Singapore GE2020: The fight for votes hots up as it goes virtual and social

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Singapore's coming general election could well be its first truly Internet election, with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the shift to digital among both voters and candidates seeking to win their support.

Over the past week since the election was called, the online space has been filled with video clips and WhatsApp messages on parties holding dialogues and introducing candidates, as well as an assortment of memes, pictures, cartoons and videos which seek to shape opinions and push messages related to the coming polls.

online election would give smaller, less established parties a boost, since they would have greater reach and more direct access to voters, without the need for intermediaries.

given the new campaign rules and the need for social distancing, all parties have to work around the lack of physical events such as mass rallies and large-scale walkabouts, forcing a greater reliance on digital efforts to connect with voters.

Video recordings also have a long tail and can continue to draw eyeballs even after an event has ended

the WP's videos "may be very nice and very beautiful, people keep sharing it on Facebook and Instagram, but it doesn't necessarily mean voters are voting the WP because the video looks good"

the importance of short and sharp messaging, which better resonates with young people and caters to today's shorter attention spans

parties should not think they have to dumb down their messaging of nuanced issues for voters because it is the Internet. "Quite the opposite. The more controlled the environment, the more able the audience is to absorb complex content. "In a stadium environment, the audience can't absorb any more than headline information because there are so many distractions around them."

But parties still need to find ways to go beyond the Internet, or risk reaching only the tech-savvy portion of the electorate

danger of foreign intervention, such as the use of fake news, trolls, hacks and leaks to sow dissension and cynicism...the Internet has "turbocharged this kind of interference"

the speed at which ground sentiment can gather force, particularly with the viral nature of posts and messages, often anonymously written, that can be forwarded across cyberspace...PAP new face Ivan Lim... became the first casualty of the online election

the importance of balancing voter engagement not just online, but also in traditional media and face-to-face interactions

if a party's platform does not go beyond entertainment, then their message may not prevail when it comes to the crunch

Relate to the impact of social media on politics.