Twitter reveals what Indian women talk about the most

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Twitter commissioned independent research to uncover insights around what women in India are talking about on the service. A quantitative survey amongst 700 women on Twitter was carried out, along with the qualitative curation and analysis of 522,992 Tweets sent out by female Twitter accounts between January 2019 and February 2021 by women across 10 Indian cities.

The research found that women in India have carved their own space on Twitter with a diverse range of conversations. Nine dominant conversational themes emerged from an in-depth look at the Tweets. With a 24.9% share, Passion points and interests emerged as the top conversation theme, with women talking most about fashion, books, beauty, entertainment and food on the service. Current affairs (20.8%), Celebratory moments (14.5%), Communities (11.7%) and Social change (8.7%) also featured in the top five conversation themes among women on Twitter. While conversations around Everyday chatter and Celebratory Moments saw the highest engagement in terms of average number of Likes and replies per Tweet, Passion Points and Interests, Communities and Shared challenges were the most Retweeted categories.

Cities showcased their different points of conversation: Chennai led conversations around Celebratory moments, Creative showcase and Everyday chatter, Bengaluru dominated chatter around Communities, Social change and Shared challenges, while Guwahati fronted conversations around Passion points and interests and Current affairs.

Manish Maheshwari, Managing Director at Twitter India, said, “We commissioned this research to build our understanding about women on Twitter and were inspired by the results. These insights show us that Twitter is for every woman. Their communities and conversations highlight the uniqueness and diversity of the service. Access to a free and open Internet has made it possible for everyone to express themselves freely without barriers. As a service our goal is to build on this foundation, giving people new ways to converse, form communities and control who can interact with them in a conversation.”

Most talked about conversation themes among women on Twitter in India:

1. Passion points and interests (24.9%): Kpop to cricket, women Tweet the most about their passions; Guwahati, Lucknow and Pune lead the pack

From the research we know that one of the main reasons women (24.9%) come to Twitter is to pursue their interests, and represent their passions. Within this category are those who seek content on fashion (30%), books (28%), beauty (25%), movies and TV (21%), music (18%), food (18%), technology (17%), art (17%) and sports (14%). 41% women say they discovered a new interest on Twitter. The service is committed to making it easier for people to find and follow interests. It has simplified the ability for people to create a customised Twitter List, share and pin them and is heavily investing in machine learning to improve Topic recommendations. There are about 6,000 followable Topics today.

2. Current affairs (20.8%): Women turn to Twitter to stay informed; Guwahati and Delhi lead the discourse

20.8% of women use Twitter’s open, real-time nature to stay informed on local and international news. Tweets about #StudentExams, #COVID19 related updates and #DelhiElections2020 dominated the conversation in this category.

3. Celebratory moments (14.5%): From professional to personal wins, women Tweet to celebrate little joys of life; Chennai, Kolkata and Madurai lead the party

Women (14.5%) on Twitter love sharing their everyday wins – no matter how big or small, both personal and professional. Through hashtags such as #WomenWhoWin, #TheMomentOfLift, #SmallWins and #EverydayJoys, they are normalising the celebration of little and big wins.

4. Communities (11.7%): Be it #WomenInScience or #GirlGamers, women love Tweeting to connect; Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad ace making new connections

One of the special things about Twitter is the diversity of its communities and the ease with which people can form and participate in them. Women (11.7%) are using the power of virtual communities to reach out, connect and network with others. These women are coming together with hashtags such as #WomenInScience, #WomenInTech, #WomenInMarketing, and #GirlGamers. Through these conversations, women often find camaraderie and support. While 41% of women have sought advice/tips/recommendations on the service, 37% have given advice/tips/recommendations to others and 32% have gained real-life friendship(s).

5. Social change (8.7%): Women Tweet to empower and bring about a change in society through online movements such as #SheforShe and #TimesUp; Bengaluru, Guwahati, and Delhi lead the way in shining a light on critical matters

Women (8.7%) on Twitter don’t hold back when it comes to supporting their community and over the years, they have harnessed the power of Tweets to give rise to and participate in several social movements from #SheforShe, #TimesUp to #MeToo.

6. Shared challenges (6.9%): Women Tweet about everyday hardships such as #Parenting and #WorkingFromHome, seeking solace in online conversations; Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai are open about their realities and challenges

In India, women (6.9%) Tweet about challenges, be it working from home with kids or being a single mom. While personal, these shared experiences are relatable, allowing them to build a shared intimacy in public.

7. Creative showcase (4.2%): From #Photography to #Poetry, Indian women use Twitter to exhibit their creativity to a virtual audience; Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai lead the show With the opportunity to display their talent to a larger audience on Twitter, women (4.2%) from diverse backgrounds in India have been showcasing their creative best on the service. It’s common to see conversations about #Art, #Photography, #Dance, #CulinaryArts, among others, in one’s timeline.

8. Heartfelt confessions (4.2%): Tweets on #ModernDating, mental health, and much more. Women open up on Twitter about experiences in their personal lives; Madurai and Mumbai bare it all down

Women (4.2%) in Indian use Twitter to express their personal inhibitions and fears. These conversations are informal, intimate and raw, demanding people’s attention. These women find strength in being able to communicate freely, in fact, 39% of women surveyed feel that Twitter provides them with freedom of expression.

9. Everyday chatter (4%): From #SareeTwitter to #LockdownRecipes women love to Tweet and share their everyday experiences; Chennai and Mumbai lead conversations

Women (4%) Tweet about their daily activities making the service a huge part of their life. For instance, Tweets about regular outfits and accessories like #SareeTwitter, #JhumkaTwitter, and #BindiTwitter created a shared experience and harboured a sense of community. 33% of women use Twitter while commuting, 29% use it during breakfast, 24% use it upon waking up and 22% use it just before bed.

Protecting women’s voices -- and the voices of all those who use Twitter -- is a top priority and one the service is constantly working on it. Twitter has made progress when it comes to making it a safer place for public conversation. Over the past year, Twitter has introduced multiple features to make the experience more positive, safe and healthy.

• Started including the sender’s profile information in Direct Messages and indicated how the sender is connected to the receiver in order to help people quickly identify potentially abusive content.
• Introduced new settings to give people control over who can reply to their Tweet. Since August 2020, Twitter has seen more than 15 million Tweets created with conversational controls.
• How to Hide Replies to Tweets: Twitter lets you choose the replies you would want people to notice to your Tweets and hide the ones you don’t want to be noticed. People can see and engage with hidden replies by tapping the grey icon that will appear on the Tweets.