Why are so many Indian politicians giving interviews to social media influencers?

While interviews by five senior union ministers to two prominent YouTube content creators in recent weeks have raised ethical questions about whether public money was being spent on political promotions, they also highlighted an interesting political trend.

Politicians are now increasingly turning to online celebrities – commonly referred to as influencers – to interview them. Traditionally this role would be played by journalists.

The change in political outreach encapsulates a broader media shift towards YouTube content consumption enabled by cheaper internet access even as younger viewers move away from traditional outlets such as television. As a result, such interviews by influencers may be helping politicians reach young Indian voters.

However, there are some concerns about this trend. Critics fear it will distort the way young Indian look at the practice of journalism, given that YouTubers are rarely critical of the politicians they interview.

A growing trend

In the past two months, Union ministers S Jaishankar, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Smriti Irani and Rajeev Chandrasekhar have given interviews to two prominent YouTubers Ranveer Allahabadia and Raj Shamani. These interviews sparked a debate on social media, with some raising ethical questions about whether public money was being spent on these exercises.

This was the first time senior Indian politicians had such interactions with YouTubers. It has become...

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