Implications of digital campaigning by political parties

Source: This post Implications of digital campaigning by political parties has been created based on the article Democratic engagement with a digital plug-in, published in Indian Express on 16th September 2024. 

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 – Governance – Electoral Reforms  

News: The article highlights how digital platforms and targeted advertising are reshaping democratic processes, particularly in Indian elections. 

The use of digital platforms by political parties and third-party campaigners to shape public opinion, potentially distorting democratic discourse is at all-time high. There is a transition from traditional to digital campaigning.  

During 2023 Karnataka Assembly election, BJP allocated 52% (₹7,800 lakh) and Congress 55% (₹4,900 lakh) of their propaganda budgets to digital advertisements. 

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP spent over ₹68 crore on 89,000 Google ads in just 44 days, while the Congress spent over ₹33 crore on 2,900 ads. 

As per the Lokniti-CSDS survey, Third-party campaigners spent over ₹2,260 lakh in 90 days leading up to June 29, 2024, on Meta platforms. It also indicates funding by political parties 

The ‘Leave.EU’ campaign in the UK Brexit referendum used targeted digital content to influence voters.  

Why political parties are using digital platforms? 

Micro-targeting capabilities: Parties can now target specific audiences down to the panchayat level. For instance, the BJP micro-targeted over 1,700 pin codes in a single advertisement, demonstrating the precision of digital influence. 

Increasing Importance of money power: The shift towards digital campaigning marks a transformative change in the democratic process, where financial resources translate directly into targeted influence.  

What are the Implications? 

Economic disparity: Wealthier parties can dominate the digital landscape, creating an uneven playing field. 

Content manipulation: Third-party campaigners often use inflammatory rhetoric and derogatory language in their advertisements. They ensure anonymity in who is funding them. 
Platform-specific strategies: Different content strategies across platforms (e.g., Google vs. Meta) highlight the need for uniform regulatory frameworks. 

What should be done? 

Expenditure regulation: Need for ‘segmented caps’ on party expenditure to ensure balanced allocation across various campaign categories. 

Content oversight: Strict expenditure reporting requirements for third-party campaigners and independent audits of their content after each election cycle. 

Harmonised regulatory frameworks: Uniform standards across all digital platforms to tackle problematic content and ensure accountability.