Dharamsala: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has over nine million fans following him in cyberspace.

Although not tech-savvy, the Dalai Lama, revered as a demi-god by his people and followers the world over, is quite a hit on social media sites Twitter and Facebook.

The phenomenal fan following is all the more significant as his private office, based in this northern Indian town, believes extensive use of social media helps in reaching out to the netizens worldwide.

"Many of our world's problems and conflicts arise because we have lost sight of the basic humanity that binds us together as a human family," is one of the recent tweets from the spiritual leader.

As of Sep 10, the Dalai Lama's Twitter account @DalaiLama rose to 5,080,571 followers against 2,075,807 on July 26, 2011 - or 3,004,764 followers added in just one year.

Likewise, on Facebook the Nobel peace Laureate had 4,297,234 likes on Sep 10.

The social media accounts are managed by his team of technological experts, including his official photographer Tenzin Choejor.

"A small team is managing the Twitter and Facebook accounts of His Holiness (as the Dalai Lama is respectfully known as). We regularly tweet his inspirational teachings, discourses and tour programmes," Choejor told IANS.

"Of course, it's the best way to connect with your followers," he added.

The Dalai Lama's office says the Chinese scholars from Taiwan and mainland China are regularly interacting with the spiritual leader on Facebook posts. It also helps in understanding his 'middle-way' policy for Tibet.

Choejor said even though His Holiness has had a website since 2005, social media sites are more effective tools.

"The Facebook account has more than four million likes. We regularly post comments and replies to keep people following him updated with the latest happenings. The page has a touch of spirituality with quotations from the Dalai Lama's books and speeches.

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