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What price new media?
Published on: Sunday, October 25, 2020
By: Iman Imran
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NEW media has overshadowed the traditional method of relaying information. Over the past decade, news outlets have invested in online sites and mobile applications, radio can be streamed on-line and social media platforms have gained traction. Facebook has become the nation’s most-relied source of news, with 23 million Malaysians accessing the site as at 2019 — a high figure for the post-14th General Election (GE14) scenario. But social media carries the potential of more rapid and widespread disinformation, which is the deliberate act of dispersing information or news that is not only misleading but also biased or manipulative. 

While fake news does not sound particularly dangerous, disinformation is a commonly used hostile tactic in politics, where propaganda and false narratives are created with malicious and divisive intent. How do democratic states navigate the balance between upholding freedom of speech and expression with their commitment to the truth? This article will explore the repercussions of disinformation that surrounds new media on a democracy. 

The chart shows the penetration of social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube) in Malaysia from July 2019 to July 2020. It can be observed that Facebook is the highest-used platform nationwide. The dominance of disinformation post-GE14 was mainly due to the algorithms designed with-in social media that could potentially create echo chambers, where users are fed with biased information — reaffirming and supporting their false political beliefs.

This has created three issues: the possibility of disinformation crowding out any chance of productive political discourse on social media, the danger of fake news to our democracy when used as a political tactic and the sporadic spread of misinformation and disinformation due to low media literacy among Malaysians. 

Among the big topics discussed over the past five years include the Malaysia Development Bhd (MDB) case involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the debate between the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Sales and Services Tax (SST), and the sharp and sudden movements in oil prices. 

Fake news is frequently used as a political tool to spark commotion among the public with the intention of swaying their attention from the real issues. This is a form of information gate keeping and control in suppressing human rights problems and to discredit any dissenting political opinions. 

However, government intervention such as the prohibition of discussing “sensitive” or controversial topics can also create a domino effect in society. People may fear that voicing out their personal opinions or spreading any information will cause them to be convicted or called in for questioning by the authorities, thereby making our democracy redundant. 

But low media literacy still can drive the spread of fake news through social media platforms. And it is even further amplified by political parties that take advantage of this, either to boost their own party or create false narratives for others. 

Media literacy has become an added skill that is imperative in this digital age, but there is a lack of awareness and investment, especially in areas that are less digitally advanced. Although internet connectivity has improved fivefold over the past 20 years, media literacy has not been given the same importance. 

To develop literacy in the era of new media, one must be an engaging and informed citizen, paired with the natural need to critically assess the contents flooding these platforms, rather than passively consuming the information, which is what most Malaysians are guilty of doing. 

The recent outbreak of Covid-19 has pushed governments to implement drastic measures in the pursuit of protecting public health and the economy. In times of crisis, the right to speech and expression is crucial to uphold in a democracy — the public must be able to voice any dissent to the government’s decisions. It acts as a counterbalance when the state is given the autonomy to make pivotal decisions and implement laws during a period of emergency. 

Recent occurrences that are pertinent to disinformation and Covid-19 include false news that the military was authorised to assault civilians should anyone flout the Movement Control Order (MCO). Other examples are the scams and exploitation of opportunists who created fake crowdfunding accounts with the narrative that the funds were meant for the healthcare sector and false information on infected areas — all of which were designed to instil distress and anxiety among the public. 

Some were even promoting “alleged tradition-al cures” for Covid-19 involving the consumption of garlic and turmeric water, which was not only false but also potentially detrimental to public health if such information had been relayed to less-informed groups. Although the government has the autonomy to restrict public speech during times of crisis to maintain civic order, it must not sanction voices of dissent or disapproval. Therefore, to uphold the basic right to information, journalistic and public opinion should complement the state’s efforts. 

In our war against disinformation, there are some initiatives that the state could implement to meet the balance between allowing freedom of speech and expression to flourish competitively in the marketplace of idea need to maintain public safety and harmony. For instance, the creation of non-partisan and non-governmental platforms that can be used by the public to fact-check any information regarding Malaysia on the internet and the abolition or amendment of laws that aim to stifle dissent and differences of opinion. 

There is also a need to galvanise more efforts to make cyberspace safer such as through the establishment of an independent agency to determine professional standards of “information dissemination”. There too needs to be investigations into tech giants that monopolise the media market. 

Media literacy and education should be given attention to protect citizens against disinformation. It can be assimilated into the school curriculum, particularly for those in upper primary and secondary education, where educational reform could help students identify disinformation and prevent blind consumption of media from an early age. 

The trade-off between freedom of speech and maintenance of public harmony is indeed tricky for a democratic state with multiple races and religions. To uphold the sovereignty of a democracy, there is a need to uplift its civil liberties and allow the public to make informed decisions without the manipulation or influence of those in power. 

As we evolve into a generation with a greater dependence on technology to disseminate information more proficiently, checks and balances must exist to ensure that disinformation and its ramifications are minimised.

- Iman is a former researcher with the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affair (Ideas). This appeared in the Edge. 



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