Social media fake news and political culture: patterns, implications and electoral dynamics in India

Abstract

The profusion of social media fake news in India since the 2014 general election has raised significant questions concerning political communication and the political culture in Indian democracy. The fake news in digital space has profoundly influenced the electoral process and popular perceptions on matters of urgent public attention. This paper, though circumscribed to the political ramifications of social media fake news, consciously shifts the focus to the evolution patterns of fake news and their effects in conjunction with the political culture in the country. The content of 290 fake news stories circulated during 2021-2022 is analysed, referring to the dominant theories of political culture in India. The paper highlights the nontrivial role fake news attains in Indian electoral politics, given the specificities of the political culture in the country. Also, it analyses the patterns of political fake news contents- the moods, attitudes and values- they represent.