Divya Spandana, the Kannada actress-turned-politician, better known in her screen name “Ramya”, became a Member of Parliament from Karnataka’s Mandya constituency in 2013, but lost in the 2014 General Elections. As the head of the Indian National Congress’ Social Media Cell, which is said to be directly monitored by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Spandana has aggressively turned around Congress’ bleak presence on social media into an image-makeover tool not only for the party, but for Rahul Gandhi as well. She spoke with The Sunday Guardian. Excerpts:
Q: How is India’s social media affecting its contemporary politics?
A: Social media is affecting our politics to a large extent. Social media is the place where most of the communication is happening. In terms of the number of people and the medium—like whether the communication is taking place via texts, blogs, pictures or articles—it collectively affects our strategies. If you look at the United States elections and our 2014 elections, a lot of impetus was visible on social media, but it is also a grey area because there is hardly any regulation. The smooth flow of information facilitates communication, but all of that information is not correct, which is why I feel people should not create their opinions only based on what is being said and shared on social media. However, this is the reality of our times and we cannot undermine it. It is a challenge and it affects us, but we are doing what we can do to turn things in our favour.
Q: Does the number of followers, likes or shares on social media necessarily convert to votes?
A: These are two different things. For example, there is a huge disparity in the number of followers Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi have on social media. However, in terms of engagement with these followers, the disparity is again visible, but here the numbers favour Rahul Gandhi. If you look closely, most of those who are following PM Modi are fake handles and bots. But we have been strict about this. I did not want bots to come into the picture. A high number of followers might add to the perception, but fake handles will not convert to votes; for that, you have to engage with real people and that is the real following. Rahul Gandhi is better off in these terms.
Q: What have been the indicators that have confirmed that your social media strategy is working for you?
A: We know our strategy is working for us because we can see the changes around us. People’s engagement with us has increased on social media, there is less trolling now, less abuses and we get more support now from people. These are our indicators, but we have a long way to go. We have only started taking baby steps. We are doing well so far, irrespective of our challenges. The kind of propaganda that was played against the Congress in 2014, I am still trying to undo that. Social media helps us counter the propaganda, but at the end of the day, it is for the people to realise what is right and wrong.
Q: Rahul Gandhi faces a lot of bashing on social media in forms of memes, trolls, etc. As social media in-charge, what do you do to counter such viral memes?
A: I cannot share the strategy with you, but I can tell you that we have taken cognisance of this fact and come to understand that there are people who have been employed to make such memes which portray someone in a bad light. What we do is create better content that appropriately reflects our thoughts and work to counter the poisonous content.
Q: What will be the role of Congress’ social media cell in the 2019 general elections? What is going to be your department’s template to fight the BJP on social media for the 2019 polls?
A: We have a plan for 2019 and we have a plan for the upcoming state elections. But I cannot share the blueprint with you. The competition is tough and even a hashtag makes a difference. But I can tell you that we are armed this time. We are prepared, unlike in 2014. We will not be on the back foot anymore.
Q: Is the Congress planning to win over the internet first to create the sentiment of a “Congress comeback” before the real battle starts for the 2019 general elections?
A: There are those who will vote for the Congress irrespective of everything and there are those who will vote for the BJP irrespective of everything. But there are other people who have lost confidence in the current government and are looking for an alternative. These are the people we want to be talking to. So yes, we are reaching out to them and social media plays a big role here. Social media is not the only tool that will help us win them over, but it helps us to propagate our message. Now, for example, the number of people on WhatsApp is huge compared to people accessing Facebook or Twitter, so we are targeting WhatsApp users too.
Q: How will the Congress change under Rahul Gandhi, given that he takes over as the new party president?
A: You can expect more decentralisation of power under Rahul Gandhi and more transparency, of course. You can expect more power given to Vidhan Sabhas and members of Congress. He has a vision for the Congress and is working on it.
Q: How will your role change under a Rahul Gandhi-led Congress?
A: I really don’t know. But I must tell you that the social media blueprint and these ideas are solely his. I am just riding on the success of the plans he has charted out. He is more tech-savvy than me and I have been an MP only for nine months. He has a lot more experience and he is the man to credit here.