Socially Distanced but Digitally Connected

 

Session Overview 

In this session from the 2020 GovComms Festival, Andy Bhanot discusses how the government in India have used digital communication platforms to connect with citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andy is the Director (Social and Behaviour Change Communication) at Project Concern International. He is based in India.

Andy explores the growth of internet and mobile phone use in India. In 2020, India was home to 687.6 million internet users, which is 50% of the population.

Andy discusses how India managed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic from a communication and public health perspective. The government in India increased their use of social media and other digital platforms as a means of communicating public health messages.

He sheds a light on how the Indian people spent their time during the pandemic. He examines research on India’s usage rates of: social media, mobile phones, digital payments, online entertainment and video conferencing.

Andy discusses the investment activity in India’s technology industry, as well as the differing rates of technology use across different socioeconomic backgrounds.

After watching this video, you will be able to:

  • Understand the rates and growth of technology use in India.
  • Understand how the Indian Government used digital platforms to communicate with Indian citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please note that this is a recording of a live presentation.