Sandhya Devanathan, head of social media giant Meta’s India operations, said Meta sees India as a “priority market” that has “a strong presence” driven by macroeconomic growth, digital infrastructure and the popularity of apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. infinite” possibilities.
Dewanathan, who took over the leadership role in January, told PTI in an interview that India’s new digital personal data protection legislation provides tech companies with framework and clarity and marks “a step forward in balancing user protection with innovation.” stride”. She stressed that Mehta “welcomes constructive regulations” and would wait to see detailed rules.
Devanathan, vice-president of Meta India, also spoke about the company’s determination to combat misinformation on the platform and outlined how it can be exploited AI (artificial intelligence) Actively curb hateful content.
As India holds Lok Sabha elections next year, Meta will continue to work on electoral integrity, she said.
India is home to one of Meta’s largest user bases in the world — 400 million Facebook users at last count, and growing.
She said user growth was strong. Overall, the Indian market offers “endless” possibilities, backed by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, digital public infrastructure and other factors.
For Meta, India is also one of the markets with the highest short video engagement, both in terms of creation and consumption of “Reels,” Devanathan said. “Meta India is innovating for Meta Global” There is also huge momentum among small businesses using the Meta platform and tools.
She noted that a large number of businesses in India are on Meta, using its platform to debut on the Internet and find and communicate with customers.
When asked about Facebook’s loss of traction among teen and young adult users in key markets (indicating a clear shift in preferences), Devanathan asserted that Facebook continues to see traction and relevance across all age groups. sex.
Devanathan said she disagrees with the notion that Facebook is slowly declining among younger audiences.
“India is a huge priority market for the company. As a result, India has one of our largest user bases, whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp. But again, India is also where we test many of the products we launch”We The same is true on a global scale. We’ve also developed a number of innovative products here, and we continue to invest,” she said.
She pointed to India’s vision of a digital economy worth $1 trillion (nearly Rs. 8,301.5 crore) by 2030 as an important driver of opportunity.
“This figure means that tech companies will benefit from economic growth. Likewise, in the near future, you will see nearly 1 billion people going online, of which 400 million are expected to shop online.” . Also look at video consumption data. …So, not only for Meta, but for a lot of other companies, there’s huge room to grow,” she said.
Additionally, India has one of the lowest advertising revenues as a percentage of GDP compared to other markets. The figure for the US is about 1.9%, and for India it is less than 0.5%.
Meta sees India as a “huge priority market” for innovation, user engagement and business growth.
Devanathan said Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram serve a wide range of users.
“Facebook actually has a very thriving active community. So, I’m going to debunk any myths… As far as Facebook’s numbers…we just announced a few months ago that daily activity on Facebook is growing and just hit 2 billion. is a huge amount of daily activity that we report,” she said.
The underlying appeal of people using Facebook to get together and connect with friends, family and community “hasn’t changed.”
“When you look at the 2 billion figure … it’s a cross-cutting figure. Facebook is a thriving platform around the world,” she said, emphasizing that Facebook’s slow decline didn’t happen.
On the new regulatory framework emerging in India — the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, upcoming Digital India legislation, and existing social media rules — she said Meta welcomed “constructive” regulation.
“What the DPDP does is it provides a framework for tech companies to operate in and provides clarity. We’re waiting for the rules to come out. But I would say it’s an important step in balancing user protection with innovation. … .. as this will provide the impetus for tech development in India, so we welcome constructive regulation and let’s see where we go next,” she said.
India is one of the biggest markets for social media companies such as Meta, Google and X (formerly Twitter), where smartphone sales are booming and ultra-cheap data fuels the growth of digital platforms.
Still, social media companies have come under heavy criticism globally and in India over the past few years for issues such as user harm on their platforms and the spread of misinformation, hate speech and fake news. Discontent has also grown among some users, who claim digital platforms have been arbitrarily removing content or reacting quickly enough to dissatisfaction despite warnings from users.
India has tightened rules for social media companies, tightening their responsibilities to users. Indeed, the government has repeatedly emphasized that security and trust are public policy goals and missions, and will do everything it can to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for digital citizens browsing online and social media spaces.
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