From celebrity engagement to building curiosity, PM Modi is a social media favourite

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent the online world into a tizzy on March 27, when he announced he will address the nation to give an “important message”. His tweet sparked speculation on what the PM wanted to tell the country.

While former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: “He’s declaring the results of the Lok Sabha elections. #JustSaying”, other social media users went ahead and tried to guess the "announcement".

मेरे प्यारे देशवासियों,

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आज सवेरे लगभग 11.45 - 12.00 बजे मैं एक महत्वपूर्ण संदेश लेकर आप के बीच आऊँगा।

I would be addressing the nation at around 11:45 AM - 12.00 noon with an important message.

Do watch the address on television, radio or social media.

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— Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 27, 2019

The PM, who ensured that all eyes and ears will be on his address with just one tweet, announced the success of ‘Mission Shakti’ and bringing down of a satellite using an interceptor missile. Soon after, reactions poured in from social media users — from one-liners to creative memes.

This is not a one-off instance. He started tweeting in 2009, when he was one of the very few leaders of India on a social media platform. By October 2012, he had over one million followers. At present, the leader has 46.6 million followers.

The PM also constantly uses social media platforms to share his upcoming events, experiences, concerns and greetings on various occasions.

Recently, the ‘chowkidar’ (as he describes himself) ran a campaign on Twitter to generate awareness among voters. He included film actors, athletes and media houses and tagged their social media handles in his tweets, asking them to urge citizens to vote.

Dear @AnilKapoor, @ajaydevgn & @MadhuriDixit,

After the box office, it is time to create Total Dhamaal at the polling booths.

Your support to the #VoteKar movement will augur well for India’s democracy.

Let us ensure high voter turnout!

— Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2019

The tactic to include celebrities on tweets to increase the visibility of posts has been used by the PM since the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, says a US study, released by Joyojeet Pal, an associate professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information.

His #MainBhiChowkidar campaign also received a flurry of responses. Some supported it by adding ‘Chowkidar’ to their names on Twitter, while many criticised it.

For his initiatives or against it, the Prime Minister does know how to make the Internet go gaga over him.