“It is interesting that VMRO-DPMNE has lost the battle on the Internet in the last several years. Despite the investment they made, building an army of bots, on fake websites and fake profiles on Facebook and Twitter…, in the end, however, to be defeated in that area”, says Saso Ordanoski, expert of CIVIL – Center for Freedom.
He considers that the social media had a big role in the democratic turn in Macedonia, especially when VMRO-DPMNE de facto controlled 90 percent of the traditional media.
“After the shutting down of most of the media and the change in the ‘editorial’ policy of key national television stations, primarily of TV Sitel and TV Kanal 5, who tried to return to somewhat more balanced frameworks, even though I believe they are more scandalous television stations, VMRO-DPMNE was left without that support of the traditional media, and afterwards, it also got stranded in the social networks”, outlined Ordanoski.
He stresses that social networks are necessary for the spreading of messages, but that they are also used for spreading hate speech, forgery, extremisms…
“I think that the wave of election victory at these local elections was so strong for the Social Democratic Union and for that big coalition that even if VMRO-DPMNE were better in the sphere of social networks, they would have still lost with a similar result”, adds Ordanoski.
He is decisive that a big part of the political struggle, the democratic exchange of views, opinions, debates…, has moved to the social media and the Internet, and all those who will take this seriously (will) have benefits that are obvious.
“I repeat once again, the social media are a ‘dangerous’ phenomenon, because there, all information and facts are suppressed, and they deal with fake news, with perceptions, with various distortions and much hatred that is spread, both individually in the form of slander and insult, and as hate speech towards entire communities, regardless of whether they are cultural, ethnic, sexual, linguistic…But this is the outcome, VMRO-DPMNE lost the battle”, said Ordanoski.
Text and camera: Dehran Muratov
Editing: Маја Ivanovska
