Using social media, the tools, channels and networks, have become an integral part of our daily life, especially in our internet and inter-connectivity world today of ours, in our country and between countries. Some organisations/companies are faster in adapting and implementing, while some are slower and playing catch up today, with too much emphasis on ROI, numbers, quantitative and revenue, instead of the inner thoughts, feelings, emotions, connections and all things qualitative, the action at the ground level.
Nevertheless, it’s inevitable organisations are moving towards the use of social media, tools, channels and networks. Politics, political parties and politicians themselves found themselves using and moving into the social media cycle, wanting to connect and “market” and spread their messages, awareness and engagements. Using social media in politics is not something new especially with the examples of the most recent USA President election, running his campaign with the various social media channels, tools and networks, showcasing the connectivity and interaction during the election campaign. It showed how social media and politics could be possibly mix together well. However, does it really mix it that well as it seems ?
Returning the attention back home here to Singapore, does it bode the same? With the heat and action picking up in the past few months leading up to a significant day of reckoning and choice, Polling Day on 7th May 2011, whereby Singaporeans will go to the polls and vote. Observing the social media channels, networks and tools, there are a few positive and negative things with regards to social media and politics.
Positive
– More people in Singapore are more well connected and more willing to voice out their opinions.
– There is more action brewing on the ground level, interactions, discussions, putting up their views and opinions.
– The social channels especially Twitter and Facebook are getting more active with their contents, posts, views and opinions and rallying support.
– The voices, thoughts, posts and sharing on social media channels, tools and networks show that Singaporeans are not totally dismissal on Singapore and they show they really do care about Singapore.
Negative
– Overzealous and digging up too much personal things on public figures, that goes beyond and into their personal life.
– Riding on the bandwagon of the social media and using it for the sake of complaining, making noises and not planning to do anything at all.
Everybody involved in the political arena, Singaporeans and people from around the world, using the power and diversity of social media networks, channels and tools, will definitely be watching the social media arena with great interest and following. It might be a crucial battleground or even a key turning point at different junctures.
There’s definitely quite a lot of things brewing and it’s cooking up into something very challenging not just for the politicians, political parties and campaigns, it’s also just as challenging for us Singaporeans, who are voting for their future. How we grow and emerge from this election is crucial in the growth of Singapore into the future, the social media today will play an integral and important part of the upcoming General Election. How does it mix well ? Or is it shaken up ?
The most ideal scenario is everybody coming together, political parties, people of Singapore coming together, to make their voice and thoughts known and their messages spread across to each other, their common aim is to make Singapore a better place to live in, to keep improving it and making it a better Home for us to live in ? Is this an Utopian ? Or can we make a difference to our future ?
And interesting take on Singaporean social media and politics. Isn’t there a restriction on what the media can say in Singapore?
I wonder how social media will play into that, and what the reaction would be to things like Twitter censorship!