Evolving Electorate and New Media in Eectoral Authoritarianism

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Panel: Theme Interactive Poster Session: Transforming Communicative Power Through Evolving Electorates, Technologies, Communication, and Public Opinion (2 Posters)

Abstract

Authoritarian systems have faced great challenges by new media, such as that their control over the electorate’s perception was confronted with alternative facts and viewpoints that flourished in the cyberspace. Electoral authoritarianism, as a species that combines features of both authoritarian governance and regular elections, responded to such challenges with active participation and change of strategies. This paper explores how an interactionist approach that focuses on the dynamics among the electorate, the authorities, and new media could demonstrate the evolving process of two political systems, namely, Malaysia and Singapore. In Malaysia, new media gave the urban middle-class a lot of space to voice their concerns and even foster opposition leaders who can enter the direct contestations with the old power. The established authorities responded to the situation with a strategic usage of traditional media to strengthen their mobilization in the rural areas. They managed to contain the increasing popularity of the oppositions in the 2013 election by dividing the electorate into the urban vs. rural camps and conquering the rural camp to an even fuller extent. In Singapore, the ruling party employed a mixture of various strategies, including strong online presence, strong offline mobilization, and attacks on the opposition’s executive competence. The 2015 election witnessed a significant swing back towards the ruling authorities with 10% of the electorate shifted back to supporting the PAP. The blurring line between the online alternative and the offline mainstream may be one of the explanations of the electorate’s change of mind. The electorate may also get disappointed by the oppositions they voted into the parliament and the alternative media that fail to build up their credibility, after voters have longer experience with the opposition politics. This paper concludes with two claims: firstly, new media are increasingly becoming the space in which the old power balance is able to replicate itself; and secondly, new media are no longer that ground-breaking for opposition forces and substantial factors, such as quality of opposition candidates and alternative policy plans, would be what matter to the electorate.

Author

• Weiyu Zhang, National U of Singapore