2 years ago

Sushma Swaraj Showed The World How Social Media Can Be A Helpline Instead Of A Notice Board

Gwyn D'Mello
Gwyn D'MelloUpdated on Aug 08, 2019, 18:19 IST
Sushma Swaraj, Twitter, social media, Ministry of External Affairs, politician, public service, deat

Following Sushma Swaraj's demise, people across the country were dismayed. A lot of us don't have any love for politicians, but she might have been the exception.

And people worry that we may not see her kind again for a long time.

Sushma Swaraj

Images courtesy: Reuters

The former External Affairs minister in the 2014-2019 Modi cabinet is probably best known for her refreshing approach to the job. She took the chair seriously and incorporated a human-centric approach to everyday affairs. 

Most of all though, people remember her for always being so accessible on Twitter.

In fact, when I relayed the news to a friend an hour or so after it happened, her first response after the initial "Oh no" was, "Now who are people going to contact about their passports?". And as comical as it may seem at first glance, that's what Sushma Swaraj was to regular people these past few years.

Now, Barack Obama may have been the first politician to really embrace social media. His team was responsible for reaching out to voters on local grounds, analysing data from regions to figure out what their major grievances were, and they put this to good use. Modi used social media to an extent in his campaign too, but not with as much exacting purpose. Even to this day, one can argue that Modi's social media profiles are more for broadcast purpose than actually interacting with people.

Sushma Swaraj

The same goes for US President Donald Trump. It's common knowledge now his campaign succeeded based on data gleaned from social media, using that to push emotional triggers in voters. And now, the POTUS Twitter handle has been reduced to something akin to Trump's personal diary of thoughts -- or maybe he's just emulating Regina George and her burn book.

Sushma Swaraj was different though. She was one of India's few politicians most active on Twitter, actively engaging and replying to messages of common folk simply trying to ask for help.

Breaking the mould of a stereotypical politician, Sushma Swaraj engaged online on a regular basis, as opposed to just announcing, decrying, and proclaiming. It's why the Wall Street Journal Called her India's most beloved politician back in 2017. That was the year she helped get a one-year-old Pakistani girl a rush visa in order to receive open-heart surgery in India.

In 2015, she was instrumental in securing the release of 168 Indians trapped in Basra, Iran.

Also in 2015, she helped out an Indian in Berlin that lost their wallet and passport by reaching out to the embassy there.

She didn't just stop at Indian citizens either. In 2016, she acted on information from a Facebook post being shared, helping a Dutch woman find her sister who went missing in Rishikesh.

Heck, she was even the reason an Indian that lost his passport in Washington DC was able to get home in time to get married.

Sushma Swaraj's tenure at the Ministry of External Affairs put a human face to the post, an approach to reach out to people online in a more one-on-one fashion in a way that was never seen before.

Sushma Swaraj

That's something other politicians can learn from. Heck, it's something most brands can learn from. Have you ever tried tweeting at Swiggy because your order was messed up? Or how about tweeting to Airtel or another telco when your mobile data isn't working? Even tweeting at a smaller company with fewer followers is likely to get you an automated response. So how is that acceptable when Sushma Swaraj was able to acknowledge and respond personally to so many people everyday? 

The only other government-related social media handle that comes as close in their responsiveness and personal touch we've seen so far is from the Mumbai Police, and even they can be touch and go at times.

The thing is, social media has gotten a really bad rap these past few years, especially where politics is concerned. Cambridge Analytica regularly manipulated people's fears and emotions to swing elections across the world. But we didn't need them to misuse Facebook and Twitter, we do it ourselves all the time.

Sushma Swaraj

Just open up Twitter on a regular basis and you can see what I mean. People spewing racism and hate speech against other religions, men abusing and sexually harassing women, LGBTQ+ folk constantly being demeaned and put down. It's a lot, and it's hard to get away from. That's why people like Sushma Swaraj kinda helped reveal the purest form of social media, giving us a glimpse into the true power of publicly available online communication platforms and their potential for so much good.

Few people are doing this lately, but you can find them online. The LGBTQ+ allies, the feminists reaching out to sexual assault survivors, the animal protection activists, and so many more. In an ideal world that's what all of Twitter and Facebook would be like. But it's not, so we have to do our part to make it so. Just like Sushma Swaraj, in some ways.

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