According to a recent panel, the Singaporean parliament’s General Elections this May were heavily influenced by the country’s proliferating use of social media. Ng Jing Yng, a writer for the English newspaper Today, reported that during the panel, Teo Ser Luck, the Minister of Trade, explained how the viral nature of political opinions affected the votes of Singapore’s social media users. Among the opinions voiced online were those criticizing the People’s Action Party (PAP), Singapore’s ruling party.
Luck went on to describe an incident on Facebook in which two opposing politicians, one from the PAP, garnered different opinions, despite the similarity between theirs posts regarding housing policy. Instances such as this reflect the growing dissatisfaction some groups have towards the PAP, which had its lowest vote share since independence. However, Luck shrugged the incident off, blaming the negativity on different perceptions of the party.
Appearing optimistic, Luck saw the growing use of social media as a great opportunity for engaging r=the Singapore population and educating them on new policies. However, he did stress the importance of maintaining a “balance with the usage of traditional media…to tap into different communities.”
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Social Media had an impact on General Elections
Today Online- How PAP is Perceived on the Internet