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A friend said that in her day to day web browsing she can never find anything on Rahul Gandhi. "If I didn't talk to you, I wouldn't have even known he exists" she said. She is right, it's a very real issue I have noticed, analyzed for years. There are many factors behind this...
1. Most social media platforms works on algorithms that keep people in echo chambers, showing only those updates/post that you follow or friends follow. Even the trending topics are customized. Even if friend list is mixed, news feed will show most viral/popular content only.
2. Where friend/following list is mixed (both Modi bhakts and critiques) you'll miss out on RG related news updates because Modi criticism ≠ Rahul Gandhi. Most in the liberal intellectual circle share views critical of BJP/Modi but do not follow / discuss Rahul Gandhi.
3. Mainstream media both RW and LW systematically keep audience in the illusion that Rahul Gandhi isn't doing anything. Left-Lib media might be critical of govt but rarely covers Rahul Gandhi's activities. I've done regular media research on this.
4. BJP has managed to create such an image of Rahul Gandhi (which is completely baseless) that a public display of support to him is considered embarrassing. Created a culture where it is acceptable for journos to ask PM his ways of eating mangoes but praising RG is not.
5. BJP uses sophisticated level of thinking and planning to create Rahul Gandhi's image as 'pappu' so that most staunch Modi critique continue to believe there is no alternative. This is most noted during #CovidPandemic as BJP IT cell joked upon issues raised by RG.
5.a. For example, in his presser RG said, center should allow states to mark zones as red, green, orange. "It's been noticed what is Red is not actually red, orange is not orange" he said in a free flowing conversation which was edited out of context to make fun of him...
...But currently zone demarcation is one of the key issue everybody is talking about.
5.b. RG said media shouldn't create panic, COVID is fatal only for 1-2%. Lockdown should be graducally lifted. His free flowing conversation was again edited w/o context to make fun.
5.b. RG said media shouldn't create panic, COVID is fatal only for 1-2%. Lockdown should be graducally lifted. His free flowing conversation was again edited w/o context to make fun.
5.c. RG said Lockdown is not a solution, only a pause button. Only first part of the statement was taken to again make fun of him. Same thing WHO said two days later.
In all such cases edited video/insulting headlines are made and shared by BJP IT cell, RW media and BJP's top leaders. BJP leaders follow organized communication regime. They feel no shame in targeting @RahulGandhi as a mob. While top Cong leaders don't even retweet RG.
9 out of 10 of @RahulGandhi's tweets are not retweeted by Cong leaders and issues raised by him are his alone not party's. Similarly, tweets by @PChidambaram_IN @ShashiTharoor @priyankagandhi or pressers by @rssurjewala @AnandSharmaINC are all disconnected from each other.
This lack of unified communication, this floating of multiple issues at the same time creating parallel groups of audience instead of bringing them all under one "topic of the day" is INC's biggest drawback.
It is also a Liberalism's drawback.
It is also a Liberalism's drawback.
As an outsider to the party, and with keen eyes for research it is easy for me to make these observations. Unfortunately Cong have not invested in media research and monitoring the way they should have. There has been great improvement recently, but not enough.
End of thread.
End of thread.
The present research is part of the same conversation, why did my friend say she never gets to see anything related to Rahul Gandhi, like as if he doesn't exist? When even Cong's full team don't share his activities, how'd there be any visibility? https://twitter.com/sanjukta/status/1264081451080916992
Also adding to this thread is this article by @ShekharGupta where he emphasized how BJP leaders, cabinet ministers all echo Modi's speeches / tweets in one voice. I am doing this not to attack anybody but because i think centralized communication is imp. https://theprint.in/national-interest/poke-fun-at-taali-thaali-diya-and-mombatti-all-you-want-modi-couldnt-care-less/394961/
