Paper Title
IS MISINFORMATION A THREAT TO INDIAN DEMOCRACY? AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

Abstract
India is the world’s largest and youngest democracy because of its commitment towards a democratic setup for over seventy-five years. Since our independence in 1947, leaders cutting across political ideologies have always nurtured democracy, it is not limited to just the process of electing a government but a government thatcanrealise the social and economic urges of its people. In such a setup, public accountability plays an important role, this is where the independent media steps in. Over the last decade social media has emerged as an avatar, today’s youth is hooked to social media to an extent where private lives have become public. Access to information has become swift and available. The interactive complexion of social media makes it more democratic over the print and electronic media The emergence ofSocial media has made people more resourceful in terms of voicing their opinions and fighting for their rights. In the last decade, a new trend has risen in the form of social media and has taken the world of news by storm. With the ubiquity enjoyed by the media firms and aggressive competition, it becomes a race to the top often translating into manufacturing news. The facts depicted by social media are tailor-made to look factual and thus confuse the readers. It is done through various political campaigns, government initiatives and NGOs while the corporate media helps it spread throughout the country. The role of social media campaigns turned out to be a game-changer in the 2019 general elections in India. It is anticipated that in the 2024 general elections, social media will play an indispensable role. The recent events of data profiling have made citizens sceptical about how their social profile and preferences can be misused to create political agenda beneficial to certain political outfits. This Empirical study analyses the impact of Social media hoaxes on Indian Democracy. The sample studied are voters using social media. The study reveals that the respondents strongly believe that social media shares a lot of misinformation, creating hoaxes and misconceptions among citizens. The study reveals that out of news shared by social media, a lion’s share goes to politics, followed by entertainment, while minimum space is given to the social cause. Interestingly, Facebook tops the chart for spreading humbug news and misinformation followed by Whatsapp. The study illustrates that manipulative propaganda makes voters feel hoodwinked during the election campaign. The findings reveal that because of misinformation and post-truth of social media news, voters cannot make wise decisions and choices, leading to wrong selections. The study concludes that misinformation is a threat to democracy and that social media companies and the public should take steps to stop the perilous effect. Keywords - Post-truth, Misinformation, Indian Democracy, Propaganda, Political agenda, Social Media, Empirical study