In the latest development of Sri Lanka’s presidential race, reliable sources have revealed that candidates are investing enormous sums into social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and other channels. Notably, the ruling coalition led by President Wickremesinghe is alleged to be investing vast amounts of money into these channels.
Sources reveal that substantial funds have been allocated to Facebook page operators affiliated with local parties to spearhead character assassination campaigns against Sajith Premadasa, leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. An insider revealed that the owners of the YakkuTalks and Bro facebook profiles received initial payments of 6 million rupees and 4 million rupees, respectively, to target Premadasa. Despite these substantial expenditures, the effectiveness of the campaign has reportedly been minimal.
President Wickremesinghe’s communication strategy appears to be faltering, focusing more on criticising his rivals rather than countering their strategic use of social media.
In contrast, Sajith Premadasa has invested significantly in Jasmin Media (Pvt) Ltd, a lesser-known company, and is a prominent spender on Google AdSense. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, another presidential hopeful, is also heavily investing in Google AdSense and various social media advertising platforms. The name of his advertiser for Google AdSense is Gihan Buddhika Weerasundara.
