Name: Suman Sharma & Vikram Kaushik
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume-11, Issue-1, January-June 2026
Page Number: 513-524
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20094633

ABSTRACT
This study analyzes the political podcasts started by Dhruv Rathee on his YouTube channel, Dhruv Rathee, and The Ranveer Show, hosted by Ranveer Allahbadia, also known as Beer Biceps. This paper helps in understanding how micro-expressions and non-verbal communication play a significant role in perception building. Content analysis through a systematic codebook was used to examine podcasts focused on Indian politics by Beer Biceps (Ranveer Allahbadia) and Dhruv Rathee. Content analysis is suited for highlighting the appropriate work of a scholar of mass communication: it is an analysis of messages (Lombard, Snyder-Duch, & Bracken, 2002). Purposive sampling was used to select the podcasts of these YouTube creators. The period from March 2023 to February 2024 was selected, as it was one year before the election, when political parties use various strategies for their PR and political
activities are at their peak. The variables or parameters of the systematic codebook were primarily focused on categories of framing, linguistics, and audience engagement. The results show that audience engagement depends upon the communicative style and design of the hosts. Rathee talks
about recent controversial topics of high intensity, with strong emphasis on government accountability. Due to this, people with different opinions create a polarized comment section.

Keywords: Podcast, YouTube, Dhruv Rathee, Ranveer Allahbadia, Political Discourse