Nearly two-thirds of Indians surveyed as to what they think whether social media has impacted the functioning of the democracy are of the opinion that
it has been a "good thing", contrary to other top economies in the world. According to Pew Research, the majority of respondents in many of the countries included in a survey viewed social media as a ‘bad thing’ for the democracy, however, India has emerged one bucking this trend. The survey mapped 10 big economies from a list of 37 countries where the survey was conducted, covering nearly 50,000 people. The countries involved in the survey include the United States, Germany, Japan, the UK, India, France, Italy, Canada, Brazil, and Spain. Talking about the United States, then only 34 per cent of the respondents termed social media as a "good thing", while the majority, 64 per cent, viewed it negatively, saying it was a bad thing for the democracy. Germany also was on the same lines as the US. Here, 61 per cent of the respondents saw social media as a bad, while only 37 per cent said it was a good thing. Speaking about India, then a whopping 66 per cent of the respondents said they view it as a good thing, while only 23 per cent of them said it is a bad thing. While the global median remains net positive -- 55% good vs 35% bad -- the share of the public saying social media is bad for democracy has risen significantly in many nations since 2022 and 2023. One view to guess why India’s view social media in a good light is due to the belief that it increases grassroots participation in a vast and impoverished country like India, where traditional media is also a bit of an elite thing.
