How to secure India from Social Media generated attacks?

With a country of the size of India, it is imperative that India creates its own social media private enterprises for Indians.

With recent Facebook admissions, it has been just publicly acknowledged the potential for manipulation of data for the benefit of foreign powers.

Social Media Definition

Social media has to be defined differently. Its a common marketplace of socially shared views, perspectives, inferences, choices and dialogues that affect collective mindset. It’s not only technology but also social fabric. Social Media has a unique identity in that it defines a micro-cosmic community that can influence macro-cosmic communities.

Some Social Media Statistics

• Social Media has become the most dominant viewpoint in the 21st century.
• It has been able to give voice to 2.5 Billion people who use Social media today.
• By 2019, 2.77 Billion people will be on Social Media.
• 3 billion people are using the Internet today.
• Just Facebook has 2.2billion active users today
• More than 98% of College going population is on social media
• 158 Million people are on Snapchat today
• 67% Americans get their news from Social Media
• There are 330m Monthly Active Users on Twitter
• India has 36.6 million people on Twitter (third highest after US, Japan and Europe)

Social Media has the power to intrinsically alter public viewpoint. The politicians who are not on Social Media especially Twitter have lower approval ratings than others.

More and more Indians are exposed to international propaganda that can be harmful to the country.

Narratives create Opinions

On Social Media, it’s all about the narrative. The narrative defines the goals to be achieved on Social Media. When you define a narrative and channel your audience to become part of that narrative that generates opinions. Expert social media users creative powerful opinions through carefully chosen narratives. Opinions then do the rest and create powerful perceptions that can shake ‘Truth’. For example,”Secular parties of India have created powerful narratives around their being a mainstream viewpoint, while in reality, they are actually right-leaning extremist viewpoints”.

International Social Media influence on India

Social Media context for India with 1.3billion people assumes significance in view of the above facts. For countries like India, cannot be clubbed together with the larger social media businesses of other countries. Indian Social Media users have a specific profile intertwined with Indian Society and Culture. It is too risky for Indian Government and Indian Society to not control foreign narratives to be imposed on Indian minds. With virtually no control of access to Indian masses, companies like Amazon, Facebook and many other social media companies have virtually conquered Indians with their narratives, opinions and perspectives. Indian society is strongly influenced by western buying behaviours, social viewpoints, foreign ideas which have affected their inherent strengths because they don’t hear the alternative narrative.

More and more Indians are exposed to international propaganda that can be harmful to the country of the size of India.

Indian Social Media will automatically force the foreign companies to comply with Indian Data Protection laws.

Case for Indian Social Media – How creating Indian Social Media can increase revenue for Indian government?

India has traditionally been a very open society than western civilization. With Indians so inherently creative, it becomes prudent to create platforms that are uniquely controlled by Indians. Government / Society Leaders should promote Indian Social Media platforms so that we control the narrative. It will create a unique database that will make it lucrative for foreign companies to trade with Indian data that will generate wealth for Indians and Indian Government.

Case for Indian Social Media – How creating Indian Social Media can increase security for Indians and Indian government?

With Indian Social Media, more Indianness will be the new narrative that will automatically increase security for ordinary Indians. It will automatically force the foreign companies to comply with Indian Data Protection laws and ensure a secure usage to Indians.

Summary: With a country of the size of India, it is imperative that India creates its own social media private enterprises for Indians.

Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

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Aditya Satsangi

Aditya Satsangi is a Hindu American Entrepreneur and Writer with a Centrist viewpoint. He is a keen observer of International Politics, Dharma and Ideology. His research on ancient Hindu Scriptures such as Mahabharat, Ramayan and Bhagawatam brings unique perspectives on current affairs. He is an avid Golfer in his free time.

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