The Influence Of Influencers: Examining Their Impact On Lok Sabha Elections 2024

Because the royal family at the time, and even now, held a lot of influence over the people, Wedgwood leveraged his ‘association’ with the family and began to market his pottery as "Queen's Ware," highlighting its royal approval. 

Almost three centuries later, the style of influencing people has changed as we have ushered in an era of new technologies. But the rules of influencing haven’t changed one bit.

More people are dumping their ‘soul-sucking’ 9-to-5 jobs and throwing in their hat in the ring that is the 20 billion rupee influencer industry (US$239 million) in India.

We have clearly come a long way since Wedgwood’s time. Today an influencer, easily recognisable and often seen holding a phone camera and speaking directly into it, holds a distinct role in shaping consumer behaviour. 

This modern-day influencer holds power through digital platforms and leverages their personal brand, expertise, or charisma to impact the audience’s choices—social or political.

It’s true that a major chunk of the older population gets their information from news channels and print newspapers. However, many younger individuals, who are predominantly active on social media, prefer diverse information sources, spanning various ideological spectrums.

As of 2022, about 55 million urban Indians directly follow various influencers. The influencer marketing industry is projected to reach a staggering value of Rs 2,800 crore by 2026.

But what does this all have to do with why we are doing this story today? While there is no way to measure the exact influence of these influencers on the results of the Lok Sabha elections, which would be like finding a needle in a haystack, we will be examining those who managed to capture significant attention, garnering millions of views within days.

Dhruv Rathee - YouTube Activist And The Opposition’s Golden Child

With 21.8 million followers on YouTube and each video averaging about 15 million views, Rathee's content has been described as a “truth serum” for the digital age. He unpacks social and financial issues while unravelling the twists and turns of politics. 

In the lead-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Rathee covered topics like unemployment, lack of job security, electoral bonds, and other issues looming over India. 

Some of his videos have garnered tens of millions of views. His instagram account has more than 11 million follower. As influencers like Rathee continue to wield significant influence in shaping public opinion, their role in Indian politics becomes increasingly evident. 

BeerBiceps - The Blue-Eyed Boy

Ranveer Allahbadia, famed for his YouTube channel BeerBiceps, has a subscriber base of 7.45 million followers and hosts The Ranveer Show (TRS) podcast. His influence extends far and wide.

He has interviewed many aides and ministers of the central government like External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, former political advisor to the PM Sanjeev Sanyal, former chief executive officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant, Meity Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of Textiles Piyush Goyal, Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani and former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan.

While his content isn't solely focused on religion, Allahbadia frequently delves into topics related to Hinduism, a significant talking point for many people. Among his videos are titles such as "Who Is SHIVA?" and "Lord Ram, Hanuman Ji, & Sita Mata – Lessons From The Ramayana," offering viewers insights into spiritual themes.

Allahbadia aka BeerBiceps was conferred the “Disruptor of the Year” award at the National Creators’ Award function.

Samdish Bhatia - Unfiltered And Hilarious

Known primarily for his on-ground reporting during elections and key social events, Samdish Bhatia is a familiar name in the Indian political journalism world on YouTube. 

Samdish has his own YouTube channel, UNFILTERED by Samdish, where he largely covers ground reports from election campaigns and conducts informal interviews with politicians for his 1.68 million subscribers. 

Though he had interviewed many political heavvyweights including Rahul Gandhi and Asaduddin Owaisi, the video that takes the cake is his interview with political strategist, Prashant Kishore. 

The video was released one week before the start of the 2024 General Elections and has garnered over 8 million views till date. Though not an influencer in the typical sense of the word, Samdish’s content is a window into alternate journalism.

Bollywood - Influence, Propaganda And Then Some

The biggest influencer has been the Bollywood industry. And no, we do not mean actors and actresses personally advocating for a certain political party. But also through the release of nationalist and what some have called, ‘political films’ over the past decade. 

In the run-up to the 2019 elections, movies like a biographical film on India’s Prime Minister ‘PM Narendra Modi’, a film on the Indian army’s response to a terrorist attack called 'Uri: The Surgical Strike,' and 'The Accidental Prime Minister' based on former PM Manmohan Singh's tenure, emerged as significant influencers.

In the last couple of years, other movies like ‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar,’ ‘Jahangir National University,’ ‘Article 370,’ ‘Mai Atal Hoon,’ came up in the run up to state elections and the grand finale - the Lok Sabha elections.

Movies have always served as powerful tools in shaping public opinion. They tap into sentiments, which resonate with a wide audience across India, including patriotism and national pride.

The influence of these films on the thought process of the masses cannot be underestimated, especially considering Bollywood's massive reach and influence on Indian society. 

These movies also ended up stirring controversies and debates about their accuracy and fairness. Critics argued they were biased, and gave away the feeling of them being more like political propaganda than artistic expressions.

Influencers influencing social and political narratives isn’t going to die down anytime soon. They are free to opine. Influencers have turned their political leanings into a form of currency and have, in turn, capitalised on the same. With a rise in polarisation, everyone likes feeling validated for the opinions they do hold, even if it is in their own echo chambers.

But what influence, if any, do they have on election results, on shifting a mandate, or ultimately on shaping the course of governance? That remains a subject of debate and investigation.

More Election Related Stories:

Polls Over, Business Keeps Its War Plans And Policy Wishlist Close To The Chest

The Six States Which Changed The Course Of 2024 Elections

2024 Lok Sabha Elections: How Did Bureaucrat-Turned Politicians Perform In The Polls?

Lok Sabha Election 2024: The Big Winners And The Bigger Losers Of The Game Of Politics

Priorities For New Govt: Climate Change, Jobs Crisis, Food Inflation & Reviving Small Businesses

How Deeply Entrenched Will Deep Fakes Continue To Be In Indian Elections?

Lok Sabha Polls 2024: How India Voted Seat By Seat In A Blockbuster Election