SOCIAL MEDIA AND ELECTIONS IN ASIA-PACIFIC - THE GROWING POWER OF THE YOUTH VOTE EDITED BY ALASTAIR CARTHEW AND SIMON WINKELMANN Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Singapore Media Programme Asia Social Media and Elections in !"#$%#&"[& - The Growing Power of the Youth Vote Edited by Alastair Carthew and Simon Winkelmann Copyright © 2013 by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Singapore Publisher Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 34 Bukit Pasoh Road Singapore 089848 Tel: +65 6603 6181 Fax: +65 6603 6180 Email: [email protected] www.kas.de/medien-asien/en/ facebook.com/media.programme.asia All rights reserved Requests for review copies and other enquiries concerning this publication are to be sent to the publisher. The responsibility for facts, opinions and cross references to external sources in this publication rests exclusively (")*+)*,+&-.)/"01)-/!+#.2+)*,"/+".),/3/,)#)"-.!+2-+.-)+.,&,!!#/"45+/,\,&)+ the views or policies of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Layout and Design page21 7 Kallang Place #04-02 Singapore 339153 THE DIGITAL HEARTLAND: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN SINGAPORE !"#$%&'"()$*+,"-.&/$"#$[."$/'"12&)&3"(42/+4 INTRODUCTION s Singaporeans tuned in to watch the General Election results on the Aevening of 7 May 2011, there was a sense that things were somehow going to be different. But expectations quickly gave way to frustration as local TV election coverage failed to offer viewers any insight as to how the vote was progressing or to report what was happening on the ground. In contrast, the thousands of Singaporeans following Twitter hash tag #sgelections were receiving up to the second voting information, much of it fairly accurate. Many Singaporeans also took to Twitter to express their anger at the poor media coverage, especially on Channel News Asia , which some labeled ‘ Channel News After ’. The marked contrast between TV and social media coverage came under criticism from a government appointed panel after the election. 1 The fact that social media took the lead on election night should not have come as a surprise. Throughout the 2011 election, social media played a big part in driving the campaign narrative. Social media was also arguably a key contributor to the record vote recorded against the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) which was just shy of 40%. Since the 2011 general election, Singapore’s ruling party has decisively lost two by-elections and had to face the ignominy of nearly losing the presidential election (65% of Singaporeans voted against the PAP’s &#.2"2#),78+ 9.+ #44+ -:+ )*,!,+ &#;3#"<.!=+ !-&"#4+ ;,2"#+ 34#5,2+ #+ !"<."[&#.)+ role not only in providing a platform for candidates and parties, but also in 1 Programme Advisory Committee for English Programmes (2011, 9 September) “Pace Urges Broadcasters to Protect the Young from Inappropriate Content, and to Develop More Quality Local Content to Attract and Engage Viewers.” [Press Release] THE DIGITAL HEARTLAND: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN SINGAPORE 109 counter-balancing advantages the ruling party enjoys in the mainstream media. Social media has also been instrumental in driving public discourse since the election on key community issues, ranging from public transport breakdowns to the more recent controversy surrounding population policy. THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN SINGAPORE Singapore is among one of the most technologically progressive countries in the world, with more than 80% of Singaporeans enjoying Internet access. Unsurprisingly, Singaporeans are also one of the biggest users of social media in the world, surpassing even the U.S. (Figure 1). !"#$%&'(&)*+!,-&.%/!,&#0,"%&1&)!2",3*$%&405&62!7%/&)7,7%0 2 Base: Internet Users in the US (Pew) and Singapore (Blackbox Research) Today, nearly three in four Singaporeans have a Facebook account and they are ranked as the top Facebook users in the world in terms of time spent per session. 3+>)*,/+2#)#+!*-(!+)*#)+.,#/45+-.,+".+[?,+@ABC7+ Internet users in Singapore write a personal blog while nearly half say that they read blogs. 4 2 U.S. Figures: “Pew Internet Social Media and Political Engagement Study,” 2012. SG Figures: Blackbox Research Social Media Usage Study, 2013 3 Lee, Willis (2012, 14 February). “Experian Hitwise Says Singaporeans are Facebook, Apple, and Groupon Lovers.” Tech In Asia. Retrieved from http://www.techinasia. com/singapore-loves-facebook-apple-groupon/ 4 “Blackbox Research Social Media Usage Study, April,” 2013. 110 THE DIGITAL HEARTLAND: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN SINGAPORE But Singaporeans favor social media more for casual usage rather than to engage in political activity. While two thirds use social media to stay in touch with friends/family and almost half use it to follow celebrities and ,.),/)#".;,.)+ )-3"&!=+ -.45+ -.,+ ".+ [?,+ @ADC7+ 1!,+ ")+ )-+ :-44-(+ #+ 3-4")"&#4+ 3#/)5E[<1/,8+ F".<#3-/,#.!+ #/,+ #4!-+ !-;,(*#)+ !*5+ #0-1)+ ,.<#<".<+ ".+ political activity online, preferring to share political content rather than express their own beliefs. Figure 2 below shows a comparison between social media political engagement in Singapore compared to the U.S. !"#$%&8(&&9*-!7!+,-&%2","%.%27&*2&0*+!,-&.%/!,&1&65)5&405&)!2",3*$% 5 United States Singapore 25% 23% 22% 20% 18% 15% 13% 10% Post links to Like or promote Post your own Encourage other political stories or material related to comments on people to take action articles for others political or social political or on political or to read issues that other social issues social issues have posted important to you Despite this, many political observers have noted that the political landscape in Singapore has transformed in recent years and social media is viewed as having played a big part in this. Online socio-political bloggers provided alternative political commentary with a singular, often characteristic, voice. Even within such a small domain, there is a wide spectrum of commentary style, with some adopting a more satirical )-.,+@,8<8+G/8+H/-(.=+3/-[4,2+#!+O-.,+-:+)*,+.#)"-.R!+[/!)+!-&"-$3-4")"&#4+ bloggers”) 6, while others are often blatantly critical of the political establishment (e.g. Alex Au of Yawning Bread who has been threatened 5 U.S. Figures: “Pew Internet Social Media and Political Engagement Study,” 2012. SG Figures: “Blackbox Research Social Media Usage Study,” 2013. 6 Leow, Diane (2012, 26 June ) “Meet Mr. Brown, Singapore’s Blogfather.” Meld Magazine. Retrieved from www.meldmagazine.com.au/2012/06/meet-mr-brown-singapores-blogfather/ THE DIGITAL HEARTLAND: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN SINGAPORE 111 with legal action twice in the last two years). 7 More recently, other socio- political websites 524"6/)&/4"7&8&94/"$/'"54:$;4+"<4%&4=">:4.&8?; have also become more prominent. GENERAL ELECTION 2011: EVALUATING THE ROLE PLAYED BY SOCIAL MEDIA G#.5+3-".)+)-+)*,+KLAA+<,.,/#4+,4,&)"-.+#!+#+2,[.".<+;-;,.)+:-/+!-&"#4+ ;,2"#+ ".+ F".<#3-/,=+ 3/,!,.)".<+ )*,+ [/!)+ /,#4+ -33-/)1.")5+ )-+ <#1<,+ ")!+ impact on Singapore’s political landscape. Even before the country went to the polls, the 2011 general election generated international buzz. The loosening of political campaigning rules on new media coupled with an energized opposition resulted in the most intense electoral battle for a generation. As polling day drew nearer, political commentators speculated how the fervor of online debate, much of which appeared critical of the ruling party, would translate into actual votes. As it turned out, the Opposition yielded their best ever showing, with the PAP losing six out of 87 contested parliamentary seats. More tellingly, the PAP won only 60.1% of the overall vote (down from 66.6% in 2006 and 75.3% in 2001). Still, others noted that the results did not quite match the fervor of anti-PAP hostility witnessed on social media. How much had social media really impacted voters? In the immediate aftermath of the 2011 elections, commentators clamored to answer this question. The broader consensus was that !-;,)*".<+(#!+2"::,/,.)+)*"!+)";,M+#+!(")&*+*#2+0,,.+\"&N,2+#.2+F".<#3-/,+ had changed forever. However, the only post-election study of note to be released publicly appeared to pour cold water on all the excitement. The study conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), a think-tank within the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, raised eyebrows when it concluded that GE 2011 election was not an “Internet election”. The study found that only 41.1% of respondents relied on online sources for election news, compared to 86.3% who followed election news 7 Koh, Hui Theng (2012, Jul 15). “Will careless blogs ‘spoil market?” The New Paper. Retrieved from http://www.asiaone.com/print/News/ Latest%2BNews/Science%2Band%2BTech/Story/A1Story20120714-359089.html 112 THE DIGITAL HEARTLAND: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN SINGAPORE ?"#+ )/#2")"-.#4+ -:\".,+ !-1/&,!8+ O*,+ 9%F+ !)125+ #4!-+ &-.&412,2+ )*#)+ !-&"#4+ media rated much lower on key metrics such as importance and trust (*,.+&-;3#/,2+)-+;#".!)/,#;+;,2"#8+9)!+".\1,.&,=+O#.+O#/.+P-(=+!,."-/+ research fellow at IPS concluded, was “not as much as people thought”. 8 But this interpretation is short sighted and maybe misses the point. The study itself highlights the difference in behavior between voter groups and the much bigger impact social media exerted amongst younger voters. Indeed, another IPS researcher later noted that there was a 60% jump in social media activity in Singapore between March-April 2011 and this, in all likelihood, was