The WhatsApp generation made today’s BJP; the Instagram generation is challenging it
This opinion piece explores the generational divide in Indian politics, contrasting the 'WhatsApp generation' that supports the BJP with the 'Instagram generation' that is increasingly critical of it. It argues that the BJP struggles to engage with younger voters who prefer different social media platforms.
Why it matters
It provides insight into how digital communication platforms influence political alignment and the challenges traditional political parties face in adapting to shifting demographics.
The WhatsApp generation were Hindutva natives while the Instagram generation is insurrectionary. The BJP has had the toolkit to tame the WhatsApp universe and make it dance to its tune; in the Instagram universe, the BJP is like a deer in the headlights, left with nothing other than brute force in response.
Parents who have sent a message to their kids on WhatsApp and noted that they don’t even see it will recognise a disconnect. Then they discover that their kids these days communicate on Instagram, Snapchat, etc. The parents then set out to find their children on Instagram — but more often than not, they just cannot even find them. That is the disconnect between the WhatsApp generation and the Instagram generation. That is the disconnect that is mirrored in the disconnect between the BJP-controlled Indian state and the country’s youngest generation.
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