This sense of unity was juxtaposed by a historic religious divide that had been quietly growing: the Hindu-Muslim divide. During the first stage of lockdown, an Islamic seminary was held in New Delhi, in which a large number of individuals gathered. It immediately triggered a wave of hatred in the form of physical assaults, exclusion, and offensive social media activity as Hindus, the dominating religion, blamed Muslims for the exponential growth of cases.

As soon as I say “I am Indian,” a series of stereotypical questions come my way. “Do you speak Indian?” or “How are you so fluent in English?” are asked quite frequently. However, my personal favorite, “Do you ride on elephants?” is easily the best. (By the way, no, we do not ride on elephants).

From the popular “brown parents” memes to TikTok trends, Indians have a significant involvement on social media platforms. It has empowered global users to broadcast ideas and to share content through forms of communication, creating unique online communities. I perceive it as the inevitable western influence on Indian culture. Having witnessed the development of social media for the majority of my life, the pungent traditional values alongside modernization in India have exposed me to a variety of aspects which allow me to become aware of the social media’s strong and ever-growing influence.