GE14: Big data ultimate weapon to understand voters sentiment
KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Bernama) -- The use of the Big Data Analytics (BDA) technology can be the ultimate weapon for political parties to understand voters´ sentiment or choice in the 14th General Election (GE14), according to a Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) political lecturer.
Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said through the technology, data on specific habits or traits of individuals would be analysed to facilitate political parties to understand their target voters.
Through the understanding of the data, political parties can formulate policies or the specific manifesto that voters want as well as influence preconceived views of voters against a particular political party.
According to him, the data is usually obtained through telephone calls, social media or surveys conducted by going down to the ground.
"Online sales companies are also using BDA's approach to track habits and interests of social media users especially on Facebook or Twitter to identify their target customers, " he said at the Media and Communications Forum ahead of GE14 organised by the Malaysian Press Institute here, today.
Mohd Azizuddin said the use of data in understanding the pattern of voters was not a new thing just that the approach has become more popular over the years, even United States President Donald Trump was reported to have used this approach in the presidential election.
"The question now is how do we get the data, and there is a legal aspect here where we cannot retrieve data without the owner´s knowledge, " he said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) Strategic Communications Centre director, Dr Mohd Faizal Kasmani said in GE14, politicians needed to bring a more relaxed and less serious image in posting political-related information on social media.
He said, notes on hobbies and preferred leisure activities of politicians for example, would attract followers, especially young people.
If we look at all the casual notes like jokes or pictures of cats for example, these will get 20 times more retweets, likes and comments. The way politicians present themselves is important.
"Information relating to politics should also be made casually, if can politicians must give the personal touch by writing on their own rather than others (officers) writing on their behalf, because the social media is more personal, followers want something personal and non-formal, " he added.
-- BERNAMA
