Cheap handsets and low mobile data costs have helped India become WhatsApp’s biggest market, boasting more than 200 million active users. Yet while many use it simply to message loved ones or colleagues, group chats are proving to be fertile ground for political content and ‘fake news’.

India is WhatsApp's biggest market, but the platform has inadvertently become a tool used to spread misinformation – sometimes with tragic consequences. After multiple lynchings, linked to messages spread via the app, WhatsApp has introduced restrictions on message forwarding.

Facebook India is employing fact-checkers to flush out fake news ahead of the 2019 general elections. With Indians using social media as a key source of news, they're coming to expect greater checks and balances to reduce the likelihood of sharing content that is false or pernicious.

How does religion shape consumer decisions in India? Why is cash still king despite rapid digitisation? And how are young people grappling with the idea of inclusivity? This Cultural Snapshot uses local stats and case studies to explore behavioural norms shared by Indian people in 2018.