Social media communications on migrants’ entrepreneurship during COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia / Farhana Izzati Yaheya

Farhana Izzati , Yaheya (2024) Social media communications on migrants’ entrepreneurship during COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia / Farhana Izzati Yaheya. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

The transformation of migrant workers into migrant entrepreneurs is now being a common sighting. Migrant enterprises operate in various locations, such as wet markets, grocery stores, night markets, and restaurants. This issue is interesting to study, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic due to heightened stigmatisation towards migrants observed on social media. This research aims to evaluate social media opinions and perceptions associated with migrants’ entrepreneurship. Social media is a powerful tool to change people’s perceptions and reactions towards any issue or group. A subject or event such as migrants’ entrepreneurship can trigger many other chain actions and reactions from the public and authorities. Social media opinions were gathered to identify and classify public perceptions of who migrant entrepreneurs are, what types of businesses they conduct, and where their business locations are. This study will also evaluate and analyse social media reactions in the local context, environment, and period. Social media comments were captured to observe public perception towards migrants’ entrepreneurship in the COVID-19 environment. The observation was conducted on eight official government agencies’ Facebook pages, with 218 Facebook posts related to migrants’ entrepreneurship to collect data in netnography. Common themes captured in the comments related to COVID-19 shaped public opinions on the topic. Migrants’ entrepreneurship competes with the local markets when operating in businesses not allowed for foreigners. Migrant enterprises received adverse reactions on social media despite being frequented by locals during movement control orders. Negative comments and hostility are common towards migrants in the digital world. Even the authorities who are in charge of governing migrant workers and small traders/ enterprises could not escape the backlash from social media users due to their lack of actions in managing migrants’ involvement in business. Improvements in migrants’ entrepreneurship governance are needed. Practically, by controlling unlicensed businesses, license rentals, pass abusers and PATI in the country, which are the reasons behind the transformation of migrant workers into migrant entrepreneurs—specifically, loopholes in the legislation and unproductive enforcement actions. The impacts of corruption and abuse of power have created other issues, such as the improper governance of migrant workers in Malaysia. Social media can shape public opinion towards a subject. However, it can also help create a good image for government authorities.

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