Stronger social media influence in the 2025 Sabah elections – Ch'ng

12 Jun 2025

KOTA KINABALU: Social media platforms have profound influence on how voters look at the contesting parties and candidates as well as issues “close to their heart”, says former chief editor of New Sabah Times Ch'ng Boon Heng.

He said apart from visiting villages to hold “ceramahs”, political parties and their candidates will use social media to “communicate” with voters to garner their support.

Ch'ng opined the use of traditional media may continue, but the dissemination of information is slower, hence less effective.

However, he said the media will continue to have a salutary effect on how the voters think.

"In this day and age, we rely very much on social media as a source of information, but the people must be warned against sermonising about what they 'see or hear' without first verifying the facts.

"Keep a wary eye on fake and misleading information," he said.

Ch'ng was commenting on the significant role of social media in the dissemination of information in conjunction with this year's National Press Day.

He asserted that social media is an indispensable and effective tool to shape public opinions, as it enables users to share their opinions freely.

"It has changed the way we communicate and share opinions and undoubtedly has become an integral part of our lives," he added.