Impact of New Media on General Election 2011

Synopsis

Whether the general election in May deserved the epithet of ‘Singapore’s First Internet Election”, there is no doubt that new media played a significant role in the way political parties and candidates communicated with voters, and the way citizens communicated with one another. The Institute of Policy Studies is bringing you a conference aimed at a more insightful understanding of the impact of the Internet on the polls. This one-day event will showcase a multi-study project led by IPS that brings together a dozen researchers from several other institutions including the National University of Singapore, the Nanyang Technological University and SIM University.

The studies focus on the impact of what is done online and offline by the different players (parties and candidates, bloggers, mainstream media, opinion makers; voters); the consequences to the voter (their political knowledge, the perception of candidates and parties; and their voting behaviour); and the role of technology (social media, mobile telephony). One highlight of the conference is a nation-wide survey of voters that reveals how they use different media, from newspapers to television, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. The survey also examines their political attitudes, their political activities during the polls and their voting decisions.

Please click here to view the programme.

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