Last GE13, I was in queue at my polling station, and despite the heat everybody seemed optimistic and gracious. Besides this, the most noteworthy observation on Polling Day was that nobody was holding or reading any hardcopy newspapers… not even to hold up as shade from the sun!
Ok, maybe they forgot to bring ‘em reading materials, but with the first three pages of some mainstream newspapers these days – which seem to be only good enough to wrap trash or clean up my rabbits’ poo – I’d say that the ‘UBAH’ wave also presents a great opportunity for alternative media to rise and gain more prominence.
(Honestly, throughout the entire GE13 campaign, my home stopped subscribing to its incumbent English mainstream. However the ‘Home Minister’ has decided to resume subscription at writing time.)
Back to the topic, many at the polling stations were on their smartphones in a flurry of ‘silent’ social media correspondence, exchanging loud outspoken views – despite the omnipresent policemen and ‘Tolong Senyap’ signage.
During the nail-biting vote counting, I flipped incessantly through all the mainstream national channels- RTM1, RTM 2, TV3, Bernama, NTV7 – which featured political analysts who pretty much said the same thing.
However a TV commentary on Astro Awani (Channel 501) caught my attention – Karim Raslan accurately highlighted the biggest difference between the various generations whereby he said that while Gen-Y and Baby Boomers were especially vocal with GE13 views, it was the Gen-X (born in the early 1960s to the early 1980s) who still kept their perceptions to themselves.
True enough, within my own family – my grandparents openly stated their allegiance to ‘The Rocket’, aunts, uncles and parents say ‘I vote for myself’ or gave some ambiguous reply, while my siblings and I could hardly express ourselves more openly via our actions and talk.
After casting my vote in Kajang, I stopped by Lembah Pantai, Cheras and Petaling Jaya to observe the rakyat’s sentiments on this GE. I also stopped by Lotus (PJ) and heard all the latest updates from people who of course got their information from the social media and alternative channels. In fact, I met an ‘ah pek tow kay’ who only converses in Hokkien but said he learnt how to use the computer JUST to be able to follow the online news and social media happenings!
Mainstream print is still nice to have, but for more controversial (truer?) and quicker information, online social media is winning hands down.
IT BYTES BACK! says: Is mainstream media losing its credibility and relevancy overnight, in the eyes of a society that has become almost 100% social-media literate, because of 5th May, 2013?
