Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The proliferation of social media platforms has fundamentally transformed political communication, establishing the permanent campaign?Sidney Blumenthal's concept of continuous political mobilization beyond election periods?as a digital-age imperative. This narrative review examines how Tamil Nadu's dominant parties, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), have adapted permanent campaigning strategies for digital platforms over the past decade. By synthesizing academic literature, media reports, and digital campaign materials, this study reveals that social media has enabled a more continuous, interactive, and personality-driven campaign style in Tamil Nadu politics. Both parties leverage Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp to maintain voter engagement, disseminate content, and sustain political narratives between electoral cycles. The analysis demonstrates how digital platforms have enhanced traditional Dravidian political communication?characterized by charismatic leadership and mass mobilization?while introducing new challenges including polarization and misinformation. The findings highlight that permanent campaigning in Tamil Nadu has evolved from periodic rallies to 24/7 digital engagement, fundamentally altering the relationship between political parties and constituents. This review contributes to understanding digital-era campaigning practices in South Asian democracy and offers insights into the intersection of regional political culture with global communication technologies.
Authors: G V Neelambari, J Balasubramaniam
Institution: Madurai Kamaraj University
Language: English
Topic: Social Media and Politics
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4415030108
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