A recent study by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) found a sharp rise in anti-Indian rhetoric on social media in 2025. The research identified around 24,000 posts on X that together received more than 300 million views, with such content tripling compared to the previous year. According to a report by The Free Press, the spread of these posts was largely driven by a small group of accounts rather than happening naturally. The three most active accounts alone created 525 posts, which gained about 18.4 million interactions, including likes and reposts. These few accounts generated over 10% of all likes and 20% of reposts among the anti-Indian posts studied. The study also noted that spikes in anti-Indian content often happened after immigration policy announcements by the administration of Donald Trump. One example was a proposed $100,000 fee for employers sponsoring H-1B workers, introduced to reduce fraud. Many widely shared posts supported the policy while also using racist language and stereotypes targeting Indians. The report said the volume of such posts peaked in December 2025, with more than 800 posts per week using offensive slurs. In one incident, a viral video of an Indian couple dancing at the World War II Memorial led to online backlash and renewed calls to restrict visas. Experts warn that the rise in online hate may not be random but could be a coordinated digital campaign, urging social media platforms to take stronger action against hate speech and protect immigrant communities.
