The Dark Shadow Shrine

embrace the darkness; that you may see the light nestled within it......

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Tyranny of the Minority

Article 1: Reading the collective will better
Article 2: It pays to pay heed to the silent majority

Tyranny of the majority is a term most of us are familiar with (at least I hope you are, with the 'A' levels just barely one month away), esp in the context of democracy. But in an interesting twist, there is also such a phenomenon as the tyranny of the minority, where the minority actually hold the majority hostage by making their voice heard louder, and hence exerting more influence on -- where else but the internet....We see this coming into play in the recent election where everyone (both PAP and opposition) are dumbfounded by the landslide victory in the votes garnered for the PAP. This unexpectedness was largely in part due to the social media, which gives us the impression that the opposition is going to get another bite at the contested wards.
Explanation:
On social media, the echo-chamber effect mechanism makes it such that the minority can actually acquire the status or semblance of the majority, much like how the view of one person is echoed some many times in an enclosed chamber that we are given the impression that many people hold this same view. In short, the echo chamber effect can give rise to the illusion of numbers, which goes to give the illusion of reality or truth. This is why and how online rumours sparked off by just a few pranksters can come across bearing the shine of truth/reality. This is also how social media can misrepresent and distort reality by passing off the minority's view as the majority, or the exception as the norm.
with the strident and loud minority online, there is a need for the silent majority to speak up online to redress the imbalance, so that pple do not go away from social media thinking what's said here is the truth/reality. The opposition probably paid a high price for this in the recent election, thinking that the 'majority' of Singaporeans are angry and unhappy with the PAP, based on what they read online....Even some PAP ministers admitted being shaken and have their confidence dented when they encountered the vitriol online....The  minority's voice which goes unchallenged online may be perceived as a fact or the norm....eg, some foreigners have come away thinking that ALL Singaporeans are xenophobic are reading foreigners-bashing posts online. 

But given the double-edged sword of the social media, recognise that this flaw of social media can also be an advantage. If the minority in question here are the marginalized groups whose view often go unnoticed and are neglected by policy-makers, then amplifying their view on social media via the echo chamber effect will help to make others take notice of them. Thus empowered, the govt or relevant parties will be under pressure to address their concerns....

Qn: To what extent can we rely on the media to tell the truth?