🗳 Digital trends in the electoral landscape: Indonesia, Taiwan, Pakistan
My name is Sorana, I'm a Gen Z-er from Romania and, like many other people my age, my main source of information is social media.
I am also one of the 4 billion people expected to vote in 2024, considered to be "the biggest election year in history".
Technology -- and all the benefits and challenges that come along with it -- might be one common thing that all countries will have to navigate this year, from the most influential elections, like the one in the US, to the smallest ones, like the one in Maldives.
That's why the Digital Communication Network (DCN) Global came up with this newsletter.
Every month I'll guide you through the main digital trends influencing the electoral landscape this year.
In addition, we are pleased to introduce a dedicated Telegram channel featuring curated content on past and upcoming elections.
Also, we'll discuss every two months the most important digital trends impacting voters this year with specialists from all over the world through an online webinar.
You can check out the recorded version of the last discussion or get the big picture by having a look at the illustration made by Cristina Labo. Here's her Instagram profile.
Our collective goal is to create a community where we can analyze and navigate together the complicated relationship between democracy and the digital space.
📈 Digital trends
Indonesia: elections under the impact of social media
With 125 million monthly active users, TikTok has become a key arena for political engagement before the Indonesian elections on February 14.
Candidates for the presidential seat have strategically utilized social media to connect with voters. Through funny dance moves and a cute avatar, Subianto Prabowo transformed his political image, shifting away from a more authoritative stance. Anies Baswedan, on the other hand, has tapped into unexpected popularity among K-pop fans.
Both candidates had Instagram pages dedicated to their cats. Subianto's cat, Bobby, was presented as a patriot, while Anies had an entire 'family' of felines.
The Indonesian election's shift towards a digital battleground reflects the changing nature of political campaigns globally. The influence of social media on electoral outcomes becomes increasingly evident, presenting both opportunities for authentic engagement and challenges related to misinformation.
Taiwan: navigating electoral interference
False narratives included accusations against candidates, shadowy rumors, and concerns about food safety and racial discord, turning social media into a battlefield. Historically, China's interference in Taiwan's elections was marked by a broader, pro-unification narrative. However, this time, it exploited local issues, aiming to foster division within Taiwanese society.
As the votes were counted, videos implying that the results were fake started surging on the Internet, prompting fact-checking groups, the Taiwanese Central Election Commission and even influencers to explain the electoral process and push back claims of election fraud.
Taiwan's response involved collaborative efforts between government agencies and social media giants to screen and debunk misinformation. Legislation was enacted to penalize those spreading falsehoods linked to foreign entities, particularly the Chinese state, raising questions about how to find a balance between safeguarding democracy and preserving free speech in one of the most digitally connected countries in the world.
Taiwan teaches us to stay vigilant, embrace technology for truth, and understand that the fight for democracy is as much about defending against disinformation as it is about casting a vote.
Pakistan: an AI-powered campaign
Being banned from running a conventional campaign, the party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) turned to unconventional methods: Artificial Intelligence.
With their leader, Pakistan's former prime minister, Imran Khan, behind bars, PTI spread its?message through AI generated videos. Khan was charged for leaking state secrets, among other charges, and so his party was banned from campaigning and appearing on the news.
But PTI went around the interdiction, organizing online rallies on TikTok and Youtube, watched by hundreds of thousands of people.
Even Khan's victory speech, after PTI claimed the majority vote on February 8, was an AI generated video.
However using AI proved to be a double edged sword in the Pakistan elections, now clouded by fraud allegations.On the eve of the voting day, deepfake videos surfaced on social media, portraying Khan and other PTI members calling for an election boycott.
In a recent report, the World Economic Forum ranked misinformation and disinformation as the top global risk, especially because of the increasing accessibility to AI technology. “Synthetic content will manipulate individuals, damage economies and fracture societies in numerous ways over the next two years”, warns the report, saying that governments will probably have a slow response as they try to balance free speech and the fight against misinformation.
🌅 Elections on the horizon
A list of upcoming elections and what to keep an eye on:
March 1: Iran - legislative elections
In the aftermath of the violent Mahsa Amini protests, the extensive digital repression in Iran influences the information landscape through censorship and even state-made disinformation.
March 10: Portugal - snap legislative elections
Corruption is the main theme driving information manipulation campaigns in Portugal, according to a 2023 Iberifier report. The Chega (Enough) far-right populist party, which promises to fight corruption and uses the slogan “Portugal needs a clean-up”, gained 1.3% in the general elections 2019, rose spectacularly in 2022, receiving 7.3% while now, polls indicate that Chega might be around 20% of voting intentions. The issue is also central to the upcoming elections, organized after the collapse of a Socialist government due to a corruption scandal.
March 17: Maldives - legislative elections
Given the strategic interests of both India and China, the absence of robust regulation of social media in the Maldives, coupled with the lack of legislation addressing disinformation, creates vulnerability in the context of the upcoming general elections.
March 18: Russia - presidential election
Yulia Navalnaya announced on X (former Twitter) that she will continue the legacy of her late husband, Alexei Navalny, the prominent opposition figure who died in prison on February 16. A day later, her account was flagged by the platform’s defense mechanism against manipulation and spam. While her profile was restored later that day, the event goes to show how dependent on social media platforms, and those who run them, opposition voices are in countries where media is state-controlled. Navalnaya is already the victim of online discreditation through manipulated images and false narratives.
March 23: Slovakia - 1st round presidential elections
Slovakian fact checkers were overwhelmed by the amount of disinformation and AI techniques used to generate it ahead of the legislative elections last September. The upcoming presidential elections will determine whether there will be any opposition to the populist, pro-Russian leaning of the prime minister, Robert Fico.
Thank you for reading!
You are encouraged to share information, articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, and other relevant content about what is happening in your community/ country/ region regarding disinformation and combating it during the elections at dcnelections@gmail.com