Has Modi been artificially boosting his followers on Twitter?
India’s prime minister @NarendraModi is now the third most followed world leader on Twitter with twelve million followers, less than a year after his election in May 2014, according to the latest Twiplomacy study. However, India’s growing online population and Twitter penetration cannot be the only explanation for his phenomenal social media ascension. Something is rotten in the Twittersphere.
On April 7, 2015 the @NarendraModi Twitter account gained more than 280,000 new followers in a single day, more than ten times his average daily follower growth which stands at an impressive 25,000. On that day, Modi tweeted about the World Health Day and a music festival; however no event in his Twitter time line would seem to justify such a follower surge.
Other world leaders have seen their followers shoot through the roof during historic events: King Salman’s first tweets after his accession to the throne of Saudi Arabia in late January 2015 were retweeted several hundred thousand times and he more than doubled his followers in the subsequent weeks.
Pope Francis gained 50,000 new followers a day during his visit to the Philippines in mid-January 2015, while Hillary Clinton added more than 150,000 new followers the day she announced her 2016 presidential bid on 12 April 2015.
However, @NarendraModi’s magical multiplication of followers remains a mystery. Does the government in New Delhi artificially boost his follower numbers?
According to Twiplomacy, Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko has seen the most impressive growth in followers over the past year with his followers growing from 15,569 in June 2014 to 570,457 in March 2015. His followers mysteriously exploded in the first half of March 2015 but have dwindled since, suggesting that the number was artificially bolstered.
It is impossible to say whether governments pay to promote the accounts of their leaders. However there are some disturbing patterns. The most popular tweet of the Mexican presidency—a press release about president Enrique Pena Nieto bestowing the Order of the Aztec Eagle on three Japanese citizens—sent on April 10, 2013 was retweeted 4,300 times but only favourited seven times. Moreover, 4,299 Twitter users who retweeted the tweet have asked not to be shown—the hallmark of an army of Twitter spam bots. Interestingly, all top tweets sent by other Mexican government accounts have a large number of retweets but very few favourites indicating an artificial boosting of retweet numbers.
The Twiplomacy report notes a similar pattern on the @IndianDiplomacy and the @MEAIndia accounts whose tweets are automatically retweeted by an army of 90 tweeps who all follow each other and whose sole purpose is to retweet the tweets from @IndianDiplomacy, @MEAIndia and @TOIIndiaNews, three accounts listed on each of their public Twitter list, aptly entitled “RT”.
A similar pattern can be witnessed on the Twitter account of Venezuela’s president @NicolasMaduro who is in third place according to Twiplomacy with a phenomenal average of 3,198 retweets per tweet; however his tweets are favourited ten times less. Strange to say the least. more
On April 7, 2015 the @NarendraModi Twitter account gained more than 280,000 new followers in a single day, more than ten times his average daily follower growth which stands at an impressive 25,000. On that day, Modi tweeted about the World Health Day and a music festival; however no event in his Twitter time line would seem to justify such a follower surge.
Other world leaders have seen their followers shoot through the roof during historic events: King Salman’s first tweets after his accession to the throne of Saudi Arabia in late January 2015 were retweeted several hundred thousand times and he more than doubled his followers in the subsequent weeks.
Pope Francis gained 50,000 new followers a day during his visit to the Philippines in mid-January 2015, while Hillary Clinton added more than 150,000 new followers the day she announced her 2016 presidential bid on 12 April 2015.
However, @NarendraModi’s magical multiplication of followers remains a mystery. Does the government in New Delhi artificially boost his follower numbers?
According to Twiplomacy, Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko has seen the most impressive growth in followers over the past year with his followers growing from 15,569 in June 2014 to 570,457 in March 2015. His followers mysteriously exploded in the first half of March 2015 but have dwindled since, suggesting that the number was artificially bolstered.
It is impossible to say whether governments pay to promote the accounts of their leaders. However there are some disturbing patterns. The most popular tweet of the Mexican presidency—a press release about president Enrique Pena Nieto bestowing the Order of the Aztec Eagle on three Japanese citizens—sent on April 10, 2013 was retweeted 4,300 times but only favourited seven times. Moreover, 4,299 Twitter users who retweeted the tweet have asked not to be shown—the hallmark of an army of Twitter spam bots. Interestingly, all top tweets sent by other Mexican government accounts have a large number of retweets but very few favourites indicating an artificial boosting of retweet numbers.
The Twiplomacy report notes a similar pattern on the @IndianDiplomacy and the @MEAIndia accounts whose tweets are automatically retweeted by an army of 90 tweeps who all follow each other and whose sole purpose is to retweet the tweets from @IndianDiplomacy, @MEAIndia and @TOIIndiaNews, three accounts listed on each of their public Twitter list, aptly entitled “RT”.
A similar pattern can be witnessed on the Twitter account of Venezuela’s president @NicolasMaduro who is in third place according to Twiplomacy with a phenomenal average of 3,198 retweets per tweet; however his tweets are favourited ten times less. Strange to say the least. more
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Politicians image is like a fountain. Once it reaches its zenith, it falls immediately. It may be remembered that some yrs ago Lalu Yadav ji as CM Bihar was being called " JAB TAK RAHEGA SAMOSA MAI ALOO! RAJ KAREGA BIHAR MAI LALU" THEN when he was Union RLY MINISTER He was even invited by great Universities like Harward and elsewhere, but the myth did not survive . more
May 09
This is a sheer abuse of this forum which is not intended to discuss or malign Modi but more constructively make recommendations to Delhi Govt. more
May 09
Dear Amit, you are abusing the "Making Delhi better with Kejriwal" localcircles forum. This forum is for constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement, not for conjectures. Please don't confuse freedom of speech with loose talk. If you have evidence & proof of your innuendos, please put forth those & all nationalistic members including I shall support you but what members like me will not accept is politicking on this forum. You don't have to malign someone to prove your allegiance to Kejriwal. more
May 08
Dear Bineeta Mishra ji, I ALSO FULLY AGREE WITH U MADAM, "THAT IF CONGRESS LOOTED FOR 60 YRS & NOBODY OBJECTED TO IT , THEN WHAT's WRONG IN BJP's LOOT FOR NEXT 5YRS." HENCEFORTH NOBODY SHOULD RAISE FINGER IN BJP's CORRUPTION/LOOT. I HEREBY QUOTE AGAIN A FEW FACTS ABOUT MODI/BJP, WHICH R A TIP OF AN ICEBERG, FOR READY REFERENCE: Quote from news channel debates yesterday even 070515: Modi keeping most vital posts like CVC, CIC etc vacant. Lokpal being delayed deliberately by Modi. Now Modi's design is : none can accuse corrupt persons in his govt, there is free loot for all. 1. CVC of AIIMS removed 4 exposing corruption. 2. Rs 600 cr doled out from tax payer's money to Modi's friend in need Adani from SBI for extracting coal from Australian mine, when all foreign banks turned down loan request of Adani as his company's financial status did nt qualify 4 d minimum requirement eligibility caterina(ON RECORD IN ALL NEWS CHANNELS). Subrata Guha Consultant-Power Plant Retired Manager -NTPC Ltd more
May 08
Dear R K Nanda, Modi is thousand times more corrupt than Congress, Modis BJP is looting the country at much more faster pace than Cong. Modi govt will supersede Cong's loot in long 60 yrs in only 5 yrs. All fertile land from farmers(innocents who voted Modi 2 power) will b snatched away from them by the Modi ordinance on land bill in even less that 5yrs. Already more that 600 farmers have committed suicide in last 4 months in Maharashtra alone. I can sight numerous corruptions in Modi govt with higher magnitude never before. Quote from news channel debates yesterday even 070515: Modi keeping most vital posts like CVC, CIC etc vacant. Lokpal being delayed deliberately by Modi. Now Modi's design is : none can accuse corrupt persons in his govt, there is free loot for all. 1. CVC of AIIMS removed 4 exposing corruption. 2. Rs 600 cr doled out from tax payer's money to Modi's friend in need Adani from SBI for extracting coal from Australian mine, when all foreign banks turned down loan request of Adani as his company's financial status did nt qualify 4 d minimum requirement eligibility caterina(ON RECORD IN ALL NEWS CHANNELS). Modi lured d voters before LS polls by making tall promises, all of which found to b mere lies. Never the less Modi has been rewarded suitably on these false promises he made to poor voters, with interest by Delhi voters in assembly election 00*3/70, what a humiliation, in spite of fielding all his armory(All cabinet ministers, with control room in-charge, Arun Jetly, 200 MPs 4 CMs, & most of the medias at Modi/BJP's disposal. The Parrot in cage is with Modi now from Congress. I am recalling some past sensational news 2 refresh viewer's memories ....... For PM, Advice To Avoid Ministers With Criminal Cases: 10 Facts File pic: PM Narendra Modi and his Cabinet after being sworn in New Delhi: The Supreme Court today stopped short of disqualifying ministers with criminal cases, leaving the decision to the "wisdom of the Prime Minister", but made it clear that such ministers have no place in the government. The court said as conscience keeper of the Constitution, the PM must avoid taking ministers involved in serious offences. Here is your 10-point cheat-sheet to the story: 1. A Constitution bench of the country's five senior most senior judges said it is not for the court to issue any direction to the PM or Chief Ministers, but "it is the prophetic duty of this court to remind the key duty holders about their role in working the Constitution." 2. The court said it expected the PM to act with "constitutional morality and responsibility" and choose not to take ministers with doubtful integrity. 3. "Will any reasonably prudent master leave the keys of his chest with a servant whose integrity is doubted?" the judges asked, adding, "Corruption is an enemy of the nation. As a trustee of the Constitution, the PM is expected not to appoint unwarranted persons as ministers." 4. Today's ruling was on a petition that sought to bar MPs with "criminal backgrounds", including those charged but not convicted, from being appointed ministers at the Centre and in states. 5. India bans those convicted of serious crimes from holding office, but not those facing charges. 6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP won a massive mandate to take power in May, partly on a promise of a clean government after the previous Congress-led administration was weighed down by corruption charges. 7. Thirteen of PM Modi's 45 ministers have been charged with criminal offences, eight of those involving serious charges, according to the Delhi-based Association of Democratic Reforms, a clean government advocacy group. 8. There are 13 cases against Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Uma Bharti, including two charges related to attempted murder and six charges of rioting. 9. MPs say charges against them are false or the result of political vendetta. Those convicted of crimes have traditionally continued in office by filing an appeal in India's notoriously slow courts. 10. In a landmark judgement last year, the Supreme Court ruled that MPs sentenced to more than two years in jail should be disqualified, even if they have appealed to a higher court. The UPA's bid to undo that with an ordinance fell through. SC TO MODI ON BLACK MONEY ROW: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued directions to the union government to submit the names of all foreign bank account holders to the court by Wednesday, adding that it does not need to provide a “protective umbrella” to such persons. The apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India HL Dattu, summarily rejected government's argument that revealing identities of legal account holders would be construed as a breach of privacy. It said: "Don’t give us your list... but the names given to you by France and Germany. If it breaches confidentiality, let it be." Subrata Guha Consultant-Power Plant Retired Manager -NTPC Ltd more
May 08
