RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and JournalismRUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism2312-92202312-9247Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)2362110.22363/2312-9220-2020-25-1-184-192Research ArticleIndian social media politics: new era of election warPatelKeshavresearcher (academic), Department of Communicationmgcgv@rediffmail.comBinjolaHimaniAssistant Professor, Department of Media & Mass Communicationenquiry@gehu.ac.inSiddiquiTahaAssistant Professor, Department of Media & Mass Communicationenquiry@gehu.ac.inMahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramoday UniversityGraphic Era Hill University1512202025118419230042020Copyright © 2020, Patel K., Binjola H., Siddiqui T.2020The role of social media during 16th Lok Sabha elections has led to several insights in the manner in which the youth of today is consuming political news. Several social media platforms have played a significant role in voting behaviour. Social media platform acted as a game changer and a catalyst in wooing young voters and influencing their opinion. While Internet users grew 7% in Urban India reaching 315 million users in 2018, digital adoption is now being propelled by rural India, registering a 35% growth in Internet users over the past year. Also, there have come a general perception that television will play a lesser role in this upcoming election and digital media will play a never before seen influence on voters. This research examines the behaviour of youth in India and examines the level of influence by social media in casting their vote in Lok Sabha elections. Whether social media can be a game changer or an influencer. These findings will be carried out by this research work.social mediapoliticsgeneral electionсоциальные медиаполитикавсеобщие выборы[Patel, K. (2015). Social Media in the Indian Context: New Flavor of the Season. Global Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 4(6), 268-270.][Biswas, A., Ingle, N., & Roy, M. (2014). Influence of Social Media on Voting Behavior. Journal of Power, Politics & Governance, 2(2), 127-155.][Patel, K. (2018, November). Impact of Advancements in Technological Aids in Communication Media in Bringing About Social Reformation. Global Conference on Journalism and Mass Communication, Colombo, Sri Lanka.][Nayak, D. (2019, 8 March). Internet Users In India Exceeds Half A Billion People In 2018, 97% Use Mobile To Connect. Dazeinfo. https://dazeinfo.com/2019/03/08/indiaInternet-users-2018-mobile-report/ (accessed: 12.09.2019).][West, A. (2010). Advertising 2.0: social media marketing in a Web 2.0 world. Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd.][Patel, K. (2017). Lok Sabha 2014, Narendra Modi and Social Sites. International Journal of Recent Advances in Psychology & Psychotherapy, 1(1), 24-28.][Akrimi, Y., & Khemakhem, R. (2012). What drive consumers to spread the word in social media? Journal of Marketing Research & Case Studies, (1), 1-14.][Tumasjan, A., Sprenger, T.O., Sandner, P.G., & Welpe, I.M. (2010). Predicting elections with twitter: What 140 characters reveal about political sentiment (pp. 178-185). Fourth International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media.][Chaffee, S.H., & Kanihan, S.F. (1997). Learning about Politics from the Mass Media. Political Communication, 14(4), 421-430. doi: 10.1080/105846097199218.][Wallsten, K. (2007). Agenda setting and the blogosphere: An analysis of the relationship between mainstream media and political blogs. Review of policy Research, 24(6), 567-587.][Sauter, T., & Bruns, A. (2013). Social Media in the Media: How Australian Media Perceive Social Media as Political Tools. ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.][Williams, A., Guglietti, M.V., & Haney, S. (2018). Journalism students’ professional identity in the making: Implications for education and practice. Journalism, 19(6), 820-836.][Express Computer. (2018, 5 December). India To Have Over 800 Million Smartphone Users By 2022: Cisco. Retrieved from https://www.expresscomputer.in/Internet/indiato-have-over-800-million-smartphone-users-by-2022-cisco/30512/ (accessed: 20.12.2019).][Li, R., & Suh, A. (2015). Factors influencing information credibility on social media platforms: Evidence from Facebook pages. Procedia computer science, 72, 314-328.][Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social media and fake news in the 2016 election. Journal of economic perspectives, 31(2), 211-236.][Golan, G., & Wanta, W. (2001). Second-level agenda setting in the New Hampshire primary: A comparison of coverage in three newspapers and public perceptions of candidates. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78(2), 247-259.]