From News Desks to YouTube Feeds

How India's Politicians Are Rewriting the Rules of Public Discourse

University of Michigan researcher Joyojeet Pal has been tracking how politicians in India use platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Along the way, his research revealed a simple truth: political influence is moving away from news desks and into creator-driven spaces.

“We’re seeing a dramatic move away from mainstream news journalists toward social media influencers,” Pal explains. “That shift has serious implications not only for journalism, but for how citizens understand truth, accountability, and even public health.”

Pal, whose work is supported by a Democracy and Civic Empowerment Faculty Grant, studies how political figures in India are leveraging platforms like YouTube and Instagram to reach voters through seemingly casual, entertainment-driven content. In these videos, politicians often appear alongside popular social media personalities, sampling street food, chatting about everyday life, and projecting authenticity in ways traditional media rarely allow.

But beneath the humanizing optics lies a deeper problem. “Influencers aren’t trained journalists,” Pal says. “They don’t ask hard policy questions or push for accountability. Instead, they’re helping politicians control the narrative.”

When Popularity Becomes a Political Tool

Pal’s research, presented at the Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) conference, explores how this growing symbiosis between politicians and influencers is reshaping India’s political landscape. The relationships are mutually beneficial. Politicians borrow the influencer’s perceived authenticity, while influencers gain prestige and visibility through their proximity to power.

The result, Pal argues, is an erosion of journalistic scrutiny, creating a vacuum that misinformation readily fills.

One of his studies in progress examines how political alignment on YouTube correlates with the spread of health misinformation. During the pandemic and beyond, Pal’s team found that supporters of India’s ruling party were more likely to promote or believe in pseudoscientific remedies, including the use of cow urine as a cure for ailments ranging from hair loss to cancer.

“These claims often gain traction because the influencers who share them have political backing,” Pal says. “It’s not just misinformation. It’s misinformation with a very clear underlying political agenda.

The Digital Battlefield for Democracy

India’s media ecosystem mirrors dynamics seen elsewhere, including the United States. These include the decline of traditional journalism, the rise of algorithmic media, and a highly polarized public. But the scale and speed of transformation in India, where hundreds of millions consume political content primarily through mobile devices, make it a critical case study for understanding the future of democracy.

Pal’s work also reveals the precarious position of journalists in this environment. Those who challenge the government risk being pushed out of mainstream newsrooms and into the digital sphere. Many have turned to YouTube or independent platforms to continue reporting, often facing new pressures such as channel takedowns or targeted harassment.

“It’s ironic,” Pal notes. “The influencer space can actually be used for democracy, particularly by journalists who rely on it to bypass censorship. But institutions still hold direct leverage over the platforms themselves, which means independent voices can easily be silenced.”