On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, a general lecture was held at Pascasarjana Auditorium, Faculty of Communication Science Universitas Padjadjaran. Prof. Merlyna Lim, P.hD., who wrote the book titled “Social media and Politics in Southeast Asia” published by Cambridge University Press in 2024, gave a lecture about her latest study. Dr. Evie Ariadne Shinta Dewi, M.Pd., a Communication Science lecturer, moderated the general lecture attended by all Communication Science students, from class of 2022 to 2024.
Merlyna explained that she wrote the result of her study in 6 main chapters of the book: Introduction, Mapping the Train, Revealing the Tapestry, Dynamics of Dissent, Bytes and Ballots, and Concluding Remarks. From the study, Merlyna found several new terms, such as Affective Binary Framework, and Algorithmic White Branding. The general lecture was enlivened with the question and answer session with the audience. Students asked their questions about the impact as well as the steps to deal with the negative impact of social media algorithms. This general lecture raised students’ curiosities in social media algorithms and politics. Furthermore, it provides a better understanding of how social media algorithms affect political ideology, and guides us to adjust positively. (Ed).