Farmers' Digital Revolution: How Social Media is Driving the Agricultural Protests in India

Strategic Insights -

As tensions between the Indian farmers and the Centre reached a boiling point, the farmers resorted to social media to spread their message and debunk false news and propaganda. With over 312,000 followers on its Facebook page, the Kisan Ekta Morcha has become an authorised channel for the protesting farmer groups to disseminate information. The farmers have also leveraged other digital platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube to reach a wider audience.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda) has used Facebook Live to give its followers a preview of the talks between the farmers and the Centre, reaching over 312,000 followers on its page.
  • The protesters have a strong presence on other digital platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube, to tell their side of the story directly to whoever is willing to listen.
  • The farmers have developed a social media strategy to counter false news and propaganda spread by their opponents, with a team in Punjab that monitors and debunks fake news across social media.
  • The Kisan Ekta Morcha has a team of experts who prepare to deal with any kind of falsehoods their opponents come up with in the online space, ensuring that authentic information is spread through their channels.
  • The protesters' use of social media has been successful in silencing the opposing narrative, with Shivam Shankar Singh, an independent political consultant, stating that the reason the anti-protest narrative isn't working is because no one has been able to define the farmers.
  • The farmers' digital presence has also helped them to reach a large population of viewers, with some videos being downloaded and circulated on WhatsApp, potentially reaching a larger audience than YouTube.

Statistics:

  • The Kisan Ekta Morcha has over 312,000 followers on its Facebook page.
  • Over 2 weeks, the Morcha has put out authentic information, without claiming copyright to the content, which has been used by digital channels to provide more coverage to the protests.
  • The Morcha's IT cell is prepared to deal with any kind of falsehoods, and is constantly monitoring and debunking fake news across social media.

Sources:

  • "Farmers turn to social media to counter false propaganda" by Venkat Ananth, Times of India (Dec 30, no date provided)
  • quoted contributions from Jagmohan Singh, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda)
  • quoted contributions from Sandhu, Kisan Ekta Morcha
  • quoted contributions from Shivam Shankar Singh, independent political consultant
  • Timescontent.com (for Reprint Rights)