Do not take YouTubers lightly, they united the special voters by creating anti-Modi wave

New Delhi: In the last national elections in 2019, the BJP dominated the social media space. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, YouTubers played a key role in wresting the space from the saffron party’s grip, improving the position of the Congress-led coalition INDIA. Many YouTubers not only strengthened anti-Modi and anti-BJP sentiments but also kept the anti-government voters united. These YouTubers even caught the attention of the British weekly journal The Economist. According to Statista.com, India has 476 million YouTube viewers.

YouTubers like Dhruv Rathi spread a lot of propaganda

Statistics show that Dhruv Rathi is the most viewed YouTuber in this election. Rathi’s ‘Modi: The Real Story’ alone has 27 million views. However, media commentator Sevanthi Ninan has described him/her as ‘the big new phenomenon of these elections’. Media commentator and columnist Madhavan Narayanan says that YouTubers like him/her are often playing the same role that the mainstream media should play – checking facts, questioning contradictions and providing meaningful context and background.

“People love them for their passion, informality and storytelling style. News YouTubers are knowledge players who have replaced the staid or gruff TV anchors. I have no doubt that this has reshaped opinion and media consumption among the educated youth and middle class,” he/she says.

Main stream media’s gap was filled, but a lot of deception was also done

Media commentator Vanita Kohli-Khandekar says national TV channels cater to this audience and wonders why no news channel caters to all Indians or a larger segment. “There is an information gap. And nature doesn’t like a vacuum. WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, Reels and dozens of short video apps fill this gap. Some work better than others and hence attract more attention,” she says.

Ninan says politicians have also sought out YouTube channels to connect with voters, which helps them avoid the gatekeeping role of mainstream media. “There is a shift in power in the media world from companies to individuals,” she says. The impact is clearly visible. She said the government aims to bring broadcasting services, including OTT channels, under its purview through the proposed Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill.

It is worth noting that whether it is Dhruv Rathee or any other anti-Modi YouTuber, all of them have dishonestly dismissed the achievements of the government and India. They either did not discuss the major achievements or found some flaws in them and amplified them. If we look at their videos, it is clear that their aim was not to bring out the truth but to appease a particular type of voter or to incite anti-government sentiments. They hid many facts and presented many facts in a distorted manner. Therefore, if they took the place of mainstream media in exposing the mistakes of the government, then it is equally true that these YouTubers also presented themselves as puppets of the opposition.

With inputs from Times of India report.