How the 34M Facebook and 13M Twitter users are driving the Digital Revolution in India

The internet penetration in a vast country like India is only 7% of its entire population. This is expected to grow to 19% by the year 2015. However, this small percentage amounts to a very large number of Indian population who access internet at many junctures of their everyday activities.

Thus spearheading the digital revolution, the Indian consumer is exhibiting an insatiable appetite for digital services. Internet penetration in urban India has paved its way to construct a new marketing and social networking vocabulary that is “digital” (truly global and futuristic), spearheaded by the toppers of the Indian online popular, Facebook and Twitter.

Fact-files of the Indian Digital History

1. In 2004, India witnessed 4 million online subscribers on the online matrimonial sites.

2. 2005-2007, there are 4.6 million Indians who access online banking; and, the e-commerce market in India touches Rs. 7,080 Crore.

3. In the year 2009, Facebook enters the Indian lives and becomes an integral part of Indian families, societies, interest and activities.

Facebook and Twitter in India

Facebook has 34 million users in Indian whilst Twitter has 13 million Indian users.

1. The enormous effect of Facebook on the Indian society has experienced in the recent past during the India Against Corruption campaign. Over 116,000 people on Facebook came together to unanimously support the movement. The role of bringing people and the Indian community together for a cause, showed the hold of online social media platforms, like Facebook on the vast Urban Indian population.

2. Facebook is the talk of every urban Indian household, bringing together and forming opinions of both young and old. Indian facebook has adapted the Indian culture by bridging the virtual gaps of Indian family life and Indian social life by the medium of convenient communication. It is also paving paths of newer methods and mediums of marketing products that are individual and customized. Also withstanding as well as strengthening the cognitive Indian society.

The micro-blogging site Twitter has also played, and is playing a significant part in molding Indian contemporary culture, Indian social and celeb life as well as Indian contemporary political history.

From political stories unfolding, to the resignation of the cabinet minister over a tweet. From the national stands by political party leaders to the birth of the most popular bollywood child, India is micro blogging its present and making historical tweets. Indian popular culture is truly molding itself on twitter. It is indeed a digital revolution, as micro blogging site like Twitter has influenced and changed Indian perspective to the Contemporary India.

Twitter and Facebook are thus playing a significant role in forming the Indian urban contemporary life and history - the catalysts of the Indian digital revolution.

About the Author

Manik Kinra is Co-founder of Jade Magnet, a creative crowdsourcing platform. Jade Magnet has around 15,000 people in the ecosystem and has served over 500 SMEs across the globe providing various design solutions. Manik drives marketing and sales for Jade Magnet and writes regularly at various forums on crowdsourcing, marketing and SMEs