Indian Twiplomacy is fast, furious and effective

THE Indian government has adapted quickly to the technological revolution: Five of its Twitter handles rate among the world’s top 10 most followed.

They are: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (@ Narendramodi); his office (@ Pmoindia); External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (@ sushmaswaraj); Ministry of Eternal Affairs (@Meaindia) and President of India (@ Rashtrapatibvn).

Modi has the third-largest following on Twitter and the highest on Instagram. Swaraj is the most followed foreign minister in the world. MEA is among the top most followed government offices.

Be it connecting with its citizens in a distress situation, helping with documentation or visas, helping foreigners or as a means of connecting with foreign leaders, India’s government has made optimal use of #hashtag diplomacy.

To bridge the gap between the government and the people, Indian leaders and diplomats have perfected the art of speaking in 140 characters (on Twitter).

India is one of the few countries that has all its missions and top diplomats highly active on Twitter, disseminating diplomatic news and informing about initiatives, as well as providing support to Indians abroad.

In India the revolutionary shift to the social media platform took place in May 2014, when the government under Modi took charge. Not only is Modi active on social media, but his entire government has a strong presence on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Through “direct dialling” programmes, the government interacts directly with its citizens and gets their responses immediately.

In just three years, Modi has become the third most followed leader on Twitter (after Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump), with 32.1 million followers.

According to Twiplomacy (the use of Twitter by leaders to conduct diplomatic outreach and public diplomacy), Modi is the most followed leader in Asia. He is also the most followed and effective world leader on Instagram with 6.8 million followers, closely followed by Trump (6.3 million).

Each of Modi’s posts got, on average, 223 000 interactions – the highest for all Instagram users.

Modi’s Facebook page has 42 119 451 followers. He effectively uses the platform to announce his visits to foreign countries and discuss issues he plans to take up. He happily takes suggestions from people on their concerns.

Talking to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg in 2015, Modi said social media was important to his government, guiding its knowledge of things, and enabling accountability. It helped the government connect directly with its people and get feedback in real time.

Indian diplomacy, traditionally conservative, has been transformed into an interactive force with all Indian missions having a presence on social media.

MEA has a mechanism whereby all grievances are acted on and issues addressed within 24 hours. All messages are handled with a sense of urgency and resolved.

This has not only generated confidence among the citizens, but also created an environment for effective governance and empowered people.

The impression is that an Indian stranded on foreign soil or in need of help will not be ignored.

“People feel empowered by the thought that if you find yourself in a difficult situation abroad, you can send a tweet to your foreign minister or embassy asking for help, with the very real expectation that they will respond and help you,” Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Centre told Quartz India magazine.

Swaraj effectively uses Twitter to help Indians and foreigners who need help. She is swamped with requests for visas, passports and rescue calls, not only from Indians, but foreigners.

The minister is on record responding even at odd times like 2am.

Be it asking Amazon to withdraw flip flops and doormats with Mahatma Gandhi’s picture or providing a passport for a honeymoon couple, India has an active foreign minister.

Perhaps that’s why some use Twitter to resolve their household problems. One person tweeted Swaraj to help him with a faulty fridge. Swaraj responded: “Brother, I cannot help you with this. I am very busy with human beings in distress.”

Another joked: “I am stuck on Mars, food sent via Mangalayan (987) days ago is running out. When is Mangalayan II being sent?” Pat came her response: “Even if you are stuck on Mars, the Indian Embassy there will help you” – a statement that has now become a catchword for Indian diplomacy.

Swaraj also uses the platform to deliver political messages to foreign countries – sometimes extending a hand of friendship and sometimes rebuking them, as she did Pakistan’s Foreign Adviser Sartaz Aziz recently.

The Indian success story is evident not only by the increasing number of followers, but also the increasing number of issues addressed effectively and quickly.

Social media was the most effective way to reach out to the government, whether for a rescue mission in Yemen or to save stranded Indian seafarers in the United Arab Emirates, for rescue operations against pirates or to bring back abducted Indians.

“Diplomacy in an age of social media is beginning to leave its ozone chamber, its protected past, to become interactive, better networked and more peoplecentred and people-friendly. What was considered a no-go for Indian officialdom until a few years ago is now de rigeur,” said former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao in a speech delivered at Unesco in Paris.

An active Indian government on social media has also kept people updated about foreign relations. Modi used Weibo to connect with China’s President Xi Jinping. He tweeted in Japanese to connect with Shinzo Abe. He congratulated Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Hebrew and got a response in Hindi.

Thanks to social media, Twitter diplomacy or #hashtag diplomacy is the new face of Indian diplomacy: fast, furious and effective.

Pandey is senior editor of The Pioneer.