Implement UP like Social Media Policy in Maharashtra, other states: Influencers

The Uttar Pradesh government was the first to introduce a Social Media Policy, and now the Karnataka government has rolled out the Karnataka Digital Advertising Guidelines 2024, both of which benefit social media influencers. As a result, multiple influencer marketing agencies and content creators are now demanding similar pay models in every state including Maharashtra.

According to an announcement by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) of the Karnataka government, the state will engage social media influencers and digital media entities to reach a broader audience, particularly the internet-savvy public. Influencers will take on various roles, including brand ambassadorships, sponsored posts, guest contributions, content collaborations, themed and hashtag campaigns, shoutouts, reviews, and event promotions.

Social media influencer Dhruv Shah of Funcho commented, “I believe social media platforms are crucial for raising awareness, and advertisements play a key role. The UP government is doing a great job by creating such schemes for influencers, it should be implemented by other states as well. Different state governments use various mediums for advertisements, and the goal of enhancing their reach via digital platforms through creators is beneficial and harmless.”

Rohit Agarwal, Founder and Director of Alpha Zegus, said, “While this scheme is a great additional revenue source for content creators and provides direct affiliation with the government, it also comes with the potential cost of freedom of speech. Creators' content will be closely monitored to ensure it aligns with the philosophy of the political party paying them, and this monitoring could impose restrictions ranging from reasonable to extreme.” He added, “It will be up to the creators to decide whether to accept or reject these restrictions and to understand their long-term implications.”

Agarwal also noted, “I believe every state should implement a similar scheme, but it’s important to allow creators the freedom to understand the political landscape and express their views to their audience accordingly. Regional content creators have significant influence within their demographic, and their audiences take their words seriously. This makes it even more critical for them to thoroughly understand the political landscape, conduct their own background checks, and be mindful of the implications of their messaging before making a decision. If implemented correctly, there’s no harm in rolling this out across states.”

Shudeep Majumdar, Co-founder and CEO of Zefmo Media said, “Through such policies, the state governments are enhancing public communication which will lead to increase in participation for public schemes, it will increase reach of lawful communication its compliance. Interestingly, this will also increase tourism and investment for the state.”

Majumdar said, “The trusted social media influencers can help state governments to take their messaging internationally through their educational campaigns for health, education and social welfare. Both the UP government and Karnataka government are trying to rope in influencers, it is a form of institutionalizing influencer partnerships.”

He further said, “As long as the government is not doing anything which is unethical, or they are not forcing the influencers to tread their line, I don't see a challenge whatsoever for other states to follow such policies.”

A regional creator from Maharashtra, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “I believe Maharashtra should also implement such a policy. This would benefit the influencer ecosystem and help the government spread awareness about their welfare schemes to our subscribers and followers. Regional creators stand to benefit the most from such policies.”

According to UP government’s Social Media Policy, 2024, the government has appointed a digital agency, 'V-Form,' to handle advertisements. 'V-Form' will be responsible for showcasing videos, tweets, posts, and reels.

The policy also sets payment limits for influencers, account holders, and operators on social media platforms. The maximum monthly payment limits are set at Rs 5 lakh for X (formerly Twitter), Rs 4 lakh for Facebook, and Rs 3 lakh for Instagram. For YouTube, the payment limits are Rs 8 lakh for videos, Rs 7 lakh for shorts, Rs 6 lakh for podcasts, and Rs 4 lakh for other content.