tips when faced with the problem of hair loss Minneapolis citizens should be able to
contain avoidable hair breakages.
My page … hair growth for women approved by fda
After work, she still has enough juice in her system to work out and ride
bikes with her kids. Many weighing counselors and internet
sites, talk about exercise and other physical activities like participating in outdoor games and
sports. During this phase, individuals eat only those foods that have been approved for use in the h – CG diet.
My blog post: hcg weight loss gilbert az
Many people will say it’s genetics, but that is not the case.
This has however been made easier thanks to HCG supplements that come loaded with vitamin B12, minerals and amino acids
that are likely to be absent in most diets for quick weight loss.
People on HCG eating plans notice outcome quickly,
also within times of starting the program.
Feel free to visit my page :: weight loss with hcg drops
Many people will say it’s genetics, but that is not the case.
It was something I had to research and explore, since
my patients were asking for it, and I had really turned away from this approach.
This can give you a definite goal which can later on help you work hard
during exercise sessions and comply to a healthy diet.
Here is my web blog … hcg weight loss marietta ga
It is important to exfoliate and shave before you use spray tanning products.
When compared with other diet supplements, this product is too good to compare with others and only the users can say the facts.
Weight loss alone may be a good option for people with pre-diabetes symptoms,
as it can sometimes reverse problems and prevent further damage from
occurring. Chromium deficiency is one possible cause
of weight plus diabetes. Benefits: Reduces cravings for sugar, controls your blood sugars, people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are having positive benefits drinking this smooth gourmet green tea.
You should continue this movement until your body is maintaining a sitting position, thighs parallel with your feet.
One of these minerals is iodine, and this is very beneficial to
the production of thyroid hormones in the human body.
For colon cleansing, you need to alter can make and offer a bunch of vegetables and fruits on the everyday morning meal.
For some individuals, their body may just be in the beginning stages of showing symptoms with trouble processing sugar, labeling them pre-diabetic.
Typically, these should go away after a short while, however, should you continue to experience them, you should stop the
supplement.
Visit my blog: Garcinia Plus Free Trial
These clinics are few and far between and the shot regimen is expensive.
It should be much easier to compare prices, guarantees, and quality of the product.
‘ HCG by itself is not a hormone but is considered to be a pro-hormone, that is, a chemical that causes the body to produce additional helpful hormones.
If you want to become CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and establish a long-term and respected career in this noble field, it is important to
undergo CNA training. This is extremely popular with celebrities as it is a quick way to lose weight without too much worry for the next acting job.
h – CG dieters do not have to give up flavor or
delicious food. When entering food, the app lets you check it first on the app’s user-defined
database of your favorite foods. This means that no one can be certain of the content of these drugs or what effects they might have on unsuspecting dieters.
If you lose more than that and you are following the formula
above just increase your calories a little bit until you are losing consistently, but slowly.
Once you do the Hcg diet protocol, you can consume that one thing.
my blog post hcg weight loss nasal spray
And mass media did not slack; word of mouth is just in hyper speed because of
social networking and video sharing sites. Research tools such as emailing, tracking cookies and electronic polls help
companies stay ahead of competitors. As its primary means of providing data and text entry, the handset
utilises a QWERTY keyboard which is responsive and efficient.
A blog is your hub – a key component of your online marketing.
Social networking has now become the norm for individuals and businesses
alike. Learn more how to prevent yourself from being hacked.
People who use these directories can find your
site. Track how much time you spend on social networking for a month.
This service is free for 14 days which is enough to understand whether this
tool is right for your business. If they don’t like your product, they will not
buy it and if you do not know that they don’t like your product, then you will never change your strategy
or devote much time to product improvement and service refinement.
Here is my web-site delray beach social media marketing websites
The bottom-line is that you simply ought to retain the services of a CPA, if you aren. 5 million small business establishments in the United
States. As a summary of our forensic accounting career information, it can be concluded that CPAs who have
completed the specialized course in Forensic Financial Accounting
as well as passed the test administered by the American College of
Forensic Examiners International (ACFEI) are entitled to designation as Certified Forensic Accountant.
Here is my blog post: cpas in fort lauderdale fl
Replacing the wax ring is a lot less difficult and expensive than replacing the toilet, but if you have wanted a new
commode, this is your chance. The kitchen and bathroom are the places that we hang out in, at
the end of a hard day. Do not just ask any plumber to come over and do some immediate repairs.
My web site; shower jag repairs pompano beach
One of the main reasons that have led to the failure
of other diet plans when compared to HCG weight loss drops is that in HCG diet
plan, there is no chance that a patient will feel hungry
because along with 500 calories a day, the patient is only allowed to have high protein meals with rich fiber food which is why the patient won’t feel hungry
and in fact they feel contented all day. As a dieter,
if you come across a particular flavour or herbal tea type that you especially fall in love with, you
can easily continue consuming it after the completion of your
diet without having to worry about its effects on your
health. This can give you a definite goal which can later on help you
work hard during exercise sessions and comply to a healthy diet.
Feel free to visit my blog post; Health and Lifestyle
Dieters will find it is easier to strictly follow the 500-calorie diet
program with the help of HCG needles or common HCG
products. It is said that when there is a scarce of HCG in the body, it becomes difficult to manage
the body weight. It is in reality the perspective of the people which will decides irrespective of whether a weight
loss program will work or otherwise.
Here is my website: hcg weight loss dangers
In simple words, fashion illustration gives a freedom to the artist to
put forward the fashion designs and ideas in front of the entire world.
So, all of them will buy a pair of beautiful chinese embroidered shoes without any hesitant.
By searching on the net, one can find hundreds of fashion industry portals where all kinds of information related
to European fashion are available in detail.
Here is my web blog – boutique dresses cheap
Once you find a mask you like, you should stick with it.
She has also adopted an American name, June, which illustrates her assimilation to American culture.
If I ever found a product that was sticky or
smelly I would never use it again, but then I started hearing
more and more about another issue – dangerous personal care products so I started researching.
Stop by my web-site: chloe sims walmart 1 hour guarantee
Likewise, a natural method to thicken hair is to make sure one’s
diet is rich in protein, crucial fats and oils, and other essentials.
LEIMO’s natural ingredients are of the purest and highest grade essential oils to deliver
the cost effective results our clients demand. If there are new spots,
we start the process again.
my site – healthy living
Shock hair loss is generally caused by physician error when doing the treatment, so picking a physician who understands exactly what they are doing is essential.
Zinc absorption and vitamin C intake could be synergistic.
Testing blood or saliva usually is done in the morning and evening with the normal
ranges as noted below.
Here is my web blog; best products for hair growth for women
You will also need to stay away from too much exfoliation after tanning,
so you don’t rub off the tanned skin. She has also adopted an American name,
June, which illustrates her assimilation to American culture.
If I ever found a product that was sticky or smelly
I would never use it again, but then I started hearing more and
more about another issue – dangerous personal care products so I
started researching.
Look at my web-site – chloe sims false false eyelashes before and after
Actually, the correct term is “nausea and vomiting of pregnancy”.
However, there are numerous HCG recipes that exist,
thanks to the thousands of people who’ve bravely undertaken this diet.
Determining cause and effect is not really possible.
Here is my weblog: weight loss product hcg
There is nothing miraculous about this approach but instead it incorporates a healthy dose of common sense with a healthy activity.
However, home remedies for colon cleansing work on the initial stages of cleansing and most advanced and stubborn colons may
not respond to it. When choosing a store that sells this supplement, make
sure to read comments of each store’s past customers to make certain you can purchase safe, effective and legal
Garcinia cambogia extract pills.
Feel free to surf to my weblog pure cambogia garcinia extract diet
Wow, that’s what I was searching for, what a information! present here
at this web site, thanks admin of this web page.
It’s actually a cool and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this useful
information with us. Please keep us informed like this.
Thank you for sharing.
Very good write-up. I certainly appreciate this
site. Stick with it!
Fantastic site. Lots of useful info here. I am sending it to several pals ans also sharing in delicious.
And obviously, thank you in your sweat!
Trackbacks for this post