Examining the role of visuals in influencing participation in social movements: a case study of Malaysia

The use of visuals has become increasingly prevalent in a variety of domains, including design and social media. While it is known that visuals can be manipulated for sentiment persuasion in the context of social movements, there has been limited scientific investigation into the role of visuals within such movements. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining the influence of visuals on sentiment within a social movement platform. Specifically, the research utilizes a qualitative analysis of select postings from the official Facebook page of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH), one of the largest recorded social movement protests in Malaysia, as well as in-depth interviews with nine informants. The findings of this study revealed that anger is the most prominent theme present in the visuals, with additional emotions such as empathy and pride also present.