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Internet spaces and the (re)making of democratic politics: the case of Singapore’s 2011 General Election

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Abstract

The 2011 Singapore General Election (GE2011) has often been hailed as an ‘Internet Election’, highlighting the role of networked technologies in enabling democratization practices/processes for the unprecedented consolidation of oppositional politics in the city-state. Building on theorizations that broach the interface between social media and digital democracy, this paper critically examines Singaporeans’ myriad engagements with the internet during GE2011 in order to tease out the constructions of social and political debates within these online communities and the extent to which they facilitate democratic discussions. These computer-mediated colliding and emerging of perspectives related to Singapore’s (electoral) politics can in turn set the scene for the (re)production and negotiations of the multifarious meanings of democracy in place. Hence, in addressing these research inquiries, this paper goes beyond GE2011 to reflect on the ways in which web technologies and social media can make a difference to political debates, deliberation and representation in societies where there are limited public avenues for citizenry to articulate their voices/concerns. It also enables documentation of ordinary people’s aspirations and hopes for political change and the sort of democracy they want to see progressively initiated in the Singaporean society.

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Fig. 1

Source: Elections Department of Singapore Website

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Notes

  1. In the 2006 election, online media run by parties and candidates as well as gazette political sites had to confine themselves largely to static content during the campaign period. In GE2011 however, most restrictions were lifted, enabling individuals or groups to use the various features of online media freely.

  2. It has been documented that Singaporeans are generally unwilling to speak out on political affairs in the public arena (especially views that are critical of the ruling elites) because of fears of negative repercussions (e.g. being sued for defamation by the government; unable to get a job in the civil service). Given the sensitivity of the topic, pseudonyms have been given to the respondents featured in the paper.

  3. Although one can arguably adopt a pseudonym/nickname in setting up a Twitter or Facebook account, the majority of my respondents reveal their actual name and other personal information on these platforms as they serve as means for them to (re)connect with friends and relatives.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Chih Yuan Woon

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Woon, C.Y. Internet spaces and the (re)making of democratic politics: the case of Singapore’s 2011 General Election. GeoJournal 83, 1133–1150 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-017-9815-6

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