Social Media As A Weapon of Unethical Political Marketing: Examining The Impact of Misinformation And Emotional Manipulation on Voter Behaviour Kanika Gulia

Abstract

Background: In India, social media has emerged as the focal point of political communication that
allows spreading correct information and spreading massive amounts of misinformation quickly. The
political involvement through the internet has also been further heightened by emotional content and
this has generated concerns over the way voters are influenced by this kind of content during election
days.
Objective: This paper will also seek to investigate the level of influence by misinformation and
emotional manipulation in social media and how they have affected voter behaviour during Indian
elections. It further addresses the issue of whether digital literacy and demographics affect the
vulnerability of such content to voters.
Methods: The structured online questionnaire was used to address 300 social media-active voters in
India in a quantitative cross-sectional survey. To examine the relationship between misinformation,
emotional manipulation, and voter behaviour, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple
regression were used to study the result.
Results: The results state that 64 percent of the respondents have often encountered misinformation,
with WhatsApp as the most frequent one. Anger, pride, was emotional triggers that were reported as
high. Correlation analysis revealed that there is a positive strong relationship between misinformation
exposure and voter behaviour change (r = 0.62) and emotional manipulation also showed a significant
effect (r = 0.57). Regression results confirmed misinformation as the strongest predictor of voter
behaviour (β = 0.48). Higher digital literacy reduced susceptibility to manipulation.
Conclusion: The researchers find that, in India, the issue of misinformation and emotional manipulation
in the social media is a major factor that disfigures political perceptions and voting intentions. To protect
the democratic processes, it is crucial to enhance digital literacy, regulatory control, and transparency
on the platform.