YouTube influencers, not mainstream media, dominate political interviewing in India: Study

YouTube influencers are significantly outperforming mainstream and digital media in terms of political interview viewership in India, according to a new study by researchers Dhruv Raghavan and Joyojeet Pal.

Raghavan, a student at Brown University in the United States and Pal, an associate professor at University of Michigan, found that authenticity and content quality remain crucial in determining audience engagement, even on influencer-driven platforms.

The research, which analysed 238 interviews by 74 politicians for 20 YouTube channels in the year leading up to India’s 2024 general elections, indicates a seismic shift in political communication.

The researchers classified the YouTube channels into four categories – mainstream media, digital news, influencers and independent journalists – and analysed five channels from each category that carried political interviews.

Influencers and independent journalists consistently outperformed traditional and digital media channels. Politicians’ interviews with influencers or independent journalists on an average saw nearly ten times the views as those with mainstream media outlets.

“Politicians are increasingly turning to social media influencers for interviews,” the study noted, attributing this trend to the ability of influencers to connect with newer audiences in polarised environments, present politicians in a relaxed setting, and avoid the grilling often associated with professional journalists. The study noted that only widely popular politicians can hope to…

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