Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Alternative media gives voice to the Opposition
NEW DELHI : The 2024 general elections will probably go down as the one that saw the coming of age of opposition parties in leveraging alternative media—YouTubers, independent journalists, social-media influencers—in the jostle for gaining political mileage. At last count, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) had clocked in 41.47% of all votes, right behind the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA's) 45.13%.
Media experts say a lot of the social-media content may not have been technically backed by the parties in question, but has instead come from unorganised entities working as an independent ecosystem to take on the ruling alliance via satire, humour and fact-based posts. Names like Dhruv Rathee stand out with engaging and simplified videos on a number of subjects, complemented by the party leaders themselves who also tried to model communication that could appeal especially to Gen Z and millennial voters, experts pointed out.
“The 2019 elections were largely dominated by WhatsApp, while the 2024 elections saw YouTube as a major medium," communications strategy consultant Karthik Srinivasan said. “In a way, these influencers became an alternative media and were very vocal this election.
Their presence was necessitated because the mainstream media was taking a pro-ruling government position." This meant there was an active, visible and vocal counter media that probably shifted perspectives significantly, Srinivasan added. “What they said and how they presented their points of view made a big dent with the people who were tired of seeing the same point of view coming from the organised media," he added.
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