The Avertible Influence of Anti-U.S. Bluster

The obsession of influencers with sensationalism, whether it's predicting the collapse of the US dollar or hyping up India's supposed geopolitical victories, is misplaced

- Makarand R Paranjpae

It is true that Indian social media influencers have come of age. They probably have more views and clicks than mainstream media practitioners and influence millions more.

However, here's the danger. First of all, their titles and headlines are misleading. Mere clickbait. They include, often misleadingly, if not mischievously, the name of some important political bigwig or another. US President Donald J. Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in reverse order, are their favorites.

They also claim, week after week, video after video, that some "big action" is being planned. Or some big crash, when it comes to finfluencers, is in the offing. "Modi checkmates Trump" or "Dedollarisation Underway" are examples of the kind of headlines I am talking about. Of course, few, if any, of their dire warnings or hopeful predictions pan out as promised. Instead, the viewer is taken for a ride through more dangerous drivel or speculative slosh. Worse, many content creators and handles are faking images and voices of famous personalities, such as Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, or Jordan Peterson, to post content that has nothing to do with these worthies.

Some of this material is disinformation, plain and simple, weaponized and deployed for not-so-innocent and outright sinister ends. However, a lot of it is only boasting and bluster, good for business and profits. For, I am told, many of these channels are raking in huge bucks, some in stratospheric numbers exceeding ₹50 lakh or even ₹1 crore a month. With very little investment.

Even among the best of these influencers—whom I won't name, as some are friends—the content is variable and not always reliable. However, one clear trend among all the pro-government channels is a mocking of US President Trump and an exaltation of our own great leader. No harm in old-style patriotism, you say?