New Delhi, Dec. 17 -- India's international image is no longer shaped primarily by diplomats, foreign correspondents, or official state narratives. Today, a new class of global narrators exercises disproportionate influence over how India is perceived abroad: foreign digital influencers operating on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Their videos reach millions of viewers within hours, often far exceeding the audience of traditional international news media.

A striking pattern has emerged across this ecosystem. A large volume of high-visibility foreign content about India is framed through sensationalism, shock, and visual exaggeration-dirty streets, chaotic markets, dramatic thumbnails, "survival" narratives, and exaggera...