‘Whoever controls social media gets the votes’

PETALING JAYA: It is no longer about speeches but all about content – especially on social media – when it comes to attracting votes from the Undi18 cohort, says Pakatan Harapan communications director Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi, who is also the Communications and Digital Minister, said there is a very clear understanding that the pattern of consuming information has changed.

There are currently about 20 million TikTok accounts in Malaysia, of which 60% of users are under the age of 35.

This, he added, is a huge demographic for both the government and the component parties making up the ruling pact to tap into.

“People may not necessarily watch a ceramah anymore, but they would watch a TikTok video of a ceramah. So, the idea of ceramah now has shifted. It is actually a studio for online content before a live audience.

“That is really what the ceramah has kind of become. We see this on all sides, where people understand that when they are speaking in front of cameras (or) mobile phones. Even if the equipment is not recording, people on the other side could be recording and they can turn it into content.

“It is not about ceramah now, it is about content,” he said.

Fahmi thinks that what is particularly interesting is how one speaks to an audience that one may not necessarily meet face to face.

“Even if you meet people face to face, how do you know that what you said has got through to them? These are challenges.

“It is also about how you tell stories or communicate,” he added.

Fahmi said the challenge for the unity government is in ensuring that the Undi18 group, first-time voters and those who had voted in past general elections would vote again this time around.

“They have very clear and distinct options. They could go with what they had before or they could go with something better.

“They could decide based on what they watched on TikTok or social media,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would be “bringing a lot more” to the fight for votes this time around.

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh said voters below the age of 21 could be unpredictable when it comes to making political decisions.

As polling draws closer, he said it is crucial for parties to control the social media narrative.

“Those below 21 do not belong to any party in the country. They will vote based on what they see every day on social media. Whichever party controls social media, they will get the youth votes,” he said.

According to Dr Muhamad Akmal, Barisan Nasional has ramped up its social media strategies to better resonate with the youth, following the 15th General Election that saw the “green wave” – during which Perikatan Nasional garnered a surprise landslide victory in the northern states.

The effects of the “green wave” appears to have simmered down following GE15, he added.

“Usually, we would see signs of increased social media engagements a week before nomination day because in GE15, we saw that Perikatan was talked about heavily on TikTok.

“This time around, it (social media engagements) is not as much as in GE15,” he said, adding that this is an advantage for Umno to reach out to those below 21.

Dr Muhamad Akmal is expecting a tight race ahead for Barisan and Perikatan, given the volatility of youth voting patterns.

“We need to do our best and let voters decide.

“Frankly speaking, it will not be an easy task, even in states like Negri Sembilan and Selangor,” he said.

He added that it is crucial for Barisan – due to the perception that Umno is a party of political elites – to drive the message to the youth that the coalition is still in touch with regular Malaysians.

It is also essential to explain to Umno grassroots the cooperation between Barisan and Pakatan, which were once bitter foes, he said.