My friend, a teacher, moved to a new neighborhood in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. She had a busy schedule at the university and was taking care of her young daughter.
With a busy schedule at university and taking care of her young daughter, she hadn’t had the opportunity to meet many of her neighbors yet. She was aware of it, but then a curious thing happened.
Last year she received a call from a neighbor who, after a brief introduction, invited her to see the film The Kashmir Files over the weekend. My friend found this invitation to see a propaganda film instead of a simple coffee, strange and unexpected.
Digging a little deeper, he discovered a concerted effort in the neighborhood, via WhatsApp messages, to encourage unity when watching the film. It was presented as a civic responsibility to participate in the community viewing.
This raises questions about the scale and scope of right-wing propaganda, as it has managed to infiltrate not only the media and Twitter, but also local WhatsApp groups, shaping daily conversations and capturing local narratives. . The incident leads us to reflect on how a propaganda film with obvious inaccuracies and biases has been able to gain a following and be disseminated through community platforms.
In India, social media has become a breeding ground for manipulative practices to shape narratives and create public opinion.
This includes astroturfing, a technique used to create the illusion of popular support by orchestrating the narrative. It has been used in a variety of contexts, including the targeted harassment of academics, campaigning against female activists, the politicization of the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the promotion of militarization in Kashmir, and even the online trolling of the Chief Justice of Kashmir. India, D.Y. Chandrachud.
This article will explore the methods used by right-wing propaganda machines to create a detailed framework. Through careful analysis of this design, we can gain valuable insights into the workings of the propaganda machine and visualize its dynamics.
This propaganda design has distinctive features.
Propaganda narratives have deeply infiltrated various social media platforms and news channels, operating as a well-orchestrated piece of machinery both locally and nationally (even internationally).
Numerous influential individuals and groups, both voluntary and ideological, participate in amplifying these narratives, perpetuating a calculated narrative facilitated by computer cells, centralized machinery, and think tanks. These propaganda narratives reach the mainstream via tweets, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube to gain traction in the local community debate.
Examples of this type of propaganda can be seen in movies like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, which aim to discredit Muslims while exploiting Hindu sentiments. Tragic incidents like the death of Sushant Singh Rajput were manipulated to divert attention from pressing issues, while targeting the Bollywood industry.
In particular, this machinery has the capacity to transform national issues into local debates, as seen in the transition from propaganda films to “moral” responsibilities, where communities are encouraged to participate in crowd-viewing. The uniqueness of this propaganda machine lies in its ability to seamlessly shift the focus from local to national issues, as when the hijab debate catapulted into a national discourse during the Uttar Pradesh elections.
The right-wing propaganda machine employs various methods to disseminate content, targeting local groups to shape narratives from the ground up. Issues such as sengol and article 370 are cleverly framed by disseminating materials in WhatsApp groups. Various materials also circulate in these groups to insist on the need for a uniform civil code. This strategic dissemination of messages is intended to influence public opinion.
Dark topics like sengol are promoted through local propaganda channels to amplify their importance. False information about historical figures such as Nehru and Rajaji is intentionally spread, fueling debates that favor Modi’s image.
This manipulation of narratives sidesteps critical debates and diverts attention from crucial issues, as demonstrated by Modi’s concealment of political motives for inviting Adheenam priests to inaugurate the new Parliament.
Twitter serves as a national and international platform for such manipulation, with examples such as the attack on the organizers of an international academic conference titled “Dismantling the Global Hindutva” and the construction of a narrative against the current Chief Justice. Twitter can shape narrative positions, with articles and TV shows following suit. Local issues gain momentum on Facebook and WhatsApp before jumping into the national media and sparking debates.
Influencers, as Cobrapost revealed, play a crucial role, getting paid to promote specific messages through tweets. This ecosystem has expanded, with right-wing individuals benefiting financially and amplifying the intended message. YouTube is essential to drive local and national narratives through content creators.
Digging a little deeper, he discovered a concerted effort in the neighborhood, via WhatsApp messages, to encourage unity when watching the film. It was presented as a civic responsibility to participate in the community viewing.
The militarization of Hindu sentiment occurs through various methods, including the organization of armed groups by entities like Bajrang Dal, Durga Vahini, etc. Riots are often orchestrated to gain widespread support and foster a sense of inevitability in the midst of an enemy (read the outsider Muslim).
The orchestration of riots at the local level requires active participants and a public that feels threatened (in this case, minorities) or believes in the justification of such acts (in this case, Hindus).
This is a difficult task, as the majority must feel that violence was inevitable and that Muslims deserve it. To do this, recent incidents such as the throwing of stones on the Vande Bharat Express, the “jihad of love” are highlighted, or historical grievances are emphasized.
However, this premise alone is not enough; the militarization of the Hindu mentality is equally crucial. Posters have been collected from Facebook sites and WhatsApp groups in some states with direct messages purporting to revive the military achievements of the Hindus. These messages are presented in a style that matches the WhatsApp format, with large, easy-to-read fonts.
Stories extolling the valor of local figures such as Naiki Devi, Rana Sangha and Shivaji against the Mughals are disseminated through region-specific Facebook platforms and WhatsApp groups. These narratives are intended to portray Muslims as aggressors and incite Hindus to take a militaristic stance.
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Films like The Kashmir Files reinforce the idea that Hindu passivity will lead to the loss of their land, life and culture. Illustrations showing Ram, the Pandavas, and Parashurama carrying weapons during their exile are used to rationalize the need for weapons and perpetuate a culture of warfare.
Saffron Swords, a book by Manoshi Sinha Rawal, recounts 52 stories of resistance, often featuring Muslims as the antagonists. These stories, especially those involving battles with Muslim leaders, are transformed into posters intended to incite the belief that Muslims were oppressors and Hindus were fighting against them. The book repeatedly characterizes Muslim invasions as acts of genocide and involves looting of Indian temples and wealth.
This narrative is consistent with the RSS’s agenda, which aims to reshape the perception of the arrival of Muslims as an invasion, thus presenting them as outsiders with no legitimate rights to the subcontinent. The implementation of the national registry of citizens can be interpreted as a legal manifestation of this narrative.
A case study conducted at the University of Michigan sheds light on the #HijabBan discourse on Twitter. Although the total number of anti-ban tweets was higher, a smaller but highly engaged group of pro-ban accounts had significant online reach.
This suggests that although general sentiment was against the ban, a minority played a key role in shaping the discourse. The use of astroturfing – the creation of artificial popular support – may have influenced the perception of widespread support for the ban.
It is crucial to understand the deeply embedded nature of right-wing design and its ability to spread narratives on a local and national scale. Understanding this network can help to take countermeasures against fake news and hate propaganda, and establish community-focused alternative narratives to foster democratic discourse.
Collaboration between community media, influencers and social media activists is crucial to promote constitutional and secular values that foster harmony. By emphasizing community-focused reporting, we can document the aspirations of different communities and, over time, foster solidarity among them. Successful examples of this model are Khabar Lahariya and Eedina, who prioritize grassroots media creation.
Article republished from The Wire as part of an agreement between both parties to share content. Link to the original article:https://thewire.in/communalism/intricate-design-of-right-wing-propaganda-in-india
He is a finance professional with a master’s degree in economics. He has intense interests in the media, the arts, academia, and social issues related to development and human rights.
