Agentic AI on Social Media Platforms in Southeast Asia: The Need for Governance
Nuurrianti Jalli|Maria Monica Wihardja
As new AI systems continue to develop, there are attendant risks. Southeast Asia needs to up its game by regulating such systems.

Nuurrianti Jalli|Maria Monica Wihardja
As new AI systems continue to develop, there are attendant risks. Southeast Asia needs to up its game by regulating such systems.
Benjamin Y.H. Loh
This Long Read reports findings from a study investigating how Malaysians practise media literacy in a fast-moving and often untrustworthy media landscape. A key finding is that respondents with busy schedules who still want to verify the information they come across, turn to leveraging trusted social networks.
Burhanuddin Muhtadi
Budget cuts have not dented the top-performing governors’ popularity in Indonesia. What’s the secret to their success?
Wang Zheng
The Chinese social media app RedNote has expanded its presence in Southeast Asia, making the region its second-largest market outside mainland China. RedNote, which only has a single global version for both domestic and foreign users, is subject to greater content regulation from the Chinese government than platforms like TikTok and WeChat. Ultimately, RedNote’s ability to grow its regional influence depends on its ability to address regional concerns over whether the app will be exploited by Beijing to propagate its political narratives and influence Southeast Asian netizens.
2025 Top 10
Brandon Tan Jun Wen
Bobby’s satirical skewering of nepotism and corruption strongly appeals to Southeast Asians, who share disillusionment and a desire to laugh at a system seen as unfair and ineffective.
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Nuurrianti Jalli|Angel Martinez
AI-generated propaganda is being used to distort reality and disinform the public, even gathering support for military escalation in already troubled waters.
Tricia Yeoh
Like some other countries, Malaysia intends to ban social media for children and youth under sixteen. However, this sledgehammer of a policy will likely fall short; there are other nuanced options to consider first.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
The unusual turn taken in a social media page run by a Vietnamese police anti-drug unit shows how controlling the conversation through humour can be a useful weapon.
Surachanee Sriyai
In seeking to shape the public information space, some governments have resorted to digital repression. But these instruments come with the danger of overreach.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
Hanoi’s efforts to enlist social media influencers to spread positive narratives risk hurting their credibility, encountering platform pushback, and ultimately backfiring at home and abroad.