Political Engagement via the Social Media
What is politic? Often people associate politics with the government. So, whenever the word politics come out, it automatically become the government. I, myself often think of it as the same way. In Malaysia for example, the obvious political play is always by the government. So, the way of thinking stuck with me, where politics equals to the government. Generally, politics means the relationship within a group or organization that allows some people to have power over others (Cambridge Dictionary 2019). Thus, politics can happen anywhere. Another definition of politics is the activities of the governments, members of the law-making organizations, or the people who try to influence the way a country is governed (Cambridge Dictionary 2019). The second definition of politics is more closely related to this topic of political engagement. In short, the political engagement discusses about how the political parties or groups of people interact with the public by the means of social media.
What is social media? Personally, I’m not really active on social media but I do use it to get the latest news or updates on what is going on around the world or just checking out what my close friend and family are up to. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are among the most popular social media that is available today. Social media is computer-based technology which facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts and information through virtual networking and community building (Dollarhide 2019). Social media originated as a way of interacting with friends and family, but was later adopted by companies that wanted to use a popular new method of communication to reach out to customers. Social media's power is the ability to connect and share information simultaneously with anyone on Earth, or with many people. Thus, government or a group of people with a cause use social media as a medium of engagement as information can reach people faster and wider.
Nowadays, more and more people are relying on social media to get news and information (Curry 2016). In particular, younger voters are increasingly receiving their news from social media. The influence of social media on political participation remains unclear despite its growing popularity. Some research finds that any effects of online news on political participation – such as voting, advocacy or self-expression – are still dependent on traditional factors such as how interested is someone in politics. So, how does social media changed politics? Firstly, I think there is a direct contact in between the politicians and the voters. Social media tools enable politicians to talk to voters directly without spending a dime. Using these social media allows politicians to bypass the traditional method of reaching voters by means of paid advertising or earned media (Murse 2019). Secondly, it can make the political campaigns go viral. In organizing campaigns, Twitter and Facebook have become instrumental. They enable like-minded voters and activists to share with each other easily news and information like campaign events. That's what Facebook's "Share" feature and Twitter's "retweet" feature are for.
In Malaysia for example, social media platforms are useful for their campaign trail during the election seasons. About 5 millions young voters took part in Malaysia’s 14th General Election for the first time (Ab. Hamid and Abdul Rahman, 2018). The most dominant and effective messaging tools are WhatsApp and Facebook in this 14th election. People are getting nearly every day messages and videos about the election and sharing it with friends and family chat groups. In short, the social media used not only reduced the cost of reaching out to the electorate, but also changed the political campaigning landscape compared to the old days. It has proven to be a much less expensive way of campaigning.
Resources:
Ab. Hamid, N. and Abdul Rahman, S. (2018). Impact of Social Media on Malaysia’s Election Landscape. [online] Hrmars.com. Available at: http://hrmars.com/hrmars_papers/Impact_of_Social_Media_on_Malaysias_Election_Landscape.pdf [Accessed 20 May 2019].
Curry, K. (2019). More and more people get their news via social media. Is that good or bad?. [online] The Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/09/30/more-and-more-people-get-their-news-via-social-media-is-that-good-or-bad/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5906926b5fd8 [Accessed 20 Apr. 2019].
Dictionary.cambridge.org. (2019). POLITICS | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. [online] Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/politics [Accessed 20 Apr. 2019].
Investopedia. (2019). Social Media. [online] Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media.asp [Accessed 20 Apr. 2019].
