Over the past decade, social media has become central to the outreach strategies of political actors across party lines in India. Politicians often engage with social media influencers, but where do journalists fit in?

These were themes discussed during “Journalism and the Weight of Social Media Influence”, a presentation by Joyojeet Pal, associate professor at the University of Michigan, at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. He talked about how influencers play a crucial role in setting political agendas, enabling micro-targeting, and driving political engagement.

“Influencers become a part of the disinformation campaign and actively spread misinformation online,” he said. 

Watch.

Listen to the conversation here: