iWorld
PM Modi third ‘most followed’ leader on Twitter: Burson-Marsteller Study
MUMBAI: The Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is the third-most followed world leader with 30 million followers on his personal account and 18 million followers on his institutional account, @PMOIndia, which is in fourth place on Twitter, according to Burson-Marsteller’s Twiplomacy study.
Pope Francis is the most followed world leader on Twitter with a combined total of 33 million followers on his nine language accounts, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump with 30 million.
Twiplomacy is Burson-Marsteller’s leading global study of how world leaders, governments and international organizations use social media. Data was captured in May 2017, using proprietary Burson tools, CrowdTangle.com and Twitonomy.com.
India’s foreign minister, @SushmaSwaraj, is the most followed female world leader with eight million followers and @IndianDiplomacy is third among foreign ministries with 1.2 million followers on Twitter.
Twitter is the prime social network used by 276 heads of state and government, and foreign ministers, in 178 countries, representing 92 percent of all United Nations (UN) member states. Facebook is the second-most used social platform by world leaders, with 169 governments having established official pages. However, world leaders have, on average, twice as many followers on their Facebook pages as followers on Twitter. Data for Twiplomacy, which updated the studies about Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Periscope, was captured in May 2017 using Burson-Marsteller’s proprietary Burson tools, CrowdTangle.com and Twitonomy.com.
Are World Leaders Conversational on Twitter? While President Trump’s tweets have generated 166 million interactions (likes and retweets) over the past 12 months –PM Modi is in second place with 35 million interactions. For instance, in 2015, Modi sent a Direct Message to his then 12.5 million followers celebrating one year in government. Today selected accounts can still send him direct messages and are greeted by this welcome message.
Visual Communications on Twitter: A number of world leaders have use animated gifs to lighten up their tweets in a fun and playful way. For example, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi created a gif to promote his mobile app.
The 2017 edition of Twiplomacy also examines the use of other social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Periscope, and the Twiplomacy.com website includes rankings as well as a social media atlas for each country studied. The study found, for example, the number of governments using Periscope has doubled over the past year, offering a cost-effective way to broadcast press conferences live.
“Politics and diplomacy are playing out on social media in a way we have never seen before,” said Don Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO, Burson-Marsteller. “With the U.S. president bypassing traditional government channels to communicate directly to his supporters and detractors alike, we can expect more people in positions of power to adopt this practice. Our Twiplomacy study shows how fast-paced and dynamic our communications landscape truly is.”
The 2017 Twiplomacy study analyzed 856 Twitter accounts of heads of state and government, and foreign ministers, in 178 countries with a combined total audience of 356 million followers. Foreign ministries tend to use Twitter to establish mutual relations. The most followed non-government account is the United Nations Twitter account, @UN, which is followed by 338 of the 856 world leaders’ Twitter accounts; @BarackObama and the @ObamaWhiteHouse are followed by 312 and 254 world leaders, respectively. @UNICEF is the second-most followed international organization and The New York Times (@NYTimes) is the most followed news organization. The @Twiplomacy Twitter account is the eighth-most followed non-governmental account by world leaders, with a following of 184 heads of state and government, ahead of @Reuters and @TheEconomist.
iWorld
Imdb launches Dekh Bhais to simplify entertainment discovery
New creator-led series hosted by Rohan Joshi and Aaditya Kulshreshth turns scrolling dilemmas into lively conversations.
MUMBAI: Imdb has decided to end the endless “what to watch” scroll with a double tap of desi banter and smart recommendations. The world’s most popular source for movie, TV, and celebrity information has launched Dekh Bhais, a fresh digital series designed to make entertainment discovery fun, relatable, and effortless. Hosted by popular comedians and content creators Rohan Joshi and Aaditya Kulshreshth (better known as Kullu), the show streams across Imdb’s social channels and transforms everyday viewing confusion into candid, opinion-filled conversations.
Produced by Only Much Louder (OML) in collaboration with Imdb, Dekh Bhais cleverly showcases Imdb’s powerful discovery tools including Advanced Search, Interest pages, trending widgets, curated lists, and personalised recommendations through sharp, culturally resonant discussions.
Each episode features the hosts and a guest diving into personal favourites, pop culture references, genre preferences, and unexpected picks. The conversation culminates in a custom Imdb watchlist tailored to the chat, giving viewers a ready-to-binge lineup of recommendations.
Yaminie Patodia, Head of Imdb India, said, “Choosing what to watch today is more complex than ever. With Dekh Bhais, we explore the powerful intersection of personality-led recommendations and the rich insights available on Imdb. It creates a dynamic and entertaining way to navigate an overwhelming range of choices.”
Rohan Joshi shared: “We’ve all had that moment when we want to watch something but end up spending 20 minutes scrolling and second-guessing. Dekh Bhais is basically that scrolling session brought to life, but louder, more opinionated, and hopefully more useful.”
Kullu added: “IMDb has been a big part of my life since childhood. Our show mirrors how we actually discover films and shows in real life through jokes, debates, nostalgia, and strong opinions but it also shows how Imdb can help you cut through the noise.”
The opening slate explores different viewing moods and genres, with more episodes rolling out in the coming weeks. The series is now streaming on IMDb’s Youtube and Instagram channels, and is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
In a world drowning in content choices, Dekh Bhais arrives as the perfect desi shortcut turning “too many options” into “here’s exactly what you’ll enjoy tonight.” With two sharp comedians at the helm and IMDb’s trusted data in the backseat, finding your next favourite watch has never been this entertaining.
