Malaysian Youth and Social Media Political Activism

Abstract

This article explains the content of youth political activism in Malaysia by using digital media, especially social media that has been popular in the past two decades to the present. The causes of the conflict in Malaysia came from the colonial policy that separates various ethnic groups in Malaysia from each other leading to division. While ethnic Malay Muslims are the ones that benefit the most from the Malaysian government's policies. These inequalities causing youth to come out of political movements to look for change. When online media emerged Malaysian youths use media to search for information, share, and disseminate news, particularly in the post-2007 era where social media is being used to mobilize supporters and demand changes. Nonetheless, youths are often arrested for such rallies. When the outbreak of COVID-19 occurred, youth were angry at the government's inability to manage well and the corruption by high-ranking politicians. Depression caused youth to experience unemployment, economic problems, inequality, ethnic conflicts, and others, leading to political movements in 2021. For the current Malaysian government, youth are encouraged to participate in the development of the country by using social media. And there are also trainings on how to use media responsibly through government programs. However, it is still difficult for young people to come out and move freely in politics because there are still sensitive issues such as race and religion that cannot be touched. Besides, most young Malays continue to support policies that benefit ethnic Malay Muslims. As a result, Malaysian youth political activism remains unable to demand equality for the country's minorities.