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SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON THE

TAMIL NADU ELECTION 2016

Report by

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Executive Summary This report aims to understand the incidence of Social Media users, understand user behavior in great

detail and therefore connect the dots between incidence of Social Media users and their actual impact

on the election. The methodologies deployed include compiling number of users information from

Facebook and Twitter, an online survey of Facebook users regards to the election in Tamil Nadu and

Analyzing Social Media conversations with respect to the election (Specially on Twitter). Detailed

Methodology notes can be found in the appendix. The research provides overwhelming evidence that

Social Media users will play a vital role in the Tamil Nadu assembly election 2016 and it is imperative

upon key stakeholders to engage with voters on these platforms and thereby influence electoral

outcomes in their favor.

Key Findings

1. 28% or more than 1 in 4 Constituencies have been classified as High Impact. Social Media users

in these constituencies may play a decisive role in deciding the winner of the election. We can

call these 66 Assembly Segments as ‘Facebook Constituencies’. Given the number of political

parties and alliances in fray in Tamil Nadu, and the close nature of the race, Facebook Registered

Voters in these 66 Assembly Constituencies could cast a decisive vote in these elections.

2. A vast majority, 92% of Social Media users are following the Tamil Nadu Election on Social

Media. Only 32% or just about one third consider Social Media to be a Trusted Media Source

when it comes to the Tamil Nadu Election. Overall Media Trust in Tamil Nadu is low with 18%

not trusting any mainstream or new age media for content regarding the election.

3. As many as 28 out of the 66 Facebook Constituencies are within the Chennai, Madurai and

Coimbatore Districts. Furthermore, 27 of these 28 are part of the Chennai, Madurai and

Coimbatore Clusters indicating the importance of the Large Metro effect as far as Facebook

strategy is concerned for Political Parties and Leaders.

4. With 19% Women in our Facebook Survey sample using Twitter at least once a month, the

medium has a higher incidence of Usage amongst Women than Men (12%). Twitter also has a

higher presence amongst Youth (Aged 40 and Below) with 55% of Twitter Users in our

Facebook Survey Aged 40 Years and Below.

5. Only 16% of Tweets about the Tamil Nadu election are posted between 9 PM to 12 Midnight,

coinciding with Prime Time Television News. 52% of Tweets on the Election are posted after 3

PM, and 43% of Tweets are posted on Weekends

6. Employment dominates the Twitter conversation, with 41 % of all Tweets posted during the

tracking period. Women’s issues, economy and corruption have the most negative sentiments

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SECTION I. SOCIAL MEDIA AND ELECTORAL POLITICS

INDIA’S ROLE IN THE FACEBOOK REVOLUTION

Social Media is no longer a thing of the future in terms of its role and influence on India’s governance

and politics. Facebook and Twitter now serve as a key vehicle for Governments and Political parties to

disseminate vital communication, and create relevant imageryamongst their target audience; and also

to an extent receive feedback on various governmental and political initiatives. On the other hand,

voters are increasingly using Social Media to learn about issues of importance, engage with a much

wider set of fellow voters and in many cases engage directly with politicians and media personnel. Social

Media is now gradually creating a scale of democratization unseen in the last 3000 years.

India has a Facebook registered universe of 142 Million Individuals aged 13 years and above, one of the

largest in the world, ahead of Early Adopter Nations for Social Media like Brazil which has 102

Millionregistered users and Indonesia with 82 Million registered users. In fact we are 2nd only to the

home of Facebook, the United States of America, having 198 Million registered users. As many as a 133

Million out of the 142 Million Facebook Users in India are accessing the medium via their mobile

phones, in addition to or exclusive of other devices.

From an electoral perspective India has 128 Million Registered Users on Facebook Aged 18 years and

above, that is, eligible to cast their vote. And more than 90% of these Facebook Users are in the 18 to 40

years age group, thereby underscoring the massive influence Facebook can potentially have on our

political discourse in present scenario and indeed the times to come.

Indian politicians too are active on Facebook and Twitter, sharing their ideas, thoughts, messages and

intent with the public. It is not uncommon for our leading politicians to have millions of followers on

Facebook and Twitter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has 33 Million followers on his Facebook page and

19 Million Followers on his Twitter handle @narendramodi. Finance Minister ArunJaitley has 4.25

Million people following his handle @arunjaitley.

In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister J.Jayalalitha has 114,464 Followers on Facebook and 23,300 Followers on

Twitter. Opposition leader M.K. Stalin has 1.7 Million Followers on Facebook and 72,300 Followers on

Twitter.

Facebook offers users a platform to engage in deeper and authentic conversations with each other and

other stakeholders with significant levels of privacy. Twitter on the other hand offers individuals

anonymity and yet information posted and accessed is universally accessible to everyone.

It is in this backdrop, that one can infer that we in India, especially Political, Electoral India are now no

longer on the cusp of a social media revolution; we are in the middle of it.

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A research by MarenetJordaan found journalists were not immune to the impact of social media on their

processes of news selection and presentation.TV news drives twitter engagement and twitter noise

impacts coverage on TV. Further, an influential research published a few months ago by Robert Epstein

actually illustrated how the Internet could actually impact the results of elections in India or abroad.

Social Media is in the forefront of influencing media and politics in unimaginable ways.

It is with this context in mind that we look at Tamil Nadu, a state with a registered base of 9.9 Million

Facebook Users aged 18+, and see how social media, especially Facebook, plays a role in the electoral

fortunes of the leading parties in that state.

BACKGROUND TO THE TAMIL NADU ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2016

The Tamil Nadu elections will be held on May 16th 2016, with counting to happen on May 19th, across

polling centers, and results to be declared by 21st May.

The state has 234 Assembly Constituencies which will elect their representatives through these

elections.

With an Electorate standing at 5.79 Crores as of January 2016,Tamil Nadu is home to India’s 6th largest

voting population amongst states.It ranks in the Top 10 on 3 of the 5 key electoral participation

parameters as illustrated in the table below.

PARAMETER TAMIL NADU RANK METRIC TAMIL NADU DELIVERY ON KEY METRIC

Size of Electorate 6th Rank Number of Registered Voters as of January 2016

5.79 Crores

Turnout in Lok Sabha 2014 Elections

17th Rank Voter Turnout Percentage in Lok Sabha 2014

73.7%

Female Turnout in Lok Sabha 2014 Elections

16th Rank Women Voter Turnout Percentage in Lok Sabha 2014

73.96%

Magnitude of Female Participation in Lok Sabha 2014 Elections

5th Rank Actual Number of Women Voters in the last Lok Sabha elections

2.04 Crores

Female Vote Influence in Lok Sabha 2014 Elections

8th Rank Females Voters for every 1000 Male Voters

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The state of Tamil Nadu has added 14 Million new electors in the age group of 18 to 29 in the last 5

years.

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SOCIAL MEDIA PENETRATION IN TAMIL NADU

Looking at Tamil Nadu’s Facebook using population, we can see why this election can potentially be the

first of its kind, with regards to social media registering a robust imprint on the electoral landscape of

the state.

Looking at the landscape numbers overall:

Tamil Nadu Facebook registered users aged 18+ stand at 9.9 Million (17.1% of electorate)

2.3 Million of these are Women Users

In the context of the various voting segments in Tamil Nadu, Facebook registered voters will form one of

the largest voting groups after Men, Women, Urban voters and Scheduled Castes. In the context of the

competitive landscape, whether it is the competitive urban seats or the vote share gap between the

three leading formations (AIADAMK and their allies, DMK and their allies, PWF), Facebook registered

voters can have a significant impact on electoral outcomes.

The large number of new and young voters has prompted the Election Commission to announce a

reminder to be sent to all Facebook Users on May 15th and 16th to go and cast their vote the following

day.In fact, the Chief Election Officer (CEO) Mr Rajesh Lakhoni, has designed an entire campaign titled

#TN100Pecent, driven by Social Media and Event based outreach. He and his team have created

memesand tweets themed around popular films, harnessing the creative power of the cine world which

has a tremendous influence on the public of Tamil Nadu, especially in politics. The Election Commission

in Tamil Nadu has also recruited popular film stars and cricketers like Suriya, Siddharth, Nassar,

Ravichandran Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik, whose campaigning videos were filmed and are being shared

on social media. In addition to its partnership with Facebook, the Election Commission in Tamil Nadu

also broke fresh ground by partnering with Twitter, a first for India, in order to boost its #TN100Percent

campaign. Twitter users who have tweeted using the campaign hashtag will also get a reminder on

Election Day. The focus of the campaign is 2 pronged – 100% registration and voting, and honestly-

ethical voting. Towards the latter, on April 10th, the Tamil Nadu CEO tweeted a picture of a motorcyclist

with a board saying “DaivaSaidu, VotekuPanamVangaVendam” which means; please do not accept

money (bribes) for casting your vote.

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SECTION II. IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ACROSS ASSEMBLY

CONSTITUENCIES IN TAMIL NADU

THE LARGE CITY EFFECT DOMINATES SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT

The table below shows the Overall Split of Assembly Constituencies in Tamil Nadu by High, Medium and

Low Impact. Of the 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, approximately one fourthof the seats

(66 out of 234) can be regarded as High Impact constituencies (Facebook Constituencies). When we look

at the number of medium impact constituencies along with the high impact ones, nearly 34% of the

constituencies are likely to be impacted by Social media users.

Number of Constituencies

% of These Constituencies outside the Top 10 Cities

High Impact 66 38%

Medium Impact 14 100%

Low Impact 154 100%

Total 234

While it is not surprisingly that all the Assembly constituencies in the Municipal or Urban Agglomeration

limits of a Top 10 City of the state have emerged high impact constituencies, only 38% of the High

Impact constituencies come from outside the Top 10 Cities. In West Bengal, the corresponding figure

was much higher at 57%.

An example of a town outside the Top-10 Cities in population is Nagercoil in the Kanniyakumari district

which is also the hub of industrial and commercial activity in the district. While the Assembly

constituency has263106 electors as of January 2016, we found that there are110000 Facebook users in

that constituency. This high proportion of Facebook users indicates that Facebook can definitely

influence the opinion of voters about the political parties and candidates in this particular constituency.

There are 24 more such assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu which are not among the top 10 cities by

population but where social media has a high impact. Thus Facebook can now be viewed as a key

campaigning battleground in the electoral battles which political parties should be able to best harness.

IDENTIFYING VITAL DISTRICTSFROM A SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT PERSPECTIVE

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The top 5 ranking districts in terms of high impact are spread across the state – Chennai in the north,

Nilgiris and Coimbatore in the west, Madurai in the south, Cuddalore in the east and Krishnagiri in the

north west of the state.

The bottom 5 districts in terms of impact are mostly located in the East. Viluppuram, Nagapattinam and

Perambalur are in the East. Sivaganga is towards the south east while Theni is located on the south west

of the state

District Total Number of Assembly Seats

% High

Impact

% Medium Impact

% Low

Impact

High Impact Rank for District

Chennai 16 100% 0% 0% 1

The Nilgiris 3 67% 0% 33% 2

Coimbatore 10 60% 0% 40% 3

Madurai 10 60% 0% 40% 3

Cuddalore 9 33% 0% 67% 5

Krishnagiri 6 33% 0% 67% 5

Dindigul 7 29% 0% 71% 7

Salem 11 27% 0% 73% 8

Erode 8 25% 0% 75% 9

Karur 4 25% 0% 75% 9

Ramanathapuram 4 25% 0% 75% 9

Thanjavur 8 25% 13% 63% 9

Thiruvarur 4 25% 0% 75% 9

Tiruppur 8 25% 0% 75% 9

Tiruchirappalli 9 22% 0% 78% 15

Dharmapuri 5 20% 0% 80% 16

Tirunelveli 10 20% 10% 70% 16

Kancheepuram 11 18% 0% 82% 18

Kanniyakumari 6 17% 17% 67% 19

Namakkal 6 17% 17% 67% 19

Pudukkottai 6 17% 0% 83% 19

Thoothukkudi 6 17% 17% 67% 19

Vellore 13 15% 0% 85% 23

Virudhunagar 7 14% 29% 57% 24

Tiruvannamalai 8 13% 0% 88% 25

Thiruvallur 10 10% 20% 70% 26

Viluppuram 11 9% 0% 91% 27

Nagapattinam 6 0% 33% 67% 28

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Perambalur 4 0% 50% 50% 28

Sivaganga 4 0% 25% 75% 28

Theni 4 0% 0% 100% 28

TOTAL 234 28% 6% 66%

POTENTIAL OF WOMEN ON FACEBOOK TO INFLUENCE THE SOCIO POLITICAL

LANDSCAPE – A TAMIL NADU PERSPECTIVE

Women comprise more than 50% of the Total Electorate in Tamil Nadu, as of January 2016. Also it was

the only state amongst the Top 10 States by Electorate Size to have more absolute Female Voters than

Male Voters in the Lok Sabha 2014 elections. Let us look at the footprint of Women in Facebook and

how they impact the Social Media Landscape in Tamil Nadu vis-à-vis other States.

Women aged 18 + in Tamil Nadu on Facebook – a Comparative Perspective

There are 2.3 Million Women aged 18+ on Facebook, forming 23% of the 18+ Facebook Population of

the state. We looked at the comparative share of women in other major states of India in order to

understand the criticality of women in the overall social media landscape for the state.

In a comparative context, states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala and Karnataka fare better than

Tamil Nadu, when it comes to the comparative presence of Women aged 18+ versus their Male

Counterparts.

Geography 18+ Women Users of Facebook (In Millions)

Women Registered as Facebook Users for every 1000 Men Registered as Facebook Users

All India 31 322 Tamil Nadu vs. Other States

Tamil Nadu 2.3 303 Maharashtra 4.8 320 West Bengal 2.1 344

Karnataka 2.2 333 Kerala 1.7 415

Telangana 1.4 297 Andhra Pradesh 0.69 237

The state capital and principal metropolis,Chennai, also has a lower relative presence of Women aged

18+ on Facebook as compared to other IT Hub Metros and Kolkata, the other major metropolis along

the Bay of Bengal.

Geography 18+ Women Users of Facebook (In Millions)

Women Registered as Facebook Users for every 1000 Men Registered as Facebook Users

All India 31 322

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Chennai vs IT Hub Metros& Kolkata

Chennai 1.1 314 Bangalore 1.5 357

Hyderabad 1.2 324 Kolkata 1.1 379

Therefore the presence of Women aged 18+ in Tamil Nadu is less in terms of contribution to the state

Facebook population, when compared with other states. In order to achieve a density of Women aged

18+, on the same scale as West Bengal, it should have had ideally 0.3 Million more Women Users aged

18+ on Facebook.

More critically, let us look at the kind of imprint in size that Women Aged 18+ in Tamil Nadu have on the

larger Female Electorate in the state, and how this stacks up vis-à-vis two other states that are also

having elections currently, West Bengal and Kerala.

Females 18+ on Facebook % of all 18+

on Facebook April 2016

Female Electors as a

% of Electorate

January 2016

Females 18+ on Facebook

as % of Female

Electorate

Females Voting

for every 1000 Males

Voting in Lok Sabha

2014

Kerala 29% 52% 13% 1071

Tamil Nadu 23% 50% 8% 1005

West Bengal

25% 48% 7% 920

Women are 23% of the Adult Facebook population of Tamil Nadu, lower than West Bengal and Kerala.

Also Women Aged 18+ in Kerala are approximately 13% of the Female Electorate in that state, whereas

the corresponding figure is only 8% for Tamil Nadu.

West Bengal also has a similar figure of 7% to Tamil Nadu’s, but this needs to be seen in context that

only 920 Women vote for every 1000 Men in West Bengal versus a corresponding figure of 1005 for

Tamil Nadu on the same parameter.

Kerala on the other hand has Women as more than 50% of its Electorate like Tamil Nadu, and also has

more Women Voting than Men in the Lok Sabha 2014 Elections, and has a population Women aged

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18+on Facebook amounting to 13% of its Female Electorate. For Tamil Nadu to be at the same

proportion, it would need to have 1.3 Million additional Women aged 18+ on Facebook.

Women in Tamil Nadu therefore account for a smaller than expected proportion of the overall Female

Electoral Franchise, and therefore in the present context, Facebook can have a potentially far greater

influence on Men in terms of the percentage of vote influenced through focused targeting.

TWITTER USERS

Taking into account the unique set of limitations with Twitter - lack of age filters, the need to pull data

by interest groups and the fact that 40% out of the 234 Assembly Constituencies reported a zero in the

Number of Registered Twitter users, we decided to look at the Twitter build up numbers by the Top 10

cities of Tamil Nadu, where the bulk of reported Twitter registered users lie.

Top 10 Cities Number of Twitter Users

Number of Facebook Users

Twitter Users for every 1000 Facebook Users

Chennai 148000 4700000 31

Coimbatore 109000 780000 139

Erode 17000 180000 94

Madurai 50000 360000 138

Salem 32000 280000 114

Thoothukkudi 10000 35000 285

Tiruchirapalli 40000 280000 142

Tirunelveli 7000 140000 50

Tiruppur 28000 140000 200

Vellore 12000 170000 70

Looking at the table above, Chennai clearly has the highest number of reported Twitter registered users.

However, the highest Twitter density vis-à-vis Facebook exists in Thoothukkudi (Tuticorin) which is

known as the “Emerging Energy and Industrial Hub of South India” with as many as 285 Registered

Twitter users for every 1000 registered users of Facebook. This is followed by Tiruppur and

Tiruchirapalli.

While obtaining the landscape of Twitter handle owners has posed us with its own unique set of

challenges, we have in our subsequent sections, captured the interplay of Twitter with other social

media, especially Facebook, as also the range and clusters of election related conversations available on

Twitter, both in terms of content and its magnitude of impact.

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IN SUM

The critical insights that emerge from juxtaposing the Facebook numbers’ spread of Tamil Nadu onto the

electoral landscape are as follows:

a) 2 out of every 3 Assembly Constituencies is Low Impact. In relative terms the figure does not

compare unfavorably with West Bengal which has 69% Low Impact constituencies. However

Kerala has only 46% Low Impact constituencies.

b) There are 66 High Impact Constituencies or Facebook Constituencies which are 28% of the total

Assembly Segments in the state. Again the number compares favourably with West Bengal

which is at 24%, but pales in comparison with neighboring Kerala at 51%.

c) Women aged 18+ are considerably underrepresented on Facebook in the context of the size and

participation of the Female Electorate of the state – especially vis-à-vis Bengal on relative

presence of Women aged 18+ on Facebook and Kerala with respect to their share of the Overall

Female Electorate.

d) As many as 28 out of the 66 High Impact Assembly Constituencies are from the Large Metro

Headquartered Districts of Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. In fact as many as 27 out of the

28 are from Assembly Constituencies that are part of or clustered within the 3 large metros,

with the town of Pollachi accounting for the remaining Assembly Constituency.

e) The Twitter base has a higher density (when compared with Facebook) in the smaller cities such

as Thoothukuddi, Tiruppur and Tiruchirapalli. However Coimbatore and Madurai also have

relatively higher densities of Twitter Users.

Hence we recommend a two pronged Social Media Strategy taking into consideration the two leading

mediums, Facebook and Twitter.

FACEBOOK

It is important for parties to target Male Facebook Users in the 3 Metros in particular for election related

content and messaging.

Our Social Media section (to follow ahead) has unearthed Employment as the singularly largest issue

dominating the conversations on Twitter related to the Elections. A study conducted by the

LabourBureau in mid 2014 covering 16,500 households across Tamil Nadu, revealed that despite

standing 2nd in Total Employment amongst states in India, Tamil Nadu has its share of concerns with

respect the nature of employment obtainable. Unemployment rate was found to be increasing as the

education level rises for the age group 15-29 years. In case of those holding diplomas, graduates and

post graduates, the unemployment rate is significantly high at greater than 13%.Overall, Those

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employed as Casual Labour (44%) are considerably higher than Self Employed (29%) and Wage/Salary

Earners (27%).

Given that our Facebook Survey (covered in the next section) reveals that Twitter enjoys greater

incidence of usage among Women vis-à-vis Men, and Unemployment traditionally has greater social

stigma attached amongst Men, using Facebook for this task would yield far greater effective reach

amongst Men, especially those who are not on Twitter.

Therefore using Facebook to drive Employment related promises and engage voters positively on the

issue could be the most expedient way forward in terms of social media strategy on Facebook as far as

parties in the current Assembly elections are concerned.

Again, given that the 3 Metro Headquartered Districts have 42% of the High Impact Assembly

Constituencies, an equal mix of Tamil and English content and messaging would be optimal.

TWITTER

The Labour Bureau report in 2014 revealed that the incidence of Casual Labour as the primary source of

employment was much higher in Rural Tamil Nadu – 53% vs. 30% for Urban. Therefore Twitter as a

medium can take the lead in generating and sustaining engagement with Voters on Employment related

conversations, especially amongst Smaller Towns and Rural Areas.

With Twitter having a higher incidence of usage amongst Women, and that Towns with high Twitter

density like Thoothukuddi and Tiruppur have a higher Sex Ratio (Number of Women for every 1000

Men) than Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore, Twitter can be successfully used to bring Women into the

Employment narrative, critical in a state with a strong emphasis on Female Education, and which has

nearly 1 in 7 Post Graduates Unemployed.

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SECTION III. POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT SURVEY AMONG FACEBOOK

USERS

TWITTER, LINKED IN, INSTAGRAM ENGAGING WOMEN MORE THAN MEN, FACEBOOK

MORE PREVALENT AMONGST MEN, WHATSAPP IDENTICAL ACROSS BOTH

We conducted an Online Survey, designed to deliver a sample of 250 Facebook users in Tamil Nadu to

understand the level of engagement of Facebook users with the Tamil Nadu Elections as well as relevant

content regarding the same, on Facebook, and other social media. The final sample size achieved was

252.

While we had as many as 252 responses within less than 48 hours of posting the survey on Facebook,

the fact that a measly 30 or 12% of the respondents were identified as being Women is a stark finding in

itself. That while approximately 23% of Tamil Nadu’s registered users are Women, and Female Electoral

Participation is extremely high in the state, women are either reluctant or not very interested in

engaging about Politics on social media.

Incidence of Using Various Social Media At least once a month

All Men Women

Base: 252 220 32

Facebook 88% 90% 81%

Twitter 13% 12% 19%

WhatsApp 60% 60% 59%

LinkedIn 7% 6% 13%

Instagram 7% 6% 13%

The above table provides us with the incidence of using various social media, at least once a month,

Overall and by Gender. Due to the survey itself being hosted using Facebook’s ad platform, incidence of

using Facebook at least once a month is highest amongst all social media. However, there are 10% Men

and almost 20% Women who are registered on Facebook but not using it even once a month.

Amongst Facebook registered users, it is WhatsApp that emerges as the platform with highest incidence

of at least once a month usage, with 60% incidence, almost identical by Gender. This similarity between

Men and Women in terms of Incidence of using WhatsApp is unusual; in many geographies it is

Women who normally outrank Men on this count. A point for political parties in Tamil Nadu to take

heed of.

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All other platforms pale in comparison to Facebook and WhatsApp, with Twitter being the third best at

13%. Speaking of Twitter, Linked In and Instagram, they stand out vis-à-vis Facebook, with Women

having a 7% lead over Men in terms of Incidence of Usage.

Clearly, given their footprint and regular usage incidence, Facebook and WhatsApp will drive

engagement amongst both Men and Women. Though there could be a third medium added in case of

Women, depending on the nature of content and campaign.

Looking at Facebook Users and WhatsApp Users participating in our political engagement survey, there

is a clear case of where Twitter is dominated by < 40 year old voters while both Facebook and Whatsapp

are dominated by > 40 year old voters.

The age trend basis participation in our survey reveals a lot about the differences in political

engagement between the Youth and Older Generation. The table below reveals exactly what we

discovered.

All 18+ Survey

Respondents

All Facebook Users Aged

18+ in Tamil

Nadu

Base 250 9.9 Million

Upto 40 years 38% 89%

41 years & above 62% 12%

38%

62%

38%

62% 55%

45% 43%

57%

UPTO 40 YEARS 41 YEARS & ABOVE

All Respondents Facebook Twitter WhatsApp

BASE: All Respondents- 252| Facebook- 223|Twitter- 33| Whatsapp-152

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The startling insight gleaned by us, from the participation in our survey on Elections is that, while nearly

9 in every 10 Facebook Users Aged 18+ in Tamil Nadu is aged upto 40 years, only about 2 out of every 5

of our survey participants above 18 are in that age bracket. Clearly, Political Engagement via Social

Media is something that seems like more of a "mature prerogative".

Though Women participated reluctantly in our survey, there is no difference between Men and Women

in terms of following the current state elections on social media as evinced by the Table below.

Incidence of Following Current State Elections on Social Media

All Respondents Men Women

Base 252 220 32

Yes 92% 92% 94%

No 8% 8% 6%

While most respondents appeared to be following the elections on Social Media, the engagement levels

vary by activity. This is explained in the Table below.

Incidence of Reading Articles, Sharing Articles and Posting Comments on content related to the Current Tamil Nadu Elections

All Respondents

Base: All those who are following the current state elections on social media

232

Read, Share and Comment 13%

Only Read and Comment 3%

Only Read and Share 12%

Only Share and Comment 3%

Only Read 46%

Only Share 18%

Only Comment 5%

Only 31% perform 2 or more activities simultaneously out of Read, Share and Post Comments on articles

related to the current Tamil Nadu elections. Commenting on posts or articles shared by others is low,

with those who Post Comments amounting to only 24%. Reading evidently has the lion’s share with 74%

reading, and a huge 46% being those who only Read articles. Articles once posted will proliferate on

social media, with 43% Sharing content related to the elections.

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Reliable Media Sources with respect to the Tamil Nadu Elections

Base: All those who responded: 252

While TV and Print are still the most trusted media sources for election related content, interestingly

enough, the incidence of opting for either of these is below 50%, surprisingly low in a state with high TV

Penetration and Daily Newspaper Readership. Consequently, the gap between Social Media and Print is

less than 10%. In West Bengal the corresponding numbers for TV and Print were 63% and 55%

respectively indicating a much lower level of media engagement in Tamil Nadu as far as the current

elections are concerned.

The Social Media number at 32% is also lower than West Bengal which was at 41%.

Overall, Media Engagement for Election related content seems low with as many as 18% not trusting any

mainstream or new age form of media for content regarding the Tamil Nadu election, considering that

the corresponding figure for Bengal was only 9%.

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Incidence of Following Facebook Pages / Twitter Handles of Politicians and Political Parties:

Approximately 50% (127 out of 252 respondents) follow either Tamil Nadu’s Politicians or Political

Parties on their respective Facebook Pages and Twitter Handles. However, when we look at these

people more closely, the incidence of them trusting Social Media as a source of information for the

current elections in Tamil Nadu goes up only slightly, as evidenced in the Table below.

Those Citing Social Media as a Trusted Information Source for the current TN Elections

Base Row %

All Respondents 252 32%

Those Following Politicians / Parties in Tamil Nadu on their Facebook Pages and Twitter Handles

127 35%

The lack of significant engagement implies that there is a huge opportunity for Politicians to have more

of a conversation with voters through social media platforms rather than using them just as PR channels.

As only about half of the voters are currently following Tamil Nadu units of political parties or politicians

on Facebook or Twitter despite the large proportion of those following election related content on social

media.

46% 40%

54% 60%

TAMIL NADU’S POLITICIANS TAMIL NADU’S POLITICAL PARTIES / UNITS

Yes No

BASE: All Respondents- 252

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Overall, given the sheer demographic fallout of our survey, there is a huge opportunity that so far has

gone a begging as far as Social Media focused on the Tamil Nadu Elections and Politics in General is

concerned. That of registering presence and building engagement with two critical franchises – The

Below 40 Age Group and Women. Especially via WhatsApp and Twitter in case of Women.

Also, the fact that those trusting mainstream media in terms of TV and Print are just about 63% of the

voting population, and that almost one in every 5 voters does not trust any traditional or modern

medium for election related content, there is a massive task ahead for Politicians & Political Parties

towards building credibility for themselves on social media, before they begin to harness it for their

advantage.

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SECTION IV: SOCIAL MEDIA LISTENING ANALYSIS

Social media listening is an excellent way to understand the nature of voter engagement with the

election. Typically, social media users, media and political operatives tend to look at 3 types of

information when looking for information on social media

- Party related information

- Leadership related Information

- Issue related Information

While one would assume that most of this is to keep oneself abreast of the latest news, analysis and

opinions and also to engage with other views on topics of their interest. It is also true that social media

is increasingly playing a crucial role in driving TV newsroom coverage of topics of interest. A research by

MarenetJordaan found journalists were not immune to the impact of social media on their processes of

news selection and presentation. A separate study by Jennifer Alejandro at the Reuters Politics Institute

at the Oxford University found that Journalists are increasingly using social media to gather stories

especially during breaking news stories. Television news channels (which have a much higher reach) are

actually playing an amplifying role of the news and discussions that trend on social media. This is

particularly important in Tamil Nadu as it has almost universal TV penetration. So, it is not just about an

elite discussing a specific topic but these discussions driving coverage on mass media and thereby

influencing voting behaviour at a much larger scale than previously known. Tamil Nadu’s higher

penetration of social media is also because it is one of the richest large States in India.

However, the connect between twitter posts and TV news is not as strongly correlated as in Bengal. Only

about 38% of the tweets are concentrated during the peak news watching hour (It was 53% for Bengal).

In fact, 33% of the tweets are posted before 12 noon (Versus Bengal at 20%). This ties in well with the

survey findings that show overall low trust with both Mass media and Social Media in the State.

Mass Audience Impact

Social Media Discussions

Television Coverage

19

When we look at the 3 information dimensions articulated earlier, employment dominates the discourse

in Tamil Nadu.As we pointed out earlier, unemployment rate amongst the most educated (who are also

the most likely to be on Social Media) is about 13%, while amongst those had studied upto higher

secondary, it was only 5%. While this alone cannot justify it being more important than other issues, the

fact that it is discussed so often on Social Media is backed by actual voter experience on the ground.

On the leadership question, the two leading alliances appear to be following different strategies to

reach out to the voters. DMK appears to be knowingly or unknowingly projecting multiple leaders

thereby enabling Ms. Jayalaithaa to lead the leadership conversations on most of the days. However,

when parties are concerned, the DMK alliance dominates the conversations on the Social Media.

Day/Date No.1 issue No.1 Leader No.1 Party

11Monday Employment M Karunanidhi DMK 12Tuesday Employment M Karunanidhi DMK 13Wednesday Employment J Jayalalithaa DMK 14Thursday Employment J Jayalalithaa DMK 15Friday Employment J Jayalalithaa DMK 16Saturday Employment Kanimozhi DMK 17Sunday Employment J Jayalalithaa DMK 18Monday Employment J Jayalalithaa DMK 19Tuesday Employment J Jayalalithaa DMK

8% 5%

8% 12% 14% 14%

22%

16%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

0-3 AM 3-6 AM 6-9 AM 9-12 Noon 12-15 PM 15-18 PM 18-21 PM 21-24 PM

% of Tweets by Day Part

% of Tweets by Day Part

20

However, Social media is not just about being present and be spoken about. It is also about the nature

of the conversations. We analysis the information obtained under each of the information dimensions in

greater detail.

PARTY ANALYSIS (10 DAYS, 22ND TO 31ST MARCH 2016)

As we indicated earlier, the DMK alliance dominates the conversation. However, the net sentiment is

negative. The AIADMK has significantly lower presence but also very high negative conversations, 1 in 3

conversations about the AIADMK on Social Media are negative. The same trend impacts all the other

parties/alliances except the small PMK which has more positive than negative conversations. In our

survey we found that 60% of Social Media users had no direct engagement with the Party’s social media

presence. In spite of being an affluent State with significant number of social media users, it does not

appear that most parties have looked at this medium with great seriousness. With less than a month to

go before the election and the likelihood of many undecided voters, party presence and activation must

be a critical component of their strategy to win swing voters. The ability to present a compelling case,

defend inaccurate or incorrect perceptions will go a long way in winning the final set of votes that will

deliver the election.

21

LEADER ANALYSIS (10 DAYS, 22ND TO 31STMARCH 2016)

Leadership is a crucial deciding factor in any election. In 2014, Narendra Modi enjoyed a huge advantage

over his rivals, same with Arvind Kejriwal and Nitish Kumar. In Tamil Nadu in 2016, J Jayalalithaa, the

incumbent Chief Minister, enjoys unrivalled presence over her DMK rivals individually. However, when

the 3 leaders are combined, she enjoys only a 1% advantage in terms of volume share. That said, she

enjoys a positive sentiment overall, unlike her DMK rivals. There are merits in the DMK strategy to split

their leadership volumes as it enables them to customize their conversations to individual segments in

the face of a formidable competitor like Ms Jayalalithaa. On the other hand, the AIADMK has the

opportunity to increase its volume of conversations around Ms Jayalalithaa (directly or indirectly) and

thereby compete on an even keel versus the DMK when it comes to party related conversations (chart

above). Overall, both the leading alliances/parties have a lot more opportunities to enhance their

imagery on social media.

ISSUE ANALYSIS (10 DAYS 22ND TO 31STMARCH 2016)

As we indicated earlier, employment dominates the conversation in Tamil Nadu. However, most of the

conversations are neutral. The conversations are centredaround hopes and solutions rather than

criticism about the unemployment amongst the educated class. The two issues with relatively high

incidence are women and the economy. Both have significantly high negative conversations and an

overall negative sentiment. Specifically, other online surveys have shown that the % of undecided

women is significantly high in Tamil Nadu. Women have a variety of issues concerning them including

employment, safety and the economy. However, one issue that impacts less affluent women is

prohibition. This is increasingly becoming an issue in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu economy has generally

done well and so economy only makes up about 5% of the conversations. However, the net negative

sentiment needs to be seen in the context of the low job growth market.

Corruption has been a lead issue in Tamil Nadu whether in 2011 or in 2014. Further, a survey in January

found corruption to be the No.1 issue in Tamil Nadu. Yet, it languishes almost at the bottom indicating

either an acceptance that it is a part of the politics in the state or none of the parties talking about it

sufficiently. If the latter is true, it offers one or more of the parties/alliances an opportunity to make it a

significant issue over the next 3 weeks. While corruption as an issue itself may not deliver many votes, it

22

has the ability to put question marks on voter choices and thereby provide openings to other parties to

talk about their own strengths.

IN SUM

The social media listening analysis suggests that parties in Tamil Nadu appear to be much better

engaged in social media than in other States like Bengal or Kerala. However, the research also uncovers

numerous opportunities for each of the leading alliances whether on leadership or on party perception.

In case of issues, while some of the issues reflect public surveys, some of the issues that appeared in

public surveys donot appear to be receiving traction on Social Media. The low presence of PWF which is

presenting itself as a third alternative can be explained by the it’s targeting of less affluent voters.

However, they must understand the role that Social media plays in driving the agenda in Mass media

and therefore increase their presence significantly over the next 3 weeks. As undecided voters make up

their mind over the next 3 weeks, the small advantages that parties gain on Social media could translate

to important electoral advantages on voting day.

23

SECTION V: CONCLUSIONS In a 2014 research, YoshHalberstam and Brian Knight found that social media like Twitter and Facebook

are an echo chamber within which people are exposed only to opinions in line with their own. Having

said that, users are increasingly exposed to a wider range of information making them much more

informed when it comes to understanding various issues in greater detail. The emergence of social

media superstars and their non-partisan followers illustrates this point.

In Tamil Nadu, almost 1 in 5 voters are on Facebook and 1 in 3 Constituencies have been classified as

High or Medium Impact from a Social Media perspective. This is particularly critical in the districts of

Chennai, Nilgiris, Madurai, Coimbatore and Krishnagiri.

One challenge for the politicians in Tamil Nadu is that the levels of trust across all media including Social

media is relatively low when it comes to Politics. This may have to do more with the nature of politics in

the state rather than the media themselves. A relatively high skepticism suggests that stakeholders in

Tamil Nadu must engage more and in fact directly with voters to understand their issues and answering

their many concerns. While there appears to be far deeper engagement than say Bengal or Kerala, there

appears to be far less direct engagementbetween politicians and the voters. While the leading CM

candidates must be more actively talking to voters directly, candidates in the 6 leading Social Media

districts cannot compete aggressively without reaching out to voters actively on Social Media. At the

moment, the presence appears to be minimal.

In that context of the social mediaengagement structure for political parties and related stakeholders

(Chart below), the first step for many TN parties, leaders and local candidates is to significantly engage

with voters whether it is in terms of followers or expressing their opinions on key issues. The

overwhelming dominance of one or two issues and the significantly low incidence of issues like

Corruption suggest that parties are not articulating their views effectively on Social media. Local

candidates must emphasize their values, opinions on key issues and address many of the concerns

raised their electors.

Secondly, the significantly high % of conversations around issues like employment and women suggest

that Politicians could leverage this information much more in their day to day campaigns. For example,

while prohibition is an important issue for women, our listening data suggests that women too are

concerned by issues like employment and the economy. On employment voters are not exactly angry

but are perhaps keen on listening to solutions to solve the unemployment problem amongst the

educated class.

A Sustained presence to engagement model will enable political parties and related stakeholders to

establish quality relationships with voters which in turn would help in the overall electoral chances for

the party involved.

24

Thirdly, the nature of engagement increasingly needs more sophistication, whether it is on languages or

policy expertise (given the diversity of issues and audience) or even platforms within Social Media. For

example, when it comes to Political conversations, voters below 40 years overwhelmingly dominate

Twitter while Facebook is more dominated by voters older than 40. Whatsapp too is preferred by older

voters rather than younger voters

Tamil Nadu has one of the highest per capita incomes amongst the large states, it has low school

dropout rates, low fertility rates and in general a progressive population. The population has adopted

Social media quickly as they had done with mass media a few years ago. The continuous rise of

smartphone penetration, the launch of Digital India and the likely reduction in internet access costs will

drive even more digital penetration in the State. The EC’s engagement on digital media is extremely

progressive and very relevant in the context of Tamil Nadu. This engagement is only likely to increase

and expand further to other States. Social media firms in turn can play a more constructive role by

supporting the Government, Government institutions and interest groups that can contribute positively

to the Political process in a non-partisan manner. All of these changes will continue to change the

election Landscape in Tamil Nadu and will further create pressure for political parties to engage much

more with voters in the State. The digital era in politics has truly begun….

Impact Stakeholder Perceptions

Information Management

Inform Defend

Presence

Listen Learn & Build

relationships

Listen Build

Relationship

25

APPENDIX I. METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

APPROACH

We approached studying the social media Landscape of Tamil Nadu, in context of the upcoming

Assembly Elections, using a 4 pronged approach:

1. Mapping Facebook Registered User and Twitter User bases with Assembly Constituencies

a) Mapping of Facebook users

We went to data published on and by Facebook that helps advertisers target their audience. We

culled data from this page, one constituency at a time. Where data was not available for a

particular constituency, we tried as much as possible to identify clusters of 2 or more Assembly

Segments that would together correspond to a particular Town or Large Metro.

For example, Erode East and Erode West corresponded to Erode, for which we got Facebook

registered users aged 18+.In case of Chennai Metro, we identified as many as 18 Assembly

Constituencies, and considered them to cumulatively represent Chennai.

b) Mapping of Twitter Users –

We went to the Twitter Ads page, and entered the corresponding constituency name, entered

information so as to draw the maximum possibly reached audience within the particular

constituency using Twitter.

While the reach can be defined by Age on Facebook, Twitter does not allow for the same. In

Twitter, the audience numbers were available only as an Unduplicated Sum of Audience with

Interest in atleast 1 key topic. As a result, we considered a multitude of topics, so as to maximize

their Unduplicated Sum, and get the maximum possible size of audience. We also included

politics and current affairs in the list of topics in order to ensure that we get as much of a

relevant audience as optimally possible.Consequently, as explained above, Twitter numbers are

not filtered by the Age criterion.

Since Facebook is the medium with larger registered base, we considered aggregations of

individual constituencies into Towns or Metros for Twitter, wherever they were applicable for

Facebook. There were as many as 90 Assembly Constituencies for which we did not get any

registry of Twitter users.

26

Twitter users: The number of Twitter users reflecting on the Twitter website for certain

assembly constituencies was abnormally higher when compared to other AC's of similar elector

population, also in certain cases, abnormally high in relation to the corresponding Facebook

number. We have thus not taken these Twitter numbers into account. For example,

Sriperumbudur (AC no. 29) has 20,000 Facebook users. However, the number of Twitter users is

74,000 as per the Twitter website. Since the Twitter number in that instance was abnormally

higher than the Facebook number, we did not take it into account

2. Impact Analysis – overlaying the following together:

a) Universe of Electors or Eligible Voters listed on the Electoral Rolls, as released by the

Election Commission on January 1st 2016

b) the Lok Sabha 2014 results by Assembly Segment, with

c) the Facebook registered user base of 18+ Adults, in those Assembly Segments,in order to

determine social media Impact by Assembly Constituency

3. Facebook User Political Engagement Survey –

We conducted an Online Survey amongst 252 Facebook users in Tamil Nadu, using Facebook’s

survey service to push the survey link to Facebook users living within Tamil Nadu.The survey

interview comprised of 8-9 short questions, including demographics of the respondent. The key

questions were with regards to:

- Incidence of following the current Tamil Nadu elections on Facebook, with,

- Incidence of following the Facebook Pages and Twitter Handles of Tamil Nadu’s Politicians

and Political Parties

- Individual and relative incidence of Reading, Sharing and Commenting on Election Related

Articles on Facebook.

4. Social Listening Analysis– We looked at the volume of chatter on social media for the current

Tamil Nadu elections, basis some keywords that we searched for on social media channels. And

analysed the incidence of conversation basis these topics by Facebook and Twitter and the

specific issues being discussed and debated on Facebook and Twitter. The topics covered

include Leadership aspects, Party aspects and election issues

27

APPENDIX II. ASSESSING HIGH, MEDIUM AND LOW IMPACT

ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCIES

METHODOLOGY

a) Universe of Electors or Eligible Voters listed on the Electoral Rolls as on January 1st 2016, by

each Assembly Constituency in Tamil Nadu (Source: Election Commission)

We visited the Election Commission website and culled out data on the Number of Eligible

Voters or Electors for each Assembly Constituency of Tamil Nadu.

b) Lok Sabha 2014 results by Assembly Segment (Source: Election Commission)

Here we treated the 1st Place result within each Assembly Segment for the Lok Sabha 2014

elections as Votes Obtained by the Winner, and similarly the corresponding 2nd Place result

as Votes Obtained by the Runner Up, and their difference as the Winning Margin.

In case of constituencies which needed aggregating or clustering upward due to Facebook

users, we treated the Cluster as a larger aggregate constituency.

c) High, Medium and Low Impact Assembly Constituencies

Given that Facebook is the dominant social media website in terms of registered user base,

we used a combination of the following variables to segment constituencies into High,

Medium and Low social media impact:

o Number of Registered 18+ Facebook users for the Assembly Segment or Cluster of

Assembly Segments, as relevant

o Universe of Electors as per the Election Commission as on January 1st 2016, for the

Assembly Segment or Cluster of Assembly Segments, as relevant

o Winning Margin in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections for the Assembly Segment or

Cluster of Assembly Segments, as relevant

28

Summarizing the Criteria

Criterion 1 Criterion 2

High Impact Constituencies Winning Margin for the Segment* was greater than the Number of Registered Facebook users Aged 18+ in that segment

Number of registered Facebook users Aged 18+ in that Segment was 10% or more of the Universe of Electors or Eligible Voters as per the Electoral Rolls published by the Election Commission, as on January 1st 2016 in that segment

Medium Impact Constituencies Number of registered Facebook users Aged 18+ in that Segment was 5% or more of the Universe of Electors on the Electoral Rolls as on January 1st 2016, in that Segment AND NOT a High Impact Constituency

Low Impact Constituencies The Constituency or Cluster was Neither A High Impact Nor A Medium Impact Assembly Segment or Cluster

* Segment = Either a single assembly constituency or a cluster of assembly constituencies

Rationale for Inclusion of Facebook Registered Users in the Criteria for determining High

Impact Assembly Constituencies

Facebook has a registered base of 9.9 Million Users aged 18+ years, which amounts to 17.3% of the

Universe of Electors or people listed by Election Commission as eligible to vote, in Tamil Nadu.

Given that, the Facebook Using Voter becomes a critical cohort in potentially becoming the decisive

factor at the hustings. Hence we decided for Tamil Nadu, to widen the criteria for determining High

Impact constituencies from those Assembly Segments where the Number of Facebook Registered

Users aged 18+ are at least 10% of the Electorate, to also include those Assembly Segments where

the Number of Facebook Registered Users aged 18+ are greater than the Absolute Winning Margin

for that Assembly Segment, basis the results of the Lok Sabha 2014 elections.

Consequently, the number of High Impact constituencies goes up from 58 to 66, an increase of 14%,

virtue of considering Assembly Segments that would’ve not been High Impact otherwise, on

account of Facebook Users aged 18+ being greater than the Winning Margin in the Lok Sabha 2014

Elections.

More so in case of those 196 Assembly Segments that were adjudicated for Impact at an individual

Assembly level (and not as part of a Cluster of Assemblies), the number of High Impact segments

goes up from 20 to 28, or an increase of 40%.

29

APPENDIX III - IMPACT ANALYSIS

- BY ASSEMBLY AND CLUSTER INDIVIDUALLY

N.B. – Assemblies for whom the Impact was decided due to their affiliation to a Cluster, have been flagged as

Cluster under Reporting Level. Clusters have also been reported, and Assembly Constituency numbers comprised

mentioned in parenthesis alongside Cluster Head name. E.g. Salem (88+89+90) is comprised of AC’s 88,89 and 90

AC No Assembly Segment District Twitter UsersFacebook UsersImpact Reporting Level Cluster Belonged To

1 Gummidipoondi Thiruvallur 2000 3100 Low Impact Assembly

2 Ponneri Thiruvallur 528 3000 Low Impact Assembly

3 Tiruttani Thiruvallur 1000 4400 Low Impact Assembly

4 Thiruvallur Thiruvallur 9000 17000 Medium ImpactAssembly

5 Poonamallee Thiruvallur 0 4400 Medium ImpactAssembly

6 Avadi Thiruvallur 0 9100 Low Impact Assembly

7 Maduravoyal Thiruvallur 0 5000 Low Impact Assembly

8 Ambattur Thiruvallur 0 9900 Low Impact Assembly

9 Madavaram Thiruvallur 0 7700 Low Impact Assembly

Chennai(10+11+12+13+14+15+16+17+18+19+20+21+22+23+24+25+26+27)148000 4700000 High Impact CLUSTER HEAD

10 Thiruvottiyur Thiruvallur 0 1900 High Impact Cluster Chennai

11 Dr.Radhakrishnan Nagar Chennai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Chennai

12 Perambur Chennai 0 9300 High Impact Cluster Chennai

13 Kolathur Chennai 144 1500 High Impact Cluster Chennai

14 Villivakkam Chennai 0 2500 High Impact Cluster Chennai

15 Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar Chennai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Chennai

16 Egmore Chennai 0 3300 High Impact Cluster Chennai

17 Royapuram Chennai 0 1900 High Impact Cluster Chennai

18 Harbour Chennai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Chennai

19 Chepauk Chennai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Chennai

20 Thousand Lights Chennai 0 4800 High Impact Cluster Chennai

21 Anna Nagar Chennai 0 10000 High Impact Cluster Chennai

22 Virugampakkam Chennai 0 4200 High Impact Cluster Chennai

23 Saidapet Chennai 0 4400 High Impact Cluster Chennai

24 Thiyagarayanagar Chennai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Chennai

25 Mylapore Chennai 0 5300 High Impact Cluster Chennai

26 Velachery Chennai 0 4300 High Impact Cluster Chennai

27 Shozhinganallur Kancheepuram 0 0 High Impact Cluster Chennai

28 Alandur Kancheepuram 0 1700 Low Impact Assembly

29 Sriperumbudur Kancheepuram 0 20000 High Impact Assembly

30 Pallavaram Kancheepuram 0 3100 Low Impact Assembly

31 Tambaram Kancheepuram 0 10000 Low Impact Assembly

32 Chengalpattu Kancheepuram 0 10000 Low Impact Assembly

33 Thiruporur Kancheepuram 36 3600 Low Impact Assembly

34 Cheyyur Kancheepuram 0 3800 Low Impact Assembly

35 Madurantakam Kancheepuram 888 2000 Low Impact Assembly

36 Uthiramerur Kancheepuram 168 0 Low Impact Assembly

37 Kancheepuram Kancheepuram 0 5100 Low Impact Assembly

38 Arakkonam Vellore 2000 10000 Low Impact Assembly

39 Sholingur Vellore 372 830 Low Impact Assembly

40 Katpadi Vellore 0 1800 Low Impact Assembly

41 Ranipet Vellore 0 4400 Low Impact Assembly

42 Arcot Vellore 2000 3200 Low Impact Assembly

30





43 Vellore Vellore 12000 170000 High Impact Assembly

44 Anaikattu Vellore 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

45 Kilvaithinankuppam Vellore 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

46 Gudiyattam Vellore 0 4500 Low Impact Assembly

47 Vaniyambadi Vellore 4000 5400 High Impact Assembly

48 Ambur Vellore 3000 6600 Low Impact Assembly

49 Jolarpet Vellore 264 1100 Low Impact Assembly

50 Tirupattur Vellore 492 7100 Low Impact Assembly

51 Uthangarai Krishnagiri 0 2400 Low Impact Assembly

52 Bargur Krishnagiri 132 1900 Low Impact Assembly

53 Krishnagiri Krishnagiri 2000 36000 High Impact Assembly

54 Veppanahalli Krishnagiri 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

55 Hosur Krishnagiri 11000 69000 High Impact Assembly

56 Thalli Krishnagiri 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

57 Palacode Dharmapuri 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

58 Pennagaram Dharmapuri 0 1100 Low Impact Assembly

59 Dharmapuri Dharmapuri 5000 49000 High Impact Assembly

60 Pappireddippatti Dharmapuri 132 0 Low Impact Assembly

61 Harur Dharmapuri 744 2800 Low Impact Assembly

62 Chengam Tiruvannamalai 156 1800 Low Impact Assembly

63 Tiruvannamalai Tiruvannamalai 6000 36000 High Impact Assembly

64 Kilpennathur Tiruvannamalai 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

65 Kalasapakkam Tiruvannamalai 0 290 Low Impact Assembly

66 Polur Tiruvannamalai 276 3400 Low Impact Assembly

67 Arani Tiruvannamalai 1000 1500 Low Impact Assembly

68 Cheyyar Tiruvannamalai 0 5000 Low Impact Assembly

69 Vandavasi Tiruvannamalai 240 4300 Low Impact Assembly

70 Gingee Viluppuram 480 5000 Low Impact Assembly

71 Mailam Viluppuram 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

72 Tindivanam Viluppuram 8000 8400 Low Impact Assembly

73 Vanur Viluppuram 12 2200 Low Impact Assembly

74 Villupuram Viluppuram 8000 40000 High Impact Assembly

75 Vikravandi Viluppuram 84 2700 Low Impact Assembly

76 Tirukkoyilur Viluppuram 660 1000 Low Impact Assembly

77 Ulundurpettai Viluppuram 372 2300 Low Impact Assembly

78 Rishivandiyam Viluppuram 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

79 Sankarapuram Viluppuram 0 2100 Low Impact Assembly

80 Kallakurichi Viluppuram 1000 11000 Low Impact Assembly

81 Gangavalli Salem 60 480 Low Impact Assembly

82 Attur Salem 1000 7100 Low Impact Assembly

83 Yercaud Salem 780 1300 Low Impact Assembly

84 Omalur Salem 684 1900 Low Impact Assembly

85 Mettur Salem 648 2600 Low Impact Assembly

86 Edappadi Salem 264 1800 Low Impact Assembly

87 Sankari Salem 600 2200 Low Impact Assembly

Salem (88+89+90) 32000 280000 High Impact CLUSTER HEAD

88 Salem West Salem 0 0 High Impact Cluster Salem

89 Salem North Salem 0 0 High Impact Cluster Salem

90 Salem South Salem 0 0 High Impact Cluster Salem

31





91 Veerapandi Salem 12 100 Low Impact Assembly

92 Rasipuram Namakkal 1000 9800 Low Impact Assembly

93 Senthamangalam Namakkal 120 0 Low Impact Assembly

94 Namakkal Namakkal 5000 70000 High Impact Assembly

95 Paramathi Namakkal 168 500 Low Impact Assembly

96 Tiruchengodu Namakkal 11000 11000 Medium ImpactAssembly

97 Kumarapalayam Namakkal 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

Erode(98+99) 17000 180000 High Impact CLUSTER HEAD

98 Erode East Erode 0 0 High Impact Cluster Erode

99 Erode West Erode 0 0 High Impact Cluster Erode

100 Modakkurichi Erode 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

101 Dharapuram Tiruppur 1000 9200 Low Impact Assembly

102 Kangayam Tiruppur 0 6900 Low Impact Assembly

103 Perundurai Erode 2000 5400 Low Impact Assembly

104 Bhavani Erode 1000 6200 Low Impact Assembly

105 Anthiyur Erode 240 2300 Low Impact Assembly

106 Gobichettipalayam Erode 1000 6400 Low Impact Assembly

107 Bhavanisagar Erode 132 0 Low Impact Assembly

108 Udhagamandalam The Nilgiris 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

109 Gudalur The Nilgiris 528 10000 High Impact Assembly

110 Coonoor The Nilgiris 4000 5700 High Impact Assembly

111 Mettuppalayam Coimbatore 72 2900 Low Impact Assembly

112 Avanashi Tiruppur 1000 5700 Low Impact Assembly

Tiruppur (113+114) 28000 140000 High Impact CLUSTER HEAD

113 Tiruppur North Tiruppur 0 0 High Impact Cluster Tiruppur

114 Tiruppur South Tiruppur 0 0 High Impact Cluster Tiruppur

115 Palladam Tiruppur 0 7200 Low Impact Assembly

Coimbatore(116+117+118+120+121) 109000 780000 High Impact CLUSTER HEAD

116 Sulur Coimbatore 1000 2200 High Impact Cluster Coimbatore

117 Kavundampalayam Coimbatore 0 0 High Impact Cluster Coimbatore

118 Coimbatore North Coimbatore 0 0 High Impact Cluster Coimbatore

119 Thondamuthur Coimbatore 204 0 Low Impact Assembly

120 Coimbatore South Coimbatore 0 0 High Impact Cluster Coimbatore

121 Singanallur Coimbatore 0 530 High Impact Cluster Coimbatore

122 Kinathukadavu Coimbatore 288 890 Low Impact Assembly

123 Pollachi Coimbatore 9000 30000 High Impact Assembly

124 Valparai Coimbatore 0 1100 Low Impact Assembly

125 Udumalaipettai Tiruppur 2000 2700 Low Impact Assembly

126 Madathukulam Tiruppur 168 0 Low Impact Assembly

127 Palani Dindigul 4000 18000 High Impact Assembly

128 Oddanchatram Dindigul 816 4900 Low Impact Assembly

129 Athoor Dindigul 24 0 Low Impact Assembly

130 Nilakkottai Dindigul 336 1900 Low Impact Assembly

32





131 Natham Dindigul 0 2100 Low Impact Assembly

132 Dindigul Dindigul 7000 69000 High Impact Assembly

133 Vedasandur Dindigul 96 1200 Low Impact Assembly

134 Aravakurichi Karur 120 0 Low Impact Assembly

135 Karur Karur 10000 62000 High Impact Assembly

136 Krishnarayapuram Karur 180 0 Low Impact Assembly

137 Kulithalai Karur 480 2000 Low Impact Assembly

138 Manapparai Tiruchirappalli 972 2700 Low Impact Assembly

139 Srirangam Tiruchirappalli 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

Tiruchirappalli(140+141) 40000 280000 High Impact CLUSTER HEAD

140 Tiruchirappalli West Tiruchirappalli 0 0 High Impact Cluster Tiruchirappalli

141 Tiruchirappalli East Tiruchirappalli 0 0 High Impact Cluster Tiruchirappalli

142 Thiruverumbur Tiruchirappalli 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

143 Lalgudi Tiruchirappalli 456 1400 Low Impact Assembly

144 Manachanallur Tiruchirappalli 264 0 Low Impact Assembly

145 Musiri Tiruchirappalli 468 2300 Low Impact Assembly

146 Thuraiyur Tiruchirappalli 876 4000 Low Impact Assembly

147 Perambalur Perambalur 1000 23000 Medium ImpactAssembly

148 Kunnam Perambalur 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

149 Ariyalur Perambalur 924 17000 Medium ImpactAssembly

150 Jayankondam Perambalur 312 3800 Low Impact Assembly

151 Tittakudi Cuddalore 192 0 Low Impact Assembly

152 Vridhachalam Cuddalore 0 8100 Low Impact Assembly

153 Neyveli Cuddalore 3000 21000 High Impact Assembly

154 Panruti Cuddalore 1000 1200 Low Impact Assembly

155 Cuddalore Cuddalore 9000 50000 High Impact Assembly

156 Kurinjipadi Cuddalore 240 1300 Low Impact Assembly

157 Bhuvanagiri Cuddalore 180 1400 Low Impact Assembly

158 Chidambaram Cuddalore 4000 35000 High Impact Assembly

159 Kattumannarkoil Cuddalore 300 2200 Low Impact Assembly

160 Sirkazhi Nagapattinam 0 1200 Low Impact Assembly

161 Mayiladuthurai Nagapattinam 2000 18000 Medium ImpactAssembly

162 Poompuhar Nagapattinam 0 2000 Low Impact Assembly

163 Nagapattinam Nagapattinam 2000 15000 Medium ImpactAssembly

164 Kilvelur Nagapattinam 96 0 Low Impact Assembly

165 Vedaranyam Nagapattinam 408 3000 Low Impact Assembly

166 Thiruthuraipoondi Thiruvarur 492 3200 Low Impact Assembly

167 Mannargudi Thiruvarur 1000 12000 Low Impact Assembly

168 Thiruvarur Thiruvarur 1000 18000 High Impact Assembly

169 Nannilam Thiruvarur 84 1100 Low Impact Assembly

170 Thiruvidaimarudur Thanjavur 144 0 Low Impact Assembly

171 Kumbakonam Thanjavur 7000 47000 High Impact Assembly

172 Papanasam Thanjavur 780 1700 Low Impact Assembly

173 Thiruvaiyaru Thanjavur 432 1300 Low Impact Assembly

174 Thanjavur Thanjavur 12000 82000 High Impact Assembly

175 Orathanadu Thanjavur 0 830 Low Impact Assembly

176 Pattukkottai Thanjavur 2000 12000 Medium ImpactAssembly

177 Peravurani Thanjavur 228 2300 Low Impact Assembly

178 Gandharvakottai Pudukkottai 84 0 Low Impact Assembly

179 Viralimalai Pudukkottai 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

180 Pudukkottai Pudukkottai 3000 45000 High Impact Assembly

33





181 Thirumayam Pudukkottai 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

182 Alangudi Pudukkottai 276 1200 Low Impact Assembly

183 Aranthangi Pudukkottai 0 6900 Low Impact Assembly

184 Karaikudi Sivaganga 0 26000 Medium ImpactAssembly

185 Tiruppattur Sivaganga 0 1500 Low Impact Assembly

186 Sivaganga Sivaganga 912 3100 Low Impact Assembly

187 Manamadurai Sivaganga 216 3600 Low Impact Assembly

188 Melur Madurai 648 3000 Low Impact Assembly

Madurai(189+191+192+193+194+195) 50000 360000 High Impact CLUSTER HEAD

189 Madurai East Madurai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Madurai

190 Sholavandan Madurai 180 1400 Low Impact Assembly

191 Madurai North Madurai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Madurai

192 Madurai South Madurai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Madurai

193 Madurai Central Madurai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Madurai

194 Madurai West Madurai 0 0 High Impact Cluster Madurai

195 Thiruparankundram Madurai 876 0 High Impact Cluster Madurai

196 Thirumangalam Madurai 1000 5900 Low Impact Assembly

197 Usilampatti Madurai 384 2700 Low Impact Assembly

198 Andipatti Theni 0 120 Low Impact Assembly

199 Periyakulam Theni 84 3000 Low Impact Assembly

200 Bodinayakanur Theni 852 3900 Low Impact Assembly

201 Cumbum Theni 0 6300 Low Impact Assembly

202 Rajapalayam Virudhunagar 3000 20000 Medium ImpactAssembly

203 Srivilliputhur Virudhunagar 2000 11000 Low Impact Assembly

204 Sattur Virudhunagar 864 6400 Low Impact Assembly

205 Sivakasi Virudhunagar 4000 32000 High Impact Assembly

206 Virudhunagar Virudhunagar 3000 16000 Medium ImpactAssembly

207 Aruppukkottai Virudhunagar 0 1900 Low Impact Assembly

208 Tiruchuli Virudhunagar 192 650 Low Impact Assembly

209 Paramakudi Ramanathapuram 3000 12000 Low Impact Assembly

210 Tiruvadanai Ramanathapuram 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

211 Ramanathapuram Ramanathapuram 3000 25000 High Impact Assembly

212 Mudhukulathur Ramanathapuram 84 590 Low Impact Assembly

213 Vilathikulam Thoothukkudi 84 1300 Low Impact Assembly

214 Thoothukkudi Thoothukkudi 10000 35000 High Impact Assembly

215 Tiruchendur Thoothukkudi 768 4100 Low Impact Assembly

216 Srivaikuntam Thoothukkudi 108 830 Low Impact Assembly

217 Ottapidaram Thoothukkudi 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

218 Kovilpatti Thoothukkudi 3000 20000 Medium ImpactAssembly

219 Sankarankovil Tirunelveli 948 8000 Low Impact Assembly

220 Vasudevanallur Tirunelveli 240 0 Low Impact Assembly

221 Kadayanallur Tirunelveli 852 5600 Low Impact Assembly

222 Tenkasi Tirunelveli 996 17000 Medium ImpactAssembly

223 Alangulam Tirunelveli 276 3000 Low Impact Assembly

224 Tirunelveli Tirunelveli 7000 140000 High Impact Assembly

225 Ambasamudram Tirunelveli 204 1900 Low Impact Assembly

226 Palayamkottai Tirunelveli 0 3800 High Impact Assembly

227 Nanguneri Tirunelveli 36 1400 Low Impact Assembly

228 Radhapuram Tirunelveli 120 580 Low Impact Assembly

229 Kanniyakumari Kanniyakumari 2000 19000 Medium ImpactAssembly

230 Nagercoil Kanniyakumari 10000 110000 High Impact Assembly

231 Colachel Kanniyakumari 0 3200 Low Impact Assembly

232 Padmanabhapuram Kanniyakumari 444 1700 Low Impact Assembly

233 Vilavancode Kanniyakumari 0 0 Low Impact Assembly

234 Killiyoor Kanniyakumari 60 0 Low Impact Assembly

34

Further Notes

Facebook classifies users from Kanniyakumari under both "Kanniyakumar Tamil Nadu,Kerala" and

"Kanyakumari Kerala". Since the number of users classified under "Kanyakumari, Kerala" are more in line with

number of users from other Assemby constituencies with a similar elector population, we have considered the

number of users from "Kanyakumari, Kerala" for this Assembly Constituency

social media impact on the tamil nadu election 2016€¦ · coimbatore districts. furthermore, 27...

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