There was a time when Indian political leaders had to give countless interviews and conduct rallies to address the masses and spread their political ideaology. The Out of Home(OOH) media, newspaper ads and pamphlets distribution were also part of the communication strategy of the political campaigns. But then all of these media had one drawback they were more or less like someone trying to sell you something.
Then came the era of social media marketing. A medium which can shape the opinions of people in a subtle manner and reach wide range of audiences within short time and also giving the word of mouth publicity. But then the Facebooks and Twitters of the world had caused a lot of trouble for some people for expressing themselves freely or causing an issue on some sensitive topics.
Then Whatsapp happened. Whatsapp had the reach as good as other social media and since you shared with people you are close with, rarely you could get in trouble. But the biggest benefit it offered was that people won't know you were the source of the message. And this thing is used by the political parties in India to their advantage.
It is like I am selling you but you don't know I am selling you because I am making you think you want to buy from me by subtly influencing your thinking and shaping your opinion. A classic marketing tactic 'People don't like to be sold they like to think they are buying' is at work.
If you try to recall for a moment the jokes which were circulating on Whatsapp before Loksabha elections were mainly revolving around making fun of leaders of ruling party and showed the captain of opposition team outsmarting everyone. And since the posts were witty they obviously caught people's attention and were forwarded ahead. Slowly the thing captured the minds of the audience and then the medium was used to project the ruling party and their leaders as inefficient and how opposition can fulfill all your dreams. The elections were just a formality, the people were already sold on the opposition.
Even now after the formation of new government you can see lot of messages that are validating and advertising government actions.
During State elections also we could see many parties using Whatsapp to reach their target audience.
Only time can answer if the political parties will continue to influence people through media like Whatsapp or will people ultimately find out the hidden motives behind the funny messages that are being circulated and the fact that they are being manipulated and used to spread the political propaganda. But till then Whatsapp will continue to play the role of the Super-Campaigner in India.
