Gendered Disinformation and Election Campaigning: A Malaysia Case Study

Disinformation is a grave challenge for democracy in the digital era. Using the testimony from female candidates in Malaysia's 2022 elections, this article sheds light on an understudied aspect of disinformation—the role of election-based gendered disinformation. While our focus is Malaysia, a country long-known for the dominance of geriatric male leadership, the findings show that female candidates face growing challenges of gendered disinformation online which hinders their ability to campaign effectively. Policy solutions lie in political parties putting more resources towards assisting female candidates during an election campaign to help them navigate this disinformation-driven online landscape. Tech companies also need to be held accountable for the role their platforms play in adding to the already numerous challenges female candidates face in a contemporary election campaign. Ultimately, it is the online spaces they are creating and moderating that are becoming havens for misogynistic content.