Battle for Hearts and Minds ─ New Media and Elections in Singapore

Presented by the Institute of Policy Studies, this volume brings together 11 essays that analyze the role of new media in the 2011 General Election in Singapore, focusing on the effect of internet-related electoral activities on the voting public and including the activities of political parties and candidates, the mainstream and alternative media, opinion makers, and the ordinary voter. Policy studies and communication scholars mainly from Singapore consider impacts on the voter in terms of their political knowledge; perceptions of issues, candidates, and parties; reconciliation of conflicting information; and voting behavior. They discuss the impact of online vs. offline media, the political traits of voters, and their level of offline and online political participation; the role of socio-political bloggers and their navigation of legal and political restrictions; content on the blogs and websites of political parties and candidates; the interaction between mainstream and alternative media; the impact of new media on young voters' political participation; the role of Facebook, Twitter, and mobile phones in political participation; the relationship between internet use and political knowledge of opposition parties; and how people discuss politics during election time. The essays are based on presentations given at a conference in October 2011. Annotation c2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)