[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/singapore-politicians-on-social-media-reaching-out-or-simply-self-indulgence\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/singapore-politicians-on-social-media-reaching-out-or-simply-self-indulgence\/","headline":"Singapore politicians on social media: reaching out or simply self indulgence?","name":"Singapore politicians on social media: reaching out or simply self indulgence?","description":"Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin sharing his favourite hobby of \u2018Iron and Chill\u2019. (Photo source: Tan Chuan-Jin\/Twitter)Speaker of the House and People\u2019s Action Party\u2019s (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) Tan Chuan-Jin, de-stresses by ironing while watching his favourite shows on TV. \ufeff\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff In her declaration of what the Singaporean core means, central executive member of […]","datePublished":"2021-08-18","dateModified":"2022-04-16","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Atalia%20Chua\/#Person","name":"Atalia Chua","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Atalia%20Chua\/","identifier":339,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a83f1814f9ae936340d5c9530df0dcd78295c85ee63b72b84945716f843d62d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a83f1814f9ae936340d5c9530df0dcd78295c85ee63b72b84945716f843d62d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1629193322639_feature_image_sm_edit.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1629193322639_feature_image_sm_edit.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/singapore-politicians-on-social-media-reaching-out-or-simply-self-indulgence\/","commentCount":"2","about":["Community","Local","Politics","Singapore"],"wordCount":3259,"articleBody":"Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin sharing his favourite hobby of \u2018Iron and Chill\u2019. (Photo source: Tan Chuan-Jin\/Twitter)Speaker of the House and People\u2019s Action Party\u2019s (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) Tan Chuan-Jin, de-stresses by ironing while watching his favourite shows on TV.\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff\ufeffIn her declaration of what the Singaporean core means, central executive member of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Jess Chua, 37, likened Singaporeans to the chicken and the rice in Singapore\u2019s national dish, and foreign workers here to the chili \u201cthat is not the essence\u201d.\u00a0 Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam lifting weights up to 1.5 times his body weight. (Photo source: K Shanmugam\/Facebook)On Saturday, 14 August, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam posted a video of himself carrying weights that were gradually increased to 1.5 times his own body weight. The post garnered 10,000 likes, 940 comments and 849 shares in just 21 hours. Young women dancing in the background of a TikTok video with Dr Tan Cheng Bock, chairman of PSP. (Photo source: Progress Singapore Party\/TikTok)In a TikTok video to publicise its fund-raising Christmas concert last year (2020), two young women from PSP were seen holding toy animals and dancing behind Dr Tan Cheng Bock, the party\u2019s chairman.\u00a0If certain analogies will not be used in Parliament as an argument, or if some content may create questionable public images, how then should politicians navigate the wild, wild world of social media to keep their behaviour and etiquette in check?How have politicians in Singapore \u201cweaponised\u201d social media as a political tool?\u00a0The ability to control one\u2019s narrative and be the master of a personal digital mouthpiece makes social media an attractive political tool and with the power shifting back to politicians, reducing the dependence on mainstream media to carry important messages, these public figures can easily reach the population, their intended audience, at a click of the mouse or a tap of the finger. But the strategy to penetrate the masses here is another ball game altogether – because essentially digital behaviour can build or break a politician\u2019s credibility and career. Donald Trump was banned by Twitter for his perceived spread of falsehoods and alleged violence. (Photo source: VOA News)A case in point is former President of the United States Donald Trump. He spread his message of \u201cmaking America great again\u201d through social media, especially on Twitter, and this turned him from a billionaire businessman to the 45th US President.\u00a0Since then, he used Twitter to share his unfiltered thoughts and eventually his favourite megaphone turned on him and he lost his presidency.(Photo source: Wharton University of Pennsylvania)Associate Professor Eugene Tan, a lecturer of Law at Singapore Management University (SMU), says:\u00a0 \u201cGenerally, Singapore politicians have sought to have a meaningful social media presence. At its core, [social media] is a political tool that enables politicians to be connected all the time [because] people read their posts anytime [and] anywhere.\u201dSome of the politicians, whom Assoc Prof Tan says have capitalised on the inherent power of social media, include Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, and Dr Tan.\u00a0\u201cThese politicians use Facebook [effectively] by emoting well, sharing their perspectives on issues, and explaining the party\u2019s, [the] government\u2019s or their own positions,\u201d he says.\u00a0Assoc Prof Tan feels the \u201cgood use of photos and images and [the] attempt to include photos of people they meet and events they were at\u201d helps them connect with their target audience.\u00a0Dr Natalie Pang, a senior lecturer for Communications and New Media at the National University of Singapore (NUS), shares the same views. \u201cPoliticians using different social media platforms to share their work, gather inputs and concerns, as well as offer a platform (beyond the usual Meet the People session) for citizens to approach and speak to them\u2026is useful in terms of engaging citizens,\u201d she says.Social media can be used as both a public communication tool or to keep the Government in check. (Photo source: The Jakarta Post)Ms Gwyneth Thong, a 23-year-old postgraduate student in Psychology, also feels that politicians have effectively leveraged social media as an extended political tool. \u201cSome have even left a lasting memory after exploding into the limelight online, [and ] have successfully incorporated [social media]as a key means of public communication,\u201d she shares.\u00a0Others on the other hand see the strategic politicising of social media as a \u2018political tool\u2019.Secretary-general of the Reform Party (RP) Kenneth Jeyaretnam, believes that the \u201cmainstream media is state owned and managed\u201d so social media can be a platform to \u201chold [the Government] accountable\u201d.\u00a0He says it is because there is no \u201cfreedom of expression and therefore no means to transparency and accountability and [the government] needs to be challenged\u201d through social media. Mr Jeyaretnam also recognises that social media is a double-edged sword because while it is accessible to the public, the ruling party can also monitor it.\u00a0Sarah J, who has declined to use her full name, is cautious about putting her opinions online as well.\u00a0She cites the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) as an example and says the authorities must understand that connecting with the public on \u201csurface issues\u201d virtually is different from connecting with them at a personal level to understand the real issues at hand.\u00a0The Government has announced that the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act order is used to prevent the dissemination of misinformation. (Photo source: TODAY)Not everyone will share their concerns or issues in the comments section, knowing that politicians may not read them, she says. However, when politicians are on the ground, there is a direct conversation that can take place with residents and the issue on hand can be explained better then.\u00a0Mr Jeyaretnam also feels unless there is real engagement to communicate their manifestos, \u201cslick videos and viral memes [are] just vanity projects\u201d.\u00a0He also warns against the weaponisation of social media to sideline democracy, especially when there are those who are \u201cin digital poverty [or with] some disabilities [which] make [social media] difficult for them to access\u201d.\u00a0Martin Piper, a PSP member,\u00a0 believes some politicians use it to gauge popularity and success, although they may be misled. \u201cSome do have large numbers of followers on Facebook but the number of followers does not always equate to electoral success,\u201d the 47-year-old technology manager shares.\u00a0He questions how success is measured in terms of whether the politicians won their end games.\u201cSuccess is hard to gauge because it depends on how success is measured,\u201d Mr Piper starts.\u00a0He uses ex-President of the United States, Donald Trump, as an example.\u00a0\u201c[Trump] had lots of followers but when you look at his messaging and the quality of engagement with them, it was quite clear that it actually did a lot more harm to the political ambitions of the Republicans — he lost the election, was impeached twice, and was a one-term President,\u201d Mr Piper says.\u00a0If using shock tactic is one of the purposes politicians hog social media, he feels it goes against successful political messaging which should be \u201ctruthful, helpful, and affirmative\u201d and not \u201ccontentious\u201d.\u00a0Top \u2018dos\u2019 and \u2018don\u2019ts\u2019 for politiciansWhen it comes to getting to know your leaders, Dr Pang says: \u201cCitizens want authenticity.\u201d and politicians using social media should offer just that to their target audience, telling the public about their own \u201cvalues, beliefs and attitudes\u201d; and this is shared by many TheHomeGround Asia spoke to.\u00a0Mr Charles Yeo, chairman of RP, agrees. He says that \u201cthe most important [thing] to do is to be genuine and [not] be fake\u201d. \u201cAs people are more intelligent than [many] politicians think they are. They can sense fake answers,\u201d he continues.\u00a0Social media is an extension of politicians\u2019 real world persona and they should not be inconsistent between the virtual and real world identities. (Photo source: Phys.org)Assoc Prof Tan explains that it is important to be \u201cgenuine and yourself\u201d as \u201csocial media is an extension of [the politicians\u2019] real world persona\u201d and therefore they should not \u201cpretend to be someone else [and be] inconsistent between the virtual and real worlds\u201d.\u00a0Like Assoc Prof Tan, Mr Piper believes that being \u201chonest, truthful [and] consistent\u201d is part of authenticity and says the cost of being fake is breaking trust with social media users which has taken \u201cages to build but can be wrecked in a very short amount of time\u201d. Another point that politicians must be mindful of is the factuality of the things they post. Ms Thong says she values posts that are \u201c[backed] up [by] evidence\u201d, as it will prevent the spread of misinformation.\u00a0Studies and statistics to support a politician\u2019s arguments add credibility to social media postings. (Photo source: Jamus Lim\/Instagram)\u201cJamus Lim is one example of a politician who does this frequently on his Instagram posts, [referencing] studies and statistics to support his arguments,\u201d Ms Thong says. Mr Lim is a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Workers\u2019 Party. Dr Pang says that politicians like Mr Lim should not take statistics at face value and should\u00a0 \u201ccheck sources of links, posts and pages that they intend to share\u201d. She says although it is not entirely about factual inaccuracies all the time,\u00a0 some contents can be offensive, \u201cexacerbating and inflaming online discourse on important topics\u201d within the social media domain.\u00a0Positivity and respect seemed to be another important etiquette that politicians should be mindful about\u2019.Childcare teacher Josephine Ho, 37, says politicians should \u201cspeak positively and have good words to others on social media\u201d.\u00a0 She adds that they must be \u201cconsiderate\u201d towards others too. At the same time, Ms Thong asserts that politicians should refrain from making personal attacks, such as the recent\u00a0 \u2018snowflake\u2019 debacle, as it is one of the fastest ways of losing supporters.\u00a0The \u2018snowflake\u2019 controversy came about in a Facebook post by former PAP MP Amrin Amin, where he warned people not to misconstrue every error as a \u201cracist\u201d one. However, when a netizen commented that some do still perceive it as racism, Mr Amin called the user a \u2018snowflake\u2019 for taking offence too easily.\u00a0Mr Piper echoes this etiquette, saying there is a need to \u201cbuild a platform and use it to help positive change in society, [and] don\u2019t use [it] to cause negative changes\u201d. Politicians should still walk the grounds instead of using social media to connect with people. (Photo source: CNA\/Facebook)But above all that, politicians should not just be \u201cnarcissistic\u201d and work hard at being \u201call things to everyone [and] attempt to be a social influencer\u201d.\u00a0\u201cGet out and walk the ground!\u201d Assoc Prof Tan says.\u00a0Like Assoc Prof Tan, Sarah also wants politicians to pull away from their screens and \u201cengage the ground directly\u201d.\u00a0 She feels they should not use social media as an excuse or convenience to \u201caddress needs\u201d but not having \u201ca feel of real issues\u201d.\u00a0 Managing trolls online is also tricky for politicians.Mr Jeyaretnam stands firm on \u201c[outsmarting] the IB\u201d or internet brigade, a group of people who \u201cmay or may not be government sanctioned and are perceived to defend the establishmentarian agenda and\/or attack the opposition\u201d on the different digital platforms.\u00a0Mr Piper also asserts that politicians should not let \u201cpeople hijack the social media platform\u201d. \u201cFor example, if someone is using public comments to be negative or spread falsehoods, then [the politician] needs to actively remove the comments and use the block feature,\u201d he advises.\u00a0Dr Pang agrees and says that \u201cwhile it is important to correct falsehoods and inaccuracies\u201d one should not be\u201cbaited by the trolls\u201d. \u201cBut do not be afraid to engage followers in the comments,\u201d she adds.\u00a0The wrestle between personableness and status\u00a0The public seems to enjoy going on social media to engage politicians who seem \u2018unreachable\u2019 in real life. This is where the platform serves to bridge the perceived gap. Politicians should maintain a dignified image online. (Photo source: CNA\/Facebook)To Mr Piper, integrity is a sign of dignity and not so much the type of pictures or videos shared. \u201cBeing truthful and demonstrating integrity is being dignified,\u201d he says, adding that the way to attain it is \u201cbeing the same person in public without trying to cultivate a separate public persona\u201d.\u00a0Assoc Prof Tan agrees, saying, \u201cThere should be no difference in how they relate to people in person and virtually [engaging the people] … When the online persona is a true, uncontrived expression of who one is, [it] will enable a loyal following to develop\u201d.\u00a0Ms Thong supports this, saying that politicians need to be authentic and \u2018vulnerable\u2019 online. \u201cIn fact, it seems that when politicians share their vulnerabilities or personal reflections online, they tend to receive more engagement and even a boost to their legitimacy (when done well),\u201d she says. Being genuine and showing snippets into politicians’ daily lives is a good way to be personable. (Photo source: Kenneth Jeyaretnam\/Facebook)\u201cIn my opinion, a genuine connection with the people over time will foster respect and status that comes later. And although politicians are expected to maintain standards of decorum, nothing is stopping them from \u2018being themselves\u2019 online,\u201d Ms Thong adds.Dr Pang, on the other hand,\u00a0 says that the purpose of the political tool is very much dependent on the \u201caspirations that the electorate has in the politicians\u201d.\u00a0\u201cWhen Donald Trump won the US Presidential Election in 2016, one thing that was clear to me was that it demonstrated that the American electorate was disillusioned with the status quo associated with candidates that looked and behaved in \u2018presidential\u2019 ways,\u201d she says, adding that Trump was \u201cevery man\u2019s answer\u201d.Dr Pang draws the distinction between Westerners and Singaporeans, and says that social media users\u2019 tastes and expectations in politicians are not static.\u00a0\u201cSingapore is not America, of course. But the attributes that people want in politicians can change. I think that people [here] still want their politicians to behave in a dignified manner while being approachable and relatable [at the same time],\u201d she remarks.\u00a0Politicians sharing their personal lives can add dimension to their online persona and can be used to spark interaction with their followers. (Photo source: He Ting Ru\/Instagram)In order to tread the thin line between personableness and status, Assoc Prof Tan says politicians can use social media as \u201cavenues for them to share some personal thoughts on matters of public concern as well as the mundane\u201d.\u00a0\u201cOne can look at social media as an open diary where politicians share thoughts and highlight activities. The warmth and character of their personalities must come through [here],\u201d he advises.\u00a0As a social media user, Ms Thong also affirms that content which shows \u201csnippets of their daily activities that most people do\u201d can help netizens respect politicians while seeing them in a different light.\u00a0\u201cFor example, MP Baey Yam Keng often posts pictures of himself running. It adds dimension to his online persona and can be used to spark interaction with his followers,\u201d she says. Another way that helps Ms Thong to connect with politicians is through their stories. She explains that \u201cpeople naturally prefer stories over statistics, and a good post links a compelling narrative to a meaningful initiative\u201d.\u00a0Deputy Prime Minister sharing a picture of him when he was part of the Singapore Police Force to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Force. (Photo source: Heng Swee Keat\/Facebook)Citing Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat as an example, she says he recently shared a personal story of when he was a police officer, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Singapore Police Force. \u201cBased on the [number of] comments alone, his post garnered twice as much engagement as usual,\u201d Ms Thong says.\u00a0However, Dr Pang says a pitfall that should be avoided in the quest to connect with the public is\u00a0 \u201cto be baited into uncivil exchanges with trolls or engage in identity politics\u201d.\u00a0The political posture in public interactionThis, Dr Pang says, will tarnish the image and credibility of politicians. Instead, she says \u201cpoliticians could use [public\u2019s] comments to address [their] genuine concerns and questions [as] responding gives one the opportunity to also connect in person\u201d.Mr Yeo agrees. He says\u201cit will assist them to build rapport with the young [voters]\u201d and he himself does so \u201ca great deal\u201d.\u00a0Assoc Prof Tan says it ultimately boils down to the politicians\u2019 \u201cjudgment call\u201d.Elected politicians are not elected to be keyboard warriors even though social media is an engagement tool. (Photo source: Towards Data Science)\u201cSocial media is not really an appropriate platform to get into an extensive discourse and [highly] charged debates on issues of the day. Elected politicians are not elected to be keyboard warriors even though social media is an engagement tool,\u201d he remarks.\u00a0Dr Pang agrees and comments that while it is \u201cimportant to correct falsehoods and accusations in a dignified and objective manner\u201d, she says that politicians should not be \u201cglued to social media all the time\u201d.In addition to why politicians should avoid excessive engagement, Mr Piper states that there is definitely \u201creal danger\u201d in misinformation. So in order to engage with comments well, politicians must be \u201cwell-informed\u201d because if \u201csomeone [spreads] false and incorrect information, it could [even] lead to someone getting sick and dying\u201d.\u201cReliable sources come from [experts\u2019] opinions, and then using rational and analytical thought to filter out what is actually the truth is [acting] with integrity,\u201d he adds.Mr Piper believes that it is a \u201cdistinct lack of integrity to just go along with conspiracy just because it\u2019s popular on social media and potentially gains votes\u201d. As for public netizen groups, such as Umbrage Singapore or Critical Spectator, the experts feel that politicians should not even venture in.\u201cSome of [these groups] do not bring much value at all, variously they seem to conflate being contentious and sharing conspiracy nonsense with popularity, which isn\u2019t right at all,\u201d Mr Piper comments.\u00a0In his view, the \u201cquality of public discourse [must be] raised\u201d otherwise it is useless and purposeless in doing so.\u00a0Some public groups do not bring much value at all and politicians may seem to conflate being contentious with popularity. (Photo source: Umbrage Singapore\/Facebook)The key question is: \u201cIs there a real need to do so?\u201d Assoc Prof Tan asks.He cautions that politicians would have \u201cto be careful wading into public groups\u201d because they will have to face the responses of the netizens which they \u201chave little control over\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Ms Thong agrees: \u201cThe politician must be prepared for a public critique of themselves \u2013 and their affiliations \u2013 whenever they take a stand on an issue. This logic stands regardless of the politician or public group’s alignment on the political spectrum.\u201d\u00a0If things posted are false and controversial, they should \u201cnot be free from consequences\u201d and \u201cPOFMA is tangentially related to this, [and] suffice to say that the law should be applied equally to all, including politicians themselves\u201d, she says.\u00a0If used perspicaciously, social media could be politicians\u2019 most powerful weapon but when used in bad faith, however, it could be a lightning rod that destroys a politician’s career at the speed of light.\u00a0A healthier way is perhaps \u201c[delegating] the social media management work to assistants or team members, similar to what celebrities do [although] all comments should be carefully reviewed before posting to [prevent] bad [publicity]\u201d.\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram. 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