From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation

Social Media in Southeast Asia

Aim Sinpeng, Ross Tapsell

• Publisher: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
• Year: 2020
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• eBook ISBN:
  9789814951036
• Subtopic: Social Policy
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book reflects on the role of social media in the past two decades in Southeast Asia. It traces the emergence of social media discourse in Southeast Asia, and its potential as a "liberation technology" in both democratizing and authoritarian states. It explains the growing decline in internet freedom and increasingly repressive and manipulative use of social media tools by governments, and argues that social media is now an essential platform for control. The contributors detail the increasing role of "disinformation" and "fake news" production in Southeast Asia, and how national governments are creating laws which attempt to address this trend, but which often exacerbate the situation of state control.From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation explores three main questions: How did social media begin as a vibrant space for grassroots activism to becoming a tool for disinformation? Who were the main actors in this transition: governments, citizens or the platforms themselves? Can reformists "reclaim" the digital public sphere? And if so, how?

Table of contents

• Contents
• 1. From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation: Social Media Trends in Southeast Asia
• 2. Curing “Patient Zero”: Reclaiming the Digital Public Sphere in the Philippines
• 3. The Political Campaign Industry and the Rise of Disinformation in Indonesia
• 4. Disinformation as a Response to the “Opposition Playground” in Malaysia
• 5. Social Media, Hate Speech and Fake News during Myanmar’s Political Transition
• 6. Securitizing “Fake News”: Policy Responses to Disinformation in Thailand
• 7. Cambodia: From Democratization of Information to Disinformation
• 8. Social Media’s Challenge to State Information Controls in Vietnam
• 9. Social Media and Changes in Political Engagement in Singapore
• 10. Democratic Backsliding and Authoritarian Resilience in Southeast Asia: The Role of Social Media
• Index