Impact of Fake News: An Indian Electoral Perspective

Abstract

Fake news, misinformation, disinformation, is not a new phenomenon. It has co-existed with human civilization, to which history is evidence. However, with the advent and proliferation of the internet and social media coming of age, the extent of fake news in public sphere has magnified manifold. Considering India being a mobile first market, where majority of people identify smart phones as their main device for accessing online news and a considerable number using it only for accessing online news, more specifically through various kinds of social media2 , the crisis of fake news in India becomes more rampant. This paradigm shift in the way people in India have begun to access news, placing more credibility to news on social media platforms than on the traditional sources and the fact that public opinion is of utmost importance, to determine who rules the country, has inspired political parties, politicians and their supporters to resort to and optimally use social media platforms for election campaigning and communication. The 2019 General Elections are a testimony to the fact, where social media platforms were favourably used not only to disseminate political agendas, ideologies, manifestos, publicity campaigns, so as to garner a favourable public opinion, but also undermine the position of the opposition. If British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reports hold any veracity, WhatsApp in India has become a vehicle for misinformation and propaganda. For the 2019 general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition, the Congress party, both took to spread false news or misinformation in an attempt to mislead the electorate and gain a favourable advantage.3 For instance, there was a message in circulation on WhatsApp, about the suicide bombing against the Indian security forces in Kashmir in 2019, where it was claimed that the leader of the Congress party had promised a huge amount of money to the perpetrator/accused and his family and in addition promised to release him and other terrorists languishing in prison. The people of the state voted for the Congress in the approaching elections.4 Another message doing rounds was how the Bharatiya Janata Party was “indulging in war mongering for electoral gains”5 . Yet another interesting piece of misinformation was regarding a purported circular from the Election Commission of India,(ECI) which stated that Non-Resident Indian (NRI)s who held an Indian Passport could vote online.6 Innumerable such instances of fake news on social media, inciting national, religious, or any other sentiment, during elections, came to light, with the intent to gain traction and to undermine the image of the opposition, in order to gain a favourable advantage in elections.