Speaking to FMT, Fahri Azzat said social media had a way of encouraging people to say what they ordinarily would not say. In the heat of the moment, they might defame someone and there would be plenty of witnesses, he added.
“Social media, whether it’s Facebook Live, Instagram or Twitter, give you opportunities for revelations and you are tempted to give in to an impulse to say things you wouldn’t ordinarily say,” he said.
He singled out Facebook Life as particularly dangerous, noting that it has no “element of delay”.
“On Twitter, you still have to type what you want to say and press a button. On Instagram, if you want to put up a picture, you have to choose whether or not you want to put up a filter.
“With Facebook Live, there is no distance between the moment that you want to do something and the moment that it’s done. That’s why it’s dangerous, especially if you’re in an environment which is not in your control.”
The medium has lately become popular with politicians.
For example, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli used Facebook Live to claim that Barisan Nasional figures in Sabah and Sarawak would jump ship if Pakatan Harapan managed to win 100 seats. Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, now the opposition coalition’s chairman, used the medium to defend his treatment of PH de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in 1998.
Umno acting deputy president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also went on Facebook Live to allege that DAP owed its victory in Raub in the last general election to its exploitation of racial sentiments by fielding a Malay candidate.
Fahri advised politicians to treat Facebook Live just like they would press conferences, but he added that press conferences were a much safer way to express opinions and give out statements.
“I think we are in a period of great change in terms of how politics is played and how policy decision-making is broadcast,” he said.
“Politicians have to be very careful. It’s important to remember that communication tools are meant to clarify your position or state your policies. If you suddenly shoot off a remark that can be misinterpreted, you create more damage than help.”