NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi, the biggest social media draw in India and one of the biggest in the world, sprang a surprise with this tweet at 8.56pm on Monday: “This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Will keep you posted.”
This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1583162818000
The post sparked intense speculation as to why Modi, who’s perfected the art of communicating directly with people – almost bypassing or ‘disintermediating’ traditional mainstream media – should be contemplating such a step.
The absence of an official explanation spawned an instant industry of theories. BJP functionaries offered some likely reasons like Modi going for a ‘digital detox’ or being upset about spread of “hatred, fake news and rumours” on social media platforms fuelling Delhi’s communal riots