Beyond fake news: social media and market-driven political campaigns
The Conversation just published a short essay entitled “” written by Merlyna Lim. This essay is a summary of a much longer and comprehensive article, titled “,” published in Critical Asian Journal.
… The entanglement of politics and social media is more pronounced in election campaigns as candidates and their supporters are aggressively using the platforms to win elections.
Advancements in communication technology make it easier and more affordable for political parties, politicians and supporters to get their message across. Based on recent developments, as exemplified by the cases of President Donald Trump in the US, 鈥淏rexit鈥 in the UK, and the gubernatorial election (Pilkada) in Jakarta, some suggest that to such an extent that the democratic process itself is under threat.
Many observers focus on the proliferation of fake news, pointing out that social media have ushered us into the era. I, however, see fake news as a logical consequence of market-driven media and political campaigns. Today鈥檚 campaigns rely on a commercial framework where have become integral to campaign strategy.
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Merlyna Lim
- Director