The next phase of Social Media in India
The next phase of social media is here. Gone are the days when social media for browsing through to see feeds. Gone are the days when there are fixed social media options, and we have to use them even if we don’t want to. The new age is arising, and we can call post-2020 the alternative age as there’s an alternative for almost every app.
There are many changes in Indian IT rules and regulations, which persuades social media giants to either comply or walk out of the country. So, here’s the big question arises. Will these giants comply with the new IT rules? Even if they do, what alternatives can compete for these apps in the desi market? What’s the next phase of Social Media Marketing?
The initiation
The next phase of social media usage and especially social media marketing is confusing with unimaginable clarity. It all arose when the Central Government of India banned 59 Chinese-originated apps as they adversely affect India’s and Indian people’s privacy.
This list includes one of the most played games and most-used apps. PUBG has got back in India with another name, and another banned app TikTok is also looking forward to entering India with another identity.
In the transition phase, i.e., from ban to before reentry, TikTok has got many other competitors. These include giants like Instagram and YouTube, which made new add-on like Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts, which are short video-making apps.
With their giant user base of over a 400million+, they have had attracted many to use their built-in options instead of downloading other new apps. Their previous name and built-in option favored them in this case and persuaded users to use these platforms instead of downloading new apps.
Now, many creators use these short-video-making apps to create tons of content that gained popularity over time. And then, the new era began when Instagram introduced reel ads, a feature that allowed brands to advertise in between reels, which is a new step in social media marketing.
The next-phase
The second phase of Indian Social Media. This is specially termed Indian because it has something to do with new IT rules by the Indian Government.
When the Indian Government rolled out new rules about user privacy and safety in Social Mediums, the respective companies had only two options. That is to either comply with rules or shut down their operations in India. The Corona Virus, on the other hand, made things tough for foreign products and apps as a new “Make in India” initiative was boosted.
This new move welcomed many Indian startups to develop their own apps to compete with Foreign Social Media applications. This birthed Koo, share Karo, Sandes, Moz, Roposo, Sharechat, and many others.
So, what are these IT rules, and what’s the problem with them?
To define and describe, in a nutshell, the new IT rules rolled out for social media are to maintain the sovereignty of the country without touching the nerves of people in questionable categories.
The major platforms, Facebook and Instagram have agreed subjectively, but the other two giants, WhatsApp and Twitter were unable to comply with the rules, filed a legal suit against the Indian government to express their view to the court.
Tracking and restricting the user to post any unlawful or unethical content that might potentially hurt someone’s feelings, pornography, or copyrighted content is one of the lines in the newly released rules that pulled out Twitter in the issue.
Twitter, the debating and expressing platform felt restricting their users to express their views is a question to privacy and freedom of expression.
WhatsApp, on the other hand, accepted every other rule, except the source message tracking that can only be possible by breaking their end-to-end encryption.
Twitter was already landed in trouble when it filed a case against the Indian Government. Will social media become a spider’s net in the future?
The conclusion
There are numerous Indian Social Media alternatives, but many are still using conventional social media as they got used to them. But new IT implementations might be a big headache for these apps, and Indian apps can witness a rise.
Many uncertain things are happening with Social Media. If held properly, social media is the biggest boon for your business that escalates your sales and elevates your brand. The question is, how are you gonna do that?
That’s where we come in.
We use social media to turn businesses into brands. To let people know how crucial you are to them. And to skyrocket your sales by reaching your products/services to your customers.
The end and beginning of the new age are here. Make yourself visible and viable in this digitized world.
Contact PC Media for your comprehensive digital presence.