Introduction Media technology is a turbulent, rough and ever-changing ocean of transmissions of information. It is a tsunami that swallows a nation’s political coast and restructures its landscape. Speculations were rife that the new media might surpass the traditional media in terms of the latest political campaigns and strategies. The surge of urgency to garner voters in the GE13 was greater than ever because the digital wave might most possibly cause the greatest change in Malaysian political history. This article does not discuss the political results of the GE 13 but it is confined to the topic of the impact of media technology. Our research will be assessed on several regards such as media effects on political representation, political campaigns, voters’ behaviors and democracy. It is our hope that this article helps you understand the most current form of the political landscape most especially as affected in the virtual world based on past findings, news speculations and research.
Evaluation
Regarding political campaigns
As technology evolves, political campaigns are constantly evolving, as well. A practice that once relied on print advertisement and word of mouth was severely impacted by the radio, a new technology that allowed politicians to reach more potential voters than ever before. Then came the television, which once again redefined the political world. Now, image and appearance would play a major role in political campaigns. Then, just a decade or so ago, the Internet and email marketing revolutionized the way campaigns were run, allowing politicians to quickly and easily reach large numbers of people in a matter of seconds. And today, social media is the new, big thing on the political scene.
Traditional political campaigns have always worked closely with journalists to present a particular image of the candidate. As the politician tend to share information towards voters through a variety of media as newspaper, magazine and also television. They participate in those functions or events and called up a news release in order to build up a good image through the media portray. Even with the rise of new media, campaigns continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars buying air time on television networks to put on campaign advertisements. Television advertisements have been popular because they are an effective way to reach millions of voters at once. Campaign advertisement can either be positive, supporting the views of the particular candidate buying the air time, or negative, deriding the candidate’s opponent. Television campaign ads have been accused of being manipulative, but have been incredibly successful in influencing voter perceptions of the candidates.
In fact, 16.9 million of Malaysia is currently have a profile on a social media site, up from 64.7% in 2011. And with 48% of Malaysian using social media several times a day, it is no wonder that businesses, non-profits, and even politicians have begun to utilize social media.“Political campaign is not just about potential; this is about numbers,” said (Ethelbert Ouano, 2010). Digital media strategies are a crucial component of contemporary political campaigns as many political elites use database and internet technologies to raise money, organize volunteers, gather intelligence on voters and do opposition research. Social media helps politicians more effectively reach large numbers of voters in a short amount of time, because the number of social media users usually surpasses the number or the margin of your victory. Besides that, unlike television, radio, and direct mailers, social media allow a so-called equal political information flow as enable politicians to actively engage with their potential voters and share their beliefs, goals, and accomplishments directly with voters, making them feel more directly involved with the campaign. It also allows politicians to give their supporters a behind-the-scenes view of their campaign and turn digital followers into votes. Meanwhile, social media allows political campaigns to more easily track engagement. “We now track every mention of a Senator, House Representative, or Governor,” said Zachary Green.

In an age of timeliness and demand for information, the media plays a crucial role in informing the public about politics, campaigns and elections. There is a cyclical relationship between the media, the government and the public and while the media can occasionally shape public opinion, it has a greater influence in communicating to voters what issues are important and less of an influence in convincing them what to think about those issues. The media can greatly affect elections by generating attention, whether it is through negative campaigning or through their choice in coverage of a candidate. Negative campaigning, or "comparative advertising", have proven to have the most influence and be the most memorable. Although, lately voters have become turned-off from all the negative campaigning and name-calling, campaign consultants know that voters are still cynical of politicians and will react to any sign of doubt.
The political PR utilize the media to control and manipulate the public opinion in the public sphere that created by media (Philip.N.H, 2004). The media content of political campaigns can sometimes be biased due to media ownership in the country. Initially, the public might have assumed all media are the same until one medium is reportedly guilty of inaccurate or biased news reporting; this has hurt the credibility of all media. In Malaysia, the mainstream media has created such impression among the voters. However, it is nearly impossible for any media to be completely free of biases or subjectivity to certain political allegiances. The media is compelled to make unequal decisions when covering politics as to whom should be interviewed, of whose speech should be quoted and which facts to be omitted and on what perspective should the information be interpreted. Let’s not forget that the social media is swarmed with many political scientists and political activists who are capable to tap on the potential of the new media to fundamentally change the scale of social communication and reform Internet communications. The people advocate for a better public sphere in the new media compared to the old mass media. However, Internet access is restricted since accessibility is low in certain places of Malaysia as contrary to the ideal expectation that everyone can receive the information on level playing field. Therefore, even though the new technology encourages the exchange of services and information, and interactivity which made possible political participation in the public sphere, it is not yet a completely a universal platform.

Regarding representation
Media can definitely build up and reflect the political representation, while the role the mass media plays in promoting political representation is clearly stated, which manipulate the audiences’ mind on what to think about regarding certain political parties or politicians. Besides, the media also influences the public's perception on the viability of a candidate. The various media portrayals are manifested through news reporting, supplementing articles, and political advertisements, resulting in potentially unforgettable reputation and image, like a deep-cut scar that takes long time to disappear.
For instance, in many ways the BN political campaigns invariably covered by mainstream press revolved around the “Pak Lah” factor. This is given that BN has just acquired a new leader prior to general election and there is an urgent need to consciously promote this new leadership. Therefore, Abdullah is made out to be highly newsworthy by BN’s spin doctors. The mainstream media press also nicknamed him as “Pak Lah”, portrayed as being clean, non-confrontational, humble, gentle and affable. In short, he was painted as a people-friendly leader in order to win the heart and votes of the voters. Those campaigns that helped to promote this has intentionally planted in the public imagination that, if “Pak Lah” was elected as the Prime Minister, he would be accountable enough to rule the country for the benefit of all. The “he cares, he knows, he understands” people-friendly image was etched into the compassion of voters.
However, when dissidents challenge the state’s hegemony, the media become a tool for containing dissent. For example, in the wake of the sudden dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir’s deputy, the full weight of the controlled mainstream media’s manipulation fell on Anwar Ibrahim and his followers. The mainstream media deliberately humiliated Anwar as exemplified by the manner in which his street demonstrations and court trials were covered by the media in Malaysia. For instance, in an attempt to smear the image of Anwar, he was allegedly accused of being a Muslim leader who was involved in extramarital affairs including homosexual relations. The media, especially the electronic media constantly flashed images of the living room with a semen-stained mattress that was supposedly used for his sexual trysts. The mattress was literally carried nay, paraded to the court as a piece of incriminating evidence. Additionally, “sodomy”, which was linked to the Anwar trial, became a household word in Muslim-majority Malaysia, due to the repeated use of the term by the mainstream media.