Internet and Social Media in Malaysia: Development, Challenges and Potentials

Abstract

The penetration of the Internet and social media has helped Malaysia abreast with the other developed countries. Nonetheless, being a multicultural country, Malaysia has to ensure her multiracial population lives in harmony and peace. This happens with the integrated help of media control and regulations exercise in Malaysia: the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), Film Censorship Act, Broadcasting Act, Communication and Multimedia Act (CMA), and media ownership control. Many researches have been conducted pertaining to the Internet and social media that have been published locally in line with the development of the Internet and social media in Malaysia. Similarly, new media is also subjected to being controlled through methods such as controlling the Internet, blocking and filtering, and content removal. The chapter also looks into the impact of the Internet and social media on civil society, thus creating a momentum to promote toward giving suggestions for future research involving not only theories but also models using more sophisticated analyses. More research can be done and the future of research is bright. Other areas that can be looked at are the impacts of the Internet and social media on the young populace of the nation.

Health Information Engagement Factors in Malaysia: A Content Analysis of Facebook Use by the Ministry of Health in 2016 and 2017

“…However, there were mixed findings from previous studies to support the hypothesis [7,33,43]. A possible explanation for these results may be the restriction of social media usage in the workplace and slow Internet connections due to massive Internet access rates during office hours in Malaysia [41]. These factors have contributed to the low prevalence of morning posts and poor engagement rates during office hours.…”

“…There is a need for a discussion regarding the viability and necessity of health organizations in Malaysia utilizing social media to improve public health activities. Published literature and local surveys have discovered increasing trends of online health-seeking behavior among the public [11,40,41]. As demands for online health information are increasing rapidly, health organizations should optimize their social media accounts and provide more evidence-based health information to internet users.…”

Mainstream and nonmainstream media in Malaysia: Does lack of credibility lead to displacement?

“…And conversely, when they regard mainstream media as less credible, then their use of alternative media will increase. Other research has shown an increase in the use of internet for information-gathering among Malaysians (Leong, 2015; Muhamad, 2011; Wok & Mohamed, 2017), a phenomenon which can be linked to the mainstream media’s lack of credibility. On the contrary, we found that mainstream media would not displace alternative media even if the latter were perceived as less credible than the former.…”

“…In addition, media laws such as the Printing Press Act 1984 and Broadcasting Act 1987 limit political discussions in that news or stories deemed derogatory or overly critical of the government may not be published. These practices of control and monitoring have curbed press freedom (Sani, 2009; Wok & Mohamed, 2017).…”

Instagram and Political Storytelling among Malaysian Politicians during the 14th General Election

“…The Barisan Nasional government's strict control over the freedom of speech and expression also helped it maintain its political power. Opposition and dissenting voices are usually silenced through laws, media ownerships and political intimidations (Wok & Mohamed, 2017). Only the government or entities that are close to the government are given media licenses.…”