COVID-19 and national images: the case of #ResignModi

Abstract

Prior research suggests that a country’s national image is dependent on how effectively it keeps informed key stakeholders, and counter misinformation and disinformation being transmitted to both diaspora and foreign audiences during a pandemic. In the light of this argument, this forum article critically analyzed the Indian government’s efforts to manage COVID-19 information crisis on social media during the second surge of the pandemic. Consequently, we suggest that despite restricting #ResignModi on social media and eventually curtailing the free flow of information to portray its competent management of the pandemic, such efforts seem to be counterproductive.