Facebook and political communication : a study of online campaigning during the 14th Malaysian General Election

• Main Authors: Mohamed, Shafizan, Abdul Manan, Kamaruzzaman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia 2020
• Subjects: H61.8 Communication of information; H92 Pictorial works; JQ715 Politics and Government in Malaysia; JQ719 Elections in Malaysia
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/81136/1/81136_Facebook%20and%20political%20communication.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/81136/; https://journals.iium.edu.my/irkh/index.php/ijohs/article/view/112/45

Every democratic country has to go through the general election where political candidates must convince the public to vote for them. In recent years, Facebook has become one of the most popular social media used in election campaigning. Due to its popularity and easy access to the public, Facebook offers election candidates the ability to personalise their political messages and directly communicate with the voters and win the voters’ trust. This study looks into this phenomenon by studying how election candidates used Facebook to campaign during the 14thMalaysian General Election. The study investigated how the candidates’ personalised their campaign by looking at the types and characteristics of the candidates’ Facebook posts as well as the issues highlighted and slants applied in the posts. Content analysis of the candidates’ Facebook posts showed that the candidates were very active on Facebook and had strategically used Facebook to create and maintain a positive image rather than promoting issues and engaging in discussions with the public. The study also found a significant case of personalisation in the Malaysian politicians’ campaign strategies on Facebook.