Too bad I cant have a say this time because I am under Tanjong Pagar GRC...
Singapore's famous blogger Xiaxue has been very vocal about her support for George Yeo, part of the People's Action Party(PAP).
On the contrary, we have seen a rise in pro-opposition voters in this election, especially among the internet savvy young voters. I have seen internet forum posters(EDMW) switching sides to support blogging rival Dawn Yang just because Xiaxue was pro-PAP and Dawn Yang was more pro-opposition.
You see, politics are a touchy subject. It has the power to make people either really go against you or support you.
Xiaxue's support for George Yeo and the PAP party has no doubt increased the amount of people that don't agree with her.
I applaud Xiaxue for being brave enough to pledge her loyalty to PAP despite the increasing pressure not to, due to certain shortcomings of the PAP government.
But she is a blogger that depends on an internet audience. And as you know, most of the internet is pro- opposition. Should Xiaxue risk losing online audience due to differing political views? Did her vocal support for George Yeo work against George Yeo?
While most products that Xiaxue endorses do well, we can't assure that the political parties Xiaxue endorses will follow suit. Political parties are slightly different from consumer products and needs a different way of convincing people without pissing them off.
Unless Xiaxue's influence level is on the level of Oprah Winfrey's amongst young people. Oprah's audience are okay with her taking sides on political issues. But will Xiaxue's audience feel the same? Do they look upon her as a role model or just a celebrity. That I don't know.
Don't worry. Xiaxue will always have her online traffic. She has been branching out into youtube as well, and that will push her into the worldwide internet scene. She is a successful brand in new media> But if I were in her shoes, I would take the path of politics more carefully.
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