Turning 'likes' into votes – how social media and podcasts will shape the GE2025 campaign

In a bid to connect with citizens, politicians from the ruling People's Action Party and potential opposition candidates are making their rounds on podcasts and raising their social media game. Does becoming a TikTok star really guarantee electoral success? 

or Mrs Iris Than, the best way to get to know Singapore’s politicians is not by talking to them at Meet-The-People Sessions or during walkabouts, but rather by watching their videos and reading the comment sections on Instagram and TikTok.

The 33-year-old sustainability manager said: “In-person interactions tend to be very brief, seldom and superficial, perhaps due to their busy schedules, so I appreciate the Instagram posts and comments as an ongoing channel of interaction.”

She is typical of a growing number of voters here who mainly interact with Members of Parliament (MPs) and opposition party members online.

Mrs Than has become used to seeing the likes of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong engaging in informal interviews on podcasts or with social media personalities in unconventional settings. Once, Mr Wong took part in a video where he discussed the national Budget at a cat cafe.

Of course, politicians in Singapore have used online media to engage with their constituents for almost as long as these platforms have existed. However, especially since the last General Election in 2020, they have become more important than ever.

That election held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic was a watershed event that proved just how crucial online platforms are for engaging voters, when rallies at physical sites were not possible.

Opposition figures such as Dr Tan Cheng Bock, now chairman of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), captured the attention of younger Singaporeans by embracing lingo such as “hypebeast” and “woke” in interviews and online posts that quickly went viral. 

Dr Tan, who was contesting in West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC), amassed thousands of followers on Instagram throughout the hustings. Today, he remains one of Singapore’s most-followed opposition members on the platform, with 56,000 followers.

The 84-year-old has said that he has not ruled out standing for the next election.

Dr Carol Soon, who led a study by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) on media and internet use during the last two elections, noted that the relative political importance of various online platforms have shifted over time.

The popular blogs and alternative online sites of 2011 were supplanted by Facebook in 2015, when that social media behemoth became the public’s top choice for election-related information.

Then in 2020, short-form video platform TikTok, along with podcasts, paved new ways for candidates to reach voters, heralding a trend that will only grow in the coming election, she said.

Dr Soon, associate professor of communications and new media at the National University of Singapore (NUS), added that as platforms that were primarily used by younger audiences have also become popular with older generations, candidates now have no choice but to include online media as a primary outreach tool.

Increasingly prominent in the online media toolkit are podcasts and short-form videos, formats that help politicians appear more relatable, away from their official duties that include giving formal speeches. 

These trends mirror political strategies seen overseas. In the United States, for instance, re-elected President Donald Trump favoured appearances on podcasts and social media influencers' platforms over mainstream media outlets during his 2024 campaign trail.

Still, a strong online presence does not always translate into electoral success.

Some experts pointed to the example of presidential hopeful Ng Kok Song, whose social media-heavy campaign at the Presidential Election in 2023 did not result in significant support at the polls. That election was won by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam in a landslide.

As the General Election predicted to be held as early as next month approaches, candidates and voters alike are preparing for an election cycle that will likely be shaped more than ever by digital engagement.

However, with finite resources, how are parties balancing social media outreach with face-to-face interactions?

With the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report on Tuesday (Mar 11) marking a key step toward this year's election, CNA TODAY takes a closer look at how political parties, potential candidates and social media influencers are shaping their positions for the digital game plan.

HOW PARTIES ARE USING ONLINE MEDIA

The official social media pages of political parties may highlight the work that they are doing on the ground or snippets of parliamentary debates, but individual politicians or party members often have their own respective social media accounts, where they strive to project an authentic persona and engage with their constituents directly.

In the case of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), MPs are mostly left to their own devices in managing their own social media accounts. Some political office-holders use their personal accounts to engage their constituents and amplify the work of their ministries at the same time.

PAP told CNA TODAY that the party does not take a “one-size-fits-all approach” to social media.

“Our MPs speak up on various issues that they and their residents care deeply about. Our MPs have different personalities and leverage social media in their own ways.” 

As a first-time candidate in the 2020 General Election, MP Mariam Jafaar (PAP-Sembawang GRC) said that social media was key to connecting with constituents when she entered the public eye. 

“As I was new, and (the election) was during the pandemic, I tried to be disciplined about posting once a day, to help people know me, my activities and programmes, my points of view.” 

She now posts event pictures, profiles of Woodland residents and snippets about her personal life, which tend to be the most popular posts.

“I am not ramping up my (social media) presence during the run-up to elections. Practically speaking, the time I have for social media is limited. My priority is always getting things done on the ground,” she added.

Opposition parties said that social media is vital to level the playing field and reach Singaporeans directly, though many of them operate with limited resources and rely on volunteers to handle their social media accounts.

A representative from the Workers’ Party (WP) said that it maintains an “active presence” on all major social media platforms, including TikTok, where it launched an account in 2022. 

“Social media is a powerful equaliser in political engagement, and the party leverages digital platforms to connect with people wherever they are most comfortable.” 

This includes structured infographics, explainer videos for policy initiatives, the promotion of grassroots events, volunteer and voter outreach, as well as candid content that have a “human touch”.

Social media has also helped in amplifying the opposition party’s key milestones, such as the launch of the WP documentary on Hougang constituency late last year during its 67th anniversary, the party added.

“While WP continues to experiment with and refine its digital outreach, it sees social media as a complement – not a replacement – for the party’s long-standing commitment to ground engagement.”

For the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), its key members typically manage their own social media profiles with some help from volunteers and strategic guidance from the party’s branding and communications team.

“Social media has generally been a very effective tool for reach and engagement. We are obviously able to have more control over our messaging on owned channels and can also easily and directly connect with our audience or followers,” it said.

Dr Paul Tambyah, the party's chairman, said that he takes a serious, straightforward and factual tone online to highlight issues that are of concern to Singaporeans, such as cost-of-living pressures.

“There are many online trolls out there but paradoxically, every engagement – whether positive or negative – helps to get the message across because it bumps up our posts in the various algorithms,” he added. 

SDP's vice-chairman Bryan Lim said that social media has been effective in overcoming “some of the weaknesses of ground work”, including connecting with constituents to whom he is unable to speak at length. 

And even though social media is commonly seen as being used more by the young, Mr Lim said that surprisingly, a majority of those viewing his TikTok content are users in their 50s and 60s. 

Mr Ravi Philemon, the secretary general of opposition party Red Dot United, which debuted in 2020's election, said that social media is crucial for a young party coming up against parties that already have large, established groups of followers. 

“We are a party without parliamentary presence. If you have a parliamentary presence, you have a big advantage because the speeches you make are being recorded, the newspapers report on you. So I’m very mindful of that and (am figuring out) how then we can become relevant.” 

His party’s social media team, which consists entirely of volunteers, “has their hands full” repurposing content from in-person ground engagements for their social media platforms, he added.

This article was originally published on Channels News Asia. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes.