As digital interactions become increasingly embedded in daily life, Indians are re-evaluating how they connect and express themselves online.
The FRND Safe Space Survey, conducted among 12,666 users on the platform via in-app pop-ups using a multiple-choice format, finds that concerns around privacy, judgement, and online negativity are steering users toward spaces that offer greater control, emotional comfort, and authenticity.
The survey found that 48 per cent of respondents cite lack of privacy as a key barrier to expressing themselves freely on digital platforms, while 45 per cent say fear of judgement from people they know holds them back from being themselves on mainstream social platforms. Meanwhile, 29 per cent pointed to trolling, hate speech and online negativity as deterrents, and 20 per cent highlighted the pressure of maintaining a curated digital image.
When asked what makes them most comfortable interacting on an online platform, 50 per cent pointed to strong safety and moderation features, the single highest-ranked factor overall, ahead of avatar identity (45 per cent) and audio interactions (37 per cent). Voice emerged as the predominant format for users’ emotional connectedness: 66 per cent said hearing another person’s voice made them feel most connected, well ahead of video calls (29 per cent) and text (28 per cent). Hindi users peaked with their preference for voice (70 per cent) and the lowest was Malayalam (58 per cent) but fairly dominant.
Comfort towards one’s regional language was one of the strongest findings in the survey: 78 per cent of respondents said they express themselves much better in their mother tongue, with the figure rising to 84 per cent among both Telugu and Malayalam-speaking users.
One consistent pattern across the survey: Malayalam-speaking users showed the strongest preference for privacy and safety across multiple questions, leading on safety and moderation features (62 per cent), lack of privacy as a barrier (60 per cent), and use of social media for entertainment (62 per cent), suggesting a distinct regional appetite for safe, low-pressure, entertaining digital spaces.
On overall motivation for using social media, 49 per cent of respondents cited entertainment as a primary reason while 46 per cent cited connection, a near-even split that points to digital platforms serving two distinct user needs.
Commenting on the findings, Bhanu Pratap Singh Tanwar, co-founder and CEO of FRND said, “The survey highlights a stark difference between what traditional social media platforms offer and what Bharat users are actually looking for in their digital experiences. People are more comfortable being themselves online when they don’t have to put up a picture, when they can speak instead of type, and when they can converse in their own Indic language. One of the most telling insights was that 45 per cent of users said fear of judgment from people they already know, not strangers, holds them back from expressing themselves.”
New survey reveals 45 pct Indians don't express themselves online; here's why
