Social media has democratized scrutiny: Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia on government optics in social media era

Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia has sparked a discussion on social media after sharing his views on how platforms such as X and Instagram have changed public scrutiny of governments and institutions.

In a post on X, Bhatia recalled growing up in India and witnessing roads and public spaces being cleaned and beautified whenever foreign dignitaries visited. “The idea was simple: show the best face of the country and hide the problems,” he wrote.

I remember growing up in India, whenever foreign dignitaries visited, the roads along their routes would suddenly be cleaned up and beautified. The idea was simple: show the best face of the country and hide the problems.

Today, governments everywhere still seem to believe…

— Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) May 29, 2026

Drawing a contrast with the present day, Bhatia argued that such image management is becoming harder to sustain. “Today, governments everywhere still seem to believe optics can replace reality. But we no longer live in that world,” he said.

According to Bhatia, the rise of smartphones, internet access and social media has shifted the balance of power towards ordinary citizens. “A smartphone, an internet connection and a few courageous individuals are often enough to expose the gap between perception and reality,” he wrote.

Explaining his view on online platforms, Bhatia added, “That’s why I love social media. It has democratized scrutiny.”

The post prompted varied responses from users.

One commenter disagreed with Bhatia’s view, arguing that preparations for visiting dignitaries should not automatically be seen as an attempt to conceal problems. “Not everything is about hiding problems or creating optics,” the user wrote. Referring to the cultural principle of “Atithi Devo Bhava” or “Guest is God”, the commenter said that cleaning roads and presenting the country’s best face to visitors is viewed by many Indians as an expression of hospitality and respect rather than deception. 

Another user welcomed Bhatia’s praise for social media, arguing that traditional media once exercised greater control over public discourse. “Press in India had the monopoly on subjects to be discussed,” the commenter wrote, before adding, “Congrats to social media.” 

Others agreed with Bhatia’s broader point that image-building exercises are easier to scrutinise in the digital age. One user said, “Today it’s easy to see through these optics and honestly it doesn’t work,” while citing the reception organised for former US President Donald Trump in Ahmedabad as an example. 

Another user referred to the 2023 G20 summit and claimed that extensive efforts were made to project a particular image of the country before international leaders.

First Published on May 30, 2026, 17:31:02 IST