Alternative media rules the politics

In the recent general elections on the 8th of March, for the first time since its independence, the Barisan Nasional did not manage to gain its usual two third majority. Instead, the Opposition gained much success as compared with their previous tries. Most people are crediting the use of online media for this success and it seems it could be quite possible. Most Malaysians are rather tech savvy and the convenience of the Internet and mobile phones becomes an added advantage (Ramachandran & Vijaindren 2008).

The freedom of expression made available for use by the Internet helped conform the success for political campaigns. The Opposition had limited use for mainstream media and so turned to online for help. And in doing so, it caused a much unprecedented change to the results for the elections.

Considering the popularity of the use of new media, it does not come as a surprise that campaigning through the Net was and will remain successful. About 60 per cent of Malaysians were known to use the Internet with an average of six hours spent logged on as reported by Wong (2008). There are various forms of online media that political parties could use to spread their messages such as online forums (LowYat.net), online news portals free from the stronghold of the government (MalaysiaKini) and of course political blogs (JeffOoi.com).

Alternative media has brought about a new change in the meaning of Malaysian democracy and seems most likely to remain. At the very least, this freedom is a right for all.

References:

Oon, Y. 2008, ‘An exciting time for the news media’, The Star Online 8 May, viewed 2 October 2008, http://www.thestar.my/columnists/story.asp?file=/2008/5/8/columnists/wikimedia/21173737&sec=Wikimedia.

Ramachandran, S. & Vijaindren, A. 2008, ‘CYBER clout’, NST Online 16 March, viewed 2 October 2008, http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Focus/20080316091740/Article/index_html.

Wong, KK 2008, ‘Media in Malaysia: The Peculiar Case of Mainstream Media Versus Alternative Media’, Ateneo Center for Asian Studies, viewed 11 November 2008, http://www.admu.edu.ph/offices/acas/.

Evolution of Media Publishing

Blogs are not just forms of publishing or expressing thoughts that has changed. Media publishing has pretty much revolutionized with all kinds of mediums. Perhaps this form of media convergence helps to connect with the various groups of audience. Different people can be reached in different ways. In fact, new media was what brought about the recent success for the Opposition parties during the general elections this year (Ufen, 2008) .

Previously, videos can only be found playing on the Tube (that would be the traditional form, the television) but now technology has allowed a more convenient way of viewing through uploading videos on the Net. One popular example would be the YouTube! Your ideas, opinions and even recordings of yourself singing can be uploaded there.

[Source: http://www.youtube.com/]

Besides entertainment value, it was also a place to spread political campaign messages. YouTube being one of them could incorporate videos of their campaign, be it a song or a speech. For example, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) of Malaysia uploaded a music video with their 2008 election campaign song entitled "Just Change".

Newspapers, some of you might be wanting to read the latest news but forgot to buy the paper? Why bother going out when it's available right on your desktop (Internet connection required)? With the Internet, newspaper agencies need not worry about space and limitations. Videos of press conferences can also be found.

[Source: http://malaysiakini.com/]

On another note, the matter of freedom of expression and censorship can also be taken into consideration. The Internet is considered to be quite a free platform to speak your mind. Examples of alternative online newspaper such as Malaysiakini would depict the availability of censorship-free news.

References:

Ufen, A 2008, ‘The 2008 Elections in Malaysia’, Taiwan Journal of Democracy, vol 4, no. 1, pp. 155 – 169, viewed 11 November 2008, http://www.tfd.org.tw/docs/dj0401/155-170-Andreas%20Ufen.pdf.