In a recent interview to Barkha Dutt over the Cambridge Analytica controversy, the Congress social media head Divya Spandana/Ramya had claimed that her party does not believe in psychoanalysis and stuff. However, Divya has admitted that the psychoanalysis was instrumental in influencing people on social media in an earlier interaction with students. The video exposing Divya Spandana’s u-turn has emerged on Twitter.
Lies of @INCIndia & it’s SM head @divyaspandana EXposed.
She denies using Psychoanalysis 4 SM in interview w @BDUTT on a #CambridgeAnalytica QuesElsewhere she confirms how Psychoanalysis is used by INC on SM to control people’s mind & get them to see what they want them to see. pic.twitter.com/1kfJsVMB1k
— Rajiv Chadha (@Truethoughts68) March 29, 2018
In her interview with Barkha Dutt, Ramya acknowledged that Cambridge Analytica may have approached the party. When asked ‘Why would the Congress party turn this firm down?’ by Barkha Dutt Ramya said (emphasis added) :
I think because, you know..we believe in an honest way of doing things. We don’t believe in manipulation or rigging of elections, pyscho-analysis and I think ideologically and also looking at their track record of what they did with Brexit and Trump’s election, I don’t think we are somebody who wants to work with a company like that. Ideologically they are not inclined they are more right wingers and therefore they didn’t seem someone whom we could we work with. Everything we do is in house.
Exclusive: Congress @divyaspandana confirms Cambridge Analytica DID approach them; there were emails & a proposal for 2019 elections but says party turned them down. “They were client- hunting like agencies do. We said No”. Preview of my interview for @themojo_in & @TheWeekLive pic.twitter.com/b9At34NBm4
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) March 28, 2018
During an interaction with students at Commits College event, Ramya had admitted that social media interaction involved a lot of ‘science’ . The video of the interaction was uploaded on February 2018 by Ramya FC (fan club). She was answering a question asked by a lady in the audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6szAkM0XkEk
[see after 6:00 ] (emphasis added) :
Question by a person in the audience: Before you create a meme or anything you put out on social media, what is the kind of research that goes into it? How do you choose the topic and how do you choose the outcome?
Ramya: So there is a science behind every meme, every graphic, every video that we make. The big difference between Congress and BJP is that, while the BJP doesn’t bother to get their facts right, they only peddle lies, they don’t really care so much about the truth, right because it is all propaganda. The Congress, the big difference is, we believe in backing up everything we say with data, statistics and figures. Yesterday we put out a video where we were fact checking the PM’s speech in parliament where he made innumerable mistakes. [..]
As far as the memes and stuff go I think, a lot of research, specifically which photograph, which angle, there is research done into what image people are more likely to pay attention to, the size of the font, the colours that we use, the words the we use. There is a lot of it that goes behind every single graphic and meme that we make. There is science behind it. Because social media is all about perception. It’s all about image building. It is all about, you know, it is about one person looking at it and how you communicate. And how you, I wouldn’t say condition, but how you take control of the other person’s mind and get them to see what you want them to see. That is what it is. I want you to see the truth, but the BJP probably wants you to see other things. But social media is all about controlling the other persons mind. There is psycho-analysis…social media.
In the interview with Barkha Dutt, Ramya says she doesn’t believe in psychoanalysis. One the other hand, she says that it is a part of her social media strategy in an interaction with students. Which version is true?
