SINGAPORE — In the past week, presidential hopeful Ng Kok Song had lunch with social media influencers such as Luke Chan and Jade Rasif, while fellow candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam learnt to dance from the viral mascot “Douyin Frog” that has been roaming around Singapore.
Meanwhile in the household of Mr George Goh, the children said he was a better driver and singer than his wife but also the bigger nag, and Mr Tan Kin Lian talked to a podcaster about why he does not drive a Maserati or Bugatti.
And while this is not the first Presidential Election to take place since the advent of social media, analysts said the social media landscape has changed so much since the last contested election in 2011 or even 2017, that it is a whole new ball game for candidates, offering them new opportunities but also fresh challenges.Screengrabs from the TikTok accounts of Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr George Goh.
The team also gives him immediate feedback on what online users are saying about his latest media appearances and social media posts. Similarly, Mr Goh’s media team told TODAY that social media is an integral part of the 63-year-old businessman’s campaign. “Many people view the President’s role as largely ceremonial. Mr George Goh would like to shift this perception,” the team said.making a bid for President. The 75-year-old said he can see a “vast difference” in the social media landscape since 2011, when the main platforms candidates used were Facebook and Blogger.
“I hope that they will not find it irritating. Perhaps, they can just ignore the messages that they are not interested in,” he said.Screengrabs from the TikTok accounts of Mr Ng Kok Song and Mr Tan Kin Lian.The plethora of social media apps is indeed a challenge, analysts noted. Some of the candidates’ attempts to engage social media users have attracted their fair share of critics, for example those calling their efforts “wayang”, a Singlish term meaning that someone is putting on a show. But many other netizens have expressed support and encouragement too.
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