Polls & Social Media During The Jan 8th Electioneering Process
Dr Ranga Kalansooriya
The role played by the internet and social media during the January 08 Presidential Elections was repeatedly highlighted and widely discussed in many platforms that included both main candidates – Maithripala Sirisenaand Mahinda Rajapaksa – making comments in different tones on its impact on their respective successes and failures.
These discourses based highly on assumptions and hypothesis without in-depth empirical evidence. Of course the internet, mainly the social media was exceedingly active and it sometimes challenged the conventional media by its mere outlook. Noticing this extra-ordinary trend within the media landscape, predominantly the information sharing domain, this writer embarked on a primary survey research exercise two weeks before the elections day with a view to determine the usage of media by the general public during the electioneering process. This exercise precisely was an engagement with the media end-users.
It further intended to ascertain whether media content has impacted the decision of the voters, what was the most impacted media on the public in decision making – if it had done so, what was the most consumed media by the public during the elections period and to determine the public perception on the (ethical) conduct of the media.
The primary results shows that the internet, mainly the social media, is becoming game changer within the paradigm threatening the conventional media in a considerable way.
A structured questionnaire was distributed in Sinhala and Tamil languages among 250 persons in 14 districts and received 176 responses. The sample was randomly selected and the distribution of questionnaire was also conducted on random basis. The random selection was justified as the entire country becomes one single electorate during Presidential Elections.Read More
