Social Media, Artificial Intelligence and Electoral Behaviour in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58966/JCM2026531Keywords:
Social media, credible elections, deepfakes, AI-driven disinformation, electoral behaviour, 2024 Indian general elections, Election Commission of India (ECI), political persuasion.Abstract
The rapidly growing digital system in India, having over 900 million Internet users and among the largest social media users in the world, has reshaped the way elections are conducted and the behavior of voters. The present study, therefore, examines the relationship between social media platforms and AI tools and political engagement, information flow and public trust during the 2024 general elections.
Using national statistics, digital penetration data, social media usage patterns, ECI rules and global datasets, the study analyzes the prevalence of social media usage, the number of voters exposed to political content and how AI is linked to new electoral risks.
Indeed, it emerges that across each Parliamentary constituency, nearly 4.8% of the electors, or approximately 86,000 people, were exposed to political content on social media. On the basis of exposure estimates and comparison with victory margins, this was a sufficient number that could potentially influence electoral outcomes in approximately 37% of Lok Sabha seats, where the winning margins were very thin. A similar pattern appeared in Assembly elections, with 35.7% seats having margins small enough to be potentially affected when compared with estimated digital exposure.
The study also found strong associations between social media penetration and voter influence. Though penetration difference between urban and rural areas and between men and women also noted. Meanwhile, risks related to AI increased remarkably. As compared to 2024, deepfakes in India jumped 280% , higher than the global increase of 245%.
Thus, the outcome of the study is that there is duality in digital technologies: they make political communications more accessible while simultaneously facilitating the propagation of misinformation, deepfakes and manipulated content. It upholds for more regulations, transparencies, verification tools and digital literacy as measures to safeguard electoral integrity against the misuse of AI.
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