My response to questions about modi and technology

I am a journalist with Ahmedabad Mirror and want your input on a story I am doing.

---- Thankyou for contacting. Will try and make sense as far as I can :) 

[link to the article by @swapnapillai at the end of the blogpost. ] 

What do you think about Narendra Modi's use of technology?

---- there are 3 aspects to it. 

1. The most obvious : Him and the official team communicating with people online. Except for the hangout and when he decided to show support for #GoIblocks, there has been no REAL interaction but they have used the medium as a campaign effectively

2. Common people and supporters like me taking help of technology to understand and then spread what he does. ( there are many who believe we are paid. Though some of us have had a  chance to meet him once atleast. We got a chance only after we put our views on social media. So he did reach out to acknowledge us) 

3. His most effective use of technology is in e-governance. Gujarat has showed how bureaucracy can be overhauled by help of technology. Monitoring systems for projects, Rural connectivity, innovative systems for energy usage and to address public grievances are areas where he has made use of it. So one believes he looks at a holistic usage of technology.

Do you think he has a great connect with youngsters because of technology?

--- use of technology in the correct way will always attract youth. However that is not the real reason but an add on value. He invokes qualities of leadership, decisiveness, positivity, honesty, commitment and hope in the existing system. Yes the youth is excited that someone they admire connects with them at their level.

What about him on Facebook do you like?

--- strangely I do not follow him on Facebook so I have no clue. However on twitter he mostly speaks only about his policies which sometimes is great to read but also may not be clicking with those who aren't his serious admirers. Nevertheless it reflects that he is constantly working on policies of development.

And if Modi wins Gujarat Assembly elections how much of that win would you attribute to his interaction with people on social media?

-- as far as Guajrat Assembly win is concerned I would attribute hardly 5-7% maximum. I don't really believe he 'interacts' on social media. There are far more leaders who do it more effectively than he does. His is a campaign essentially. 

As far as his online supporters is concerned. Some are articulate but not necessarily heard. Others are frustrated with the continuing label of their leader and themselves and crib mostly. And then there are some who retort to abuse to counter. A lot of them are actually hurt, dejected and abused in their real life due to who they support and some chose to throw their frustration here and make it filthy here using the ease of the platform. A very despicable way to do it. It doesn't help the cause or the leader. As most critics chose to use them to just prove their point and label everyone else also.

This medium has helped his message reach people outside Gujarat more than voters in Gujarat. Till just before 2009.. Most people outside Gujarat didn't care what modi was doing and heard only bad things about him. Most of us were indifferent like for most regional leaders. However post that period, results of his practices and policies began to show and that connected with people. We began to look on social media to find more information that was away from the common narrative. Gujarat didn't need that as they felt the difference on the ground. Assembly elections are a different from correcting perceptions

Also, your take on people who criticise Modi without fail?

--- There are two types of people who criticize modi endlessly. One who genuinely believe that 'his eyes have the hatred for Muslims' and the gory scenes from TV remain in their mind and they just can't even hear the fact that he could have been only a bad administrator then as he had just recently become the CM. I sympathize with them cause according to them they may never get the peace they are looking for.

Second are those who use him to brand them selves to be on the opposite side for politics, votebank, alliances or for being along with the influential people who mostly carry the same outlook. It helps. Works for social media, media and real life.

I am an entrepreneur and I know that there are organisations where if I spoke my view I would probably lose my work as they would instantly look down upon me and not see me good enough to be along with.

Thus I believe both type of critics are so hardened in their perspective that one can only counter them so that new people have both the opinions to chose from. I don't believe these critics have given themselves the space to even consider listening to people with a different point of view.

Need the answers now. I am writing the story right now.

--- sorry for the long narrative. I am not good with writing so mostly need a lot of words to explain my view. 

The article by @swapnapillai that incorporates bits of this response can be accessed here

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=AMIR/2012/09/23&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar00800&DataChunk=Ar01000&ViewMode=HTML