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19 Aug 2021

Najib Razak: Bestriding Social Media Like a ‘Bossku’

Clarissa Ai Ling Lee|Amirul Adli Rosli

The former Malaysian prime minister has become a social media juggernaut. Yet, he has also become the butt of jokes and memes online.

19 Aug 2021

Digital Islam in Indonesia: The Shift of Ritual and Religiosity during Covid-19

Wahyudi Akmaliah|Ahmad Najib Burhani

Covid-19 has forced various Muslim groups to adopt digital platforms in their religious activities. Controversy, however, abounds regarding the online version of the Friday Prayer. In Islamic law, this ritual is wajib (mandatory) for male Muslims.

Indonesia Islam Religion Social Media

13 Aug 2021

Digital Convergence and Militant Crosspollination in Indonesia

Quinton Temby

A social media analysis of Indonesian salafi-jihadi and opposition Islamist chat groups indicates early but significant signs of crosspollination between both communities. As continuing government crackdowns drive both the violent jihadi and Islamist opposition groups into the virtual underground, there is a risk that the resultant crosspollination of both groups could push non-violent opposition activists into violent extremism.

Indonesia Islam Islamist Groups Social Media Technology

29 Jul 2021

Land of Smiles Riven by New Political Faultlines

Punchada Sirivunnabood

Seven years after the 2014 coup, Thailand is seeing a new political divide along generational and ideological lines.

Social Media Thai Politics Thailand

9 Jul 2021

K-pop Activism: A Potent Political Force

Dorcas Gan

K-pop activism is a growing phenomenon in Southeast Asia, serving as an alternative means of political mobilisation and expression among tech-savvy youth.

Indonesia K-pop Myanmar Social Media Technology Thailand

23 Jun 2021

Tracking the Swelling COVID-19 Vaccine Chatter on TikTok in Indonesia

Yatun Sastramidjaja|Amirul Adli Rosli

On Indonesian TikTok, anti-vaccine messages are often mixed with global Covid-19 conspiracy theories and merged with domestic anti-government and anti-Chinese sentiments. They are also typically couched in religious discourse and spread by religious micro-influencers.

COVID-19 Indonesia Social Media

23 Jun 2021

Thailand’s War Against Fake News: Another Attempt to Curtail Media Freedom?

Mark S. Cogan

The Thai government’s renewed efforts to counter fake news related to the Covid-19 pandemic has fuelled speculation that it is seeking to further limit the freedom of expression and media freedom in the kingdom.

ASEAN COVID-19 India Social Media Thailand

8 Jun 2021

Scholarly or Trendy? The Declining Influence of Malaysian Muftis and the Emergence of Popular Preachers

Norshahril Saat|Nur Syafiqah Mohd Taufek

The growing popularity of media savvy celebrity preachers – not all of whom are theologically well-trained – could erode the quality of Islamic discourse in the longer term.

Islam Malaysia Religion Social Media

3 Jun 2021

New Call Among Thai Youth: Let’s Move Out

Wichuta Teeratanabodee

Recent developments on Thai social media underscore a growing shift in sentiments in segments of the Thai pro-democracy movement. Instead of pressing for political change, they have displayed a growing — and worrying — sense of hopelessness.

Social Media Thai Politics Thailand

28 Apr 2021

Placate the Young and Control Online Discourse: The Vietnamese State’s Tightrope

Dien Nguyen An Luong

A key challenge for Vietnam is to control cyberspace without alienating growing numbers of Internet-savvy youths. Unlike China, Vietnam has not been able to muster enough political and technological resources to craft sophisticated campaigns to boost youth nationalism. The gap is even more pronounced online.

Communist Party of Vietnam Social Media Vietnam Vietnamese Politics