Do You Believe? Developing Framework on Medium of Computational Propaganda in State Government Elections
List of Authors
  • Hamzah, M.R., Mahamood, A.F., Mohd. Yusof, S.D.

Keyword
  • Computational Propaganda, Social Media, Fake News, Propagandists and Malaysian GE-14

Abstract
  • With today’s global advancement and development of sophisticated technologies, internet facilities are also getting better each day. An array of numerous social media platforms is indeed a medium used by individuals and companies to share and facilitate transmissions of ideas, opinions, views, and products for myriad purposes, such as in increasing sales of products and services. Propaganda and technology today are dependent on each other to function. Part of today's mode of communication uses social media as a platform to interact, so the method of disseminating propagandas has also shifted to communication tools vide social media. This study was initiated to achieve three main objectives 1. To identify the medium used to convey Propaganda and issues during the 14th Malaysian Election campaign (GE-14), 2. To explore the news / issues spread by candidates in GE-14 and 3. To study the impact of Computational Propaganda to the election of the government on GE-14 voting day. This study uses a qualitative methodology approach by analyzing propagandists’ secondary data. Past research journals and materials were reviewed and analyzed by forming themes based on the objectives of the study. The results of the study observed that the widely used medium of Computational Propaganda was through social media platforms. There were presence of unfounded news and fake issues related to the economy, social and personalities of the leaders and candidates used to spread misleading information during the GE-14 campaign. The misleading information widely presented by election candidates indeed had successfully influenced voters in voting and choosing the new government. This study can be used as references and guidelines by stakeholders such as by the Ministry of Communication in the formulation of appropriate action plans and policies related to communications at the ministerial level.

Reference
  • No Data Recorded