Politics in the era of the attention economy and platformisation: How Instagram Reels are shaping political communication in India

Abstract

Beyond mass rallies, cinema-inspired campaigns, and television debates, digital platforms have introduced new dynamics to political communication in India. This paper analyses how Indian political parties use Instagram Reels to construct political messages, focusing on the themes, strategies, and visual styles that characterise their digital representation. To interpret how platform rules and attention-driven strategies are reshaping political discourse, the study draws on the attention economy, the race to the bottom of the brainstem, and platformisation. These frameworks highlight the most effective messages, emotions, and visual formats that fit their algorithmic logic and platform-specific requirements. The research focuses on content analysis of the 30 most-viewed Instagram Reels from the six prominent political parties. Indian political communication increasingly mirrors influencer culture and platformisation logics. The noise of sensationalist spectacles and affective-stimulus-driven emotive content marginalises the substantive rational needs of political communication in a diverse democratic society.