Social Media
The Pacific Covid-19 Infodemic
November 18, 2020
Publication
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed dangerous vulnerabilities in the Pacific’s digital information ecosystems, as well as great opportunities to use the internet to deliver access to information. Despite noteworthy initiatives by the region’s governments and civil societies to communicate with citizens through the internet and social media, a spate… Read more
Violent Conflict, Tech Companies, and Social Media in Southeast Asia
October 28, 2020
Publication
Online spaces are the new frontier of conflict and violence in Southeast Asia. With the rapid spread of mobile broadband, inexpensive smartphones, online social networks, and messaging applications, the internet has become an important space for civic dialogue as well as more harmful behavior. Violent groups and movements use digital tools to recru… Read more
Social Entrepreneur on Why Data Can Help Bridge Political Chasm in Bangladesh
August 9, 2017
Blog Post
It is now apparent that the age of social media has transformed public consciousness of important events. Most recently, “fake news” and other streams of misinformation spread via social media have been blamed for exacerbating a highly polarized political climate in the United States, and further impeding productive civic engagement. This phenomeno… Read more
Is Timor-Leste Ready for an Issues-Based Election?
March 29, 2017
Blog Post
On March 20, the people of Timor-Leste cast their vote for a new president—the fourth time since 2002 and the first without a UN peacekeeping presence—with former independence leader and Fretilin party head, Francisco “Lú-Olo” Guterres, securing 57 percent of the votes. Then president Taur Matan Ruak shows his ballot as he prepares to vote for the… Read more
A Great Leap Forward? Mobile Internet for the Next Generation in Cambodia
October 19, 2016
Blog Post
This month, the global coffee giant, Starbucks, expanded its operations in Cambodia with a shiny new 7,000 square feet, two-story shop in the capital, Phnom Penh, just one year after entering the country—now one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This may lead some to ask: what is one of the largest Starbucks in Southeast Asia doing in… Read more
Facebook and Politics in Cambodia: Not All ‘Likes’ Are the Same
October 5, 2016
Blog Post
Following the surprising outcome to Cambodia’s 2013 general election, when the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) lost 22 seats at the National Assembly, Prime Minister Hun Sen pushed members of his government to take reform more seriously in order to secure popular support for the forthcoming 2017 commune and 2018 general elections. Not surpris… Read more
Breaking Down Silos of ‘Innovation for Development’
May 4, 2016
Blog Post
Innovation is a tricky word to define. It has a whiff of excitement as well as – increasingly –inevitability, since technology is coloring our work and our lives. Development partners are adapting to explore the enormous potential of information and communication technologies. This, in turn, is introducing new actors, partnerships, approaches – suc… Read more
Social Media: A Game Changer in Philippine Elections
April 27, 2016
Blog Post
Less than two weeks before May 9 presidential elections in the Philippines, it is still anyone’s ballgame and no one knows who will emerge as the frontrunner. With such a tightly contested race, it is bound to be a “last two minutes” kind of game, with each candidate scrambling to make the winning shot. How exactly will the candidates swing the vot… Read more
The Rise of Smart Phones in Cambodia Challenges Social Norms
December 16, 2015
Blog Post
According to a new study, nearly 100 percent of Cambodians now own a mobile phone. In what is perhaps an even more significant trend, as a subset of mobile phones, smart phone ownership grew by 41 percent in the past year.
New Economic and Social Landscape in Cambodia Attracts More Users to the Internet
January 21, 2015
Blog Post
In 2014, internet usage in Cambodia grew at a rate of 42.7 percent, according to a report released by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications last year. This sharp growth rate is being driven by an increasingly dominant youth demographic that aspires to connect to each other…
Youth Essential to Future Sustainable Development in Cambodia
September 3, 2014
Blog Post
Despite a remarkable economic growth average of 7.9 percent in Cambodia over the last decade, and a drop in the poverty rate from 53 percent in 2004) to 20.5 percent in 2011, experts at the first Enrich Forum on Sustainable Development 2014 held on August 23 in Phnom Penh raised important questions about what makes such growth sustainable.
After a Lively Election, What’s Next for Indonesia’s Mobilized Civil Society?
August 13, 2014
Blog Post
Just weeks after election results declared former Jakarta governor Joko Widodo (“Jokowi”) as Indonesia’s presidential front-runner, the president-elect’s team of volunteers announced that he would be crowdsourcing his cabinet. Through an online survey, anyone can choose…
Indonesian Election: Picking up the Pieces From a Toxic Campaign
July 9, 2014
Blog Post
After being inundated by months of campaigning, it now looks like it will be some time before Indonesian electors can come up for air and focus on repairing some of the damage of a divisive election season. Indonesia has witnessed the tightest and most polarized presidential election in the democratic era…
Media Campaign Ignites Push for Local Elections in Pakistan
July 9, 2014
Blog Post
There is much talk these days in Pakistan about democracy. Just over a year since national elections marked the first transition in the country’s history from one democratically elected federal government to another, some are already calling for new elections for reasons ranging from alleged malpractice at the 2013 polls…
Decoding India’s Historic Election Results
May 21, 2014
Blog Post
Nearly two months, 930,000 poll booths, 1.7 million voting machines, and over 500 million voters later, India’s marathon election concluded last Friday. Across the country, people were glued to their TVs as the results began to come in. By the evening, the outcome was clear – the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), in opposition for the last 10 years, had won a landslide victory. Capturing a staggering 284 out of 543 parliamentary seats, this is the first time in India’s independent history that a non-Congress party has won a clear majority in the lower house of parliament. On May 26, chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat and BJP leader, Narendra Modi, will be sworn in as India’s 14th prime minister.
Rise of Social Media Transforms Philanthropy in China
April 30, 2014
Blog Post
In 2011, renowned investigative journalist Deng Fei went on a reporting trip to Guizhou province, a remote area in southwestern China, where he visited rural schools and spoke with students and teachers. He came away shocked that many schools did not provide lunch…
India’s Youth in the World’s Biggest Election
April 9, 2014
Blog Post
Election fever is at an all-time high in India as polling for the 16th general elections began on Monday. In sheer numbers, the election is the largest in the world, with 814 million people registered to vote for 543 representatives of the lower house of parliament at nearly a million polling stations between April 7 and May 12.
Draft Media Bill Threatens Press Freedom in Timor-Leste
March 19, 2014
Blog Post
Google “newest democracy” and you are likely to find the young island nation of Timor-Leste among the top hits. Do the same for “media censorship,” however, and the top results are of nations not exactly known for promoting democratic values such as Russia and China. However, right now, Timor-Leste’s national parliament…