Social Media Civic Activism During COVID-19: Content and Sentiment Analysis of Malaysia’s Food Bank Campaign
Article
Abstract
This paper examines the role of the Food Bank Campaign as civic activism during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on strategic communication through social media by Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia. Using content analysis of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts, along with interviews, the study explores how different communication strategies affected public engagement. In addition, sentiment analysis was conducted using the Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner (VADER) tool to assess the emotional tone of audience responses across platforms. Grounded in Framing Theory, PR Excellence Theory, and Strategic Communication Theory, the study highlights the importance of two-way communication in building lasting relationships with stakeholders. Findings show that engagement levels varied based on message content, visuals, and the parties involved, with grassroots communities and corporate partners playing key roles. However, gaps in responding to underprivileged communities’ inquiries were identified. The paper underscores the importance of interactive, two-way communication in fostering long-term relationships with stakeholders, offering practical insights for NGOs on how to effectively use social media for civic activism both during and after crises.
Abstrak
Artikel ini mengkaji peranan Kempen Food Bank sebagai satu bentuk aktivisme sivik semasa pandemik COVID-19, dengan memberi tumpuan kepada komunikasi strategik melalui media sosial oleh Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia. Dengan menggunakan analisis kandungan terhadap hantaran di Facebook, Instagram dan Twitter, serta temu bual, kajian ini meneliti bagaimana strategi komunikasi yang berbeza mempengaruhi penglibatan awam. Selain itu, analisis sentimen turut dijalankan menggunakan alat Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner (VADER) bagi menilai nada emosi respons khalayak merentas platform. Berpandukan Teori Pembingkaian, Teori Kecemerlangan Perhubungan Awam dan Teori Komunikasi Strategik, kajian ini menekankan kepentingan komunikasi dua hala dalam membina hubungan yang berterusan dengan pihak berkepentingan. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa tahap penglibatan berbeza berdasarkan kandungan mesej, visual dan pihak yang terlibat, dengan komuniti akar umbi dan rakan korporat memainkan peranan penting. Walau bagaimanapun, jurang dalam memberikan respons terhadap pertanyaan komuniti kurang berkemampuan turut dikenal pasti. Artikel ini menegaskan kepentingan komunikasi dua hala yang interaktif dalam memupuk hubungan jangka panjang dengan pihak berkepentingan, di samping menawarkan panduan praktikal kepada NGO tentang cara menggunakan media sosial secara berkesan untuk aktivisme sivik, sama ada semasa mahupun selepas krisis.
Voltes V’s Legacy in Bilateral Relations Between Japan and the Philippines
Article
The Japanese animation Voltes V enjoys a huge following in the Philippines, so much so that the show has been used by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines as a means to invite online engagement. Using Mahiwo’s meta-nation state relations concept, this study looks at all posts published by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines on Facebook, and by former ambassador of Japan to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa on X (formerly Twitter) throughout his term regarding the animation show and its live-action Philippine television adaptation, Voltes V: Legacy. In doing so, this study establishes the production itself as valid junction and important interaction point between both countries.
Interrogating the scientific and ethical rigor of “kalye” surveys
Article
As our contribution to Plaridel’s 20th anniversary, our paper focuses on the UP College of Mass Communication’s media and information literacy agenda, specifically highlighting the literacy required when engaging with surveys as social media content. In particular, our attention has been drawn to election-related kalye surveys that surfaced as popular local YouTube content eight months prior to the conduct of the May 2022 Philippine general elections. Kalye surveys (from the Filipino word “kalye”, or street) refer to person-on-the-street interviews about respondents’ electoral preferences while being filmed for live streaming or eventual uploading.
Grounding our analytical framework on the principles of valid, reliable, and ethical social science research, our analysis of 49 videos uncovered how YouTube content creators have exploited the scientific practice of survey research for partisan purposes by disregarding scientific and ethical rigor as they claimed to present themselves with authenticity. We conclude with a call for vigilance against movements that exploit scientific practices in forwarding partisan agenda, noting that kalye surveys are a part of the growing ecosystem of political information disorder in the Philippines.
Slow fashion communication on social media: Educating consumers through rational content in Indonesia and Malaysia
Article
Amid the inadequate communication studies on slow fashion, this study examines slow fashion communication on social media, with a focus on a content analysis of two slow fashion Instagram accounts in Indonesia and Malaysia, namely @setali.indonesia and @klothcircularity. The data was collected from 1,029 posts containing slow fashion content from January 2020 to December 2022. The study found that communicating slow fashion on social media is predominantly through rational content conveying consumer education issues. The two accounts’ main objective is disseminating information and raising awareness about slow fashion lifestyles. The affordance of Instagram in connecting people through shared content in real-time can be a remarkable educational tool for sharing knowledge about slow fashion. The study’s results will contribute to media and sustainability communication studies, highlighting the role of social media content in communicating about sustainability.
Exploring a state college’s dialogic strategies and public engagement on Facebook
Article
Technological advances influence the way organizations communicate and build relations with the public. Previous studies have explored digital dialogic communication in different organizational contexts; however, there is a paucity of studies that focus on dialogic communication in public institutions. This current study extends the investigation of online relationship building by exploring how a state college uses Facebook to facilitate dialogic communication with stakeholders. Through quantitative content analysis and key informant interviews, a complete enumeration of Facebook posts from January to December 2020 examined the use of dialogic features within the Facebook profile as well as in-depth interviews with the directors, office heads, and stakeholders. Results showed that the state college used a variety of dialogic internet principles on Facebook. Yet, one-way strategies were still more commonly used. The principle of conservation of visitors and organizational engagement for creating an online dialogue enhances public engagement outcomes of users’ reactions, likes, shares, and comments. Moreover, findings from qualitative data demonstrate that a state college relied on social media more to disseminate information rather than a dialogic and interactive medium for governance.
Social media, political efficacy and political participation in Nigeria
Article
The role of social media in influencing political thinking, perception, and participation is becoming increasingly important, as evident in the volume of research the topic has attracted. This article presents findings on social media, political efficacy, and political participation in Nigeria. The objective is to evaluate the relationship between social media and political efficacy; social media and political participation; and political efficacy and political participation in Nigeria. To this end, the study adopted a web survey design for sample participants across the country, using links distributed through Facebook and Twitter. Snowball sampling was adopted to determine the total number of respondents (N = 3,407). The results of the descriptive statistics and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient yielded evidence that the majority of social media users in Nigeria are male, young, educated and largely unemployed . It concludes that social media influences political efficacy and political participation in Nigeria.
Female entrepreneurship and social capital: Exploring the relationship between social connection and women-owned social media-based businesses in Bangladesh
Article
Businesswomen in Bangladesh are using social media to do business from their homes, in support of their financial development. Social capital theory is applied to investigate the role that family and other close and external networks play in conducting business through social media. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 businesswomen to understand why they chose social media for their business, and to identify the type of support they got from their social connections and the hurdles they encountered. Content analysis examined their Facebook and Instagram pages for two weeks to understand the support that their external networks provided. This study finds that family and other close networks encouraged women entrepreneurs with loans, free labour, and product promotions that contributed in building and sustaining the businesses, while external networks helped with more formal or institutional support. Meanwhile, customers provided intangible support that encouraged the businesswomen to start, survive, and succeed.
Social media as a medium for preventing radicalization (A case study of an Indonesian youth community’s counter-radicalization initiatives on Instagram)
Article
This paper explores how an Indonesian national youth community uses social media as a radicalization prevention medium. In this paper, the Indonesian youth community’s applied online interventions are explored and evaluated through a mixed-method approach, using a qualitative case study and visual content analysis. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews and analyzed visual content outputs, focusing on the social media strategy enacted to create counter-radicalization narratives, and measuring social media engagement rates as a means of evaluating that strategy. This paper extends existing counter-radicalization studies by adding insights on how youth community-based social media initiatives could contribute as a non-coercive approach in combating radicalization.
