For the first time, more than two dozen of the most-followed Taiwanese YouTubers, who have a combined total of over 20 million subscribers, have appeared in a video to call their fans to action with a message: do not give up your vote in the January elections.
YouTube is a prime source of entertainment for millions of people in Taiwan, and top YouTubers are seen as key influencers with the ability to shape public opinion and change perceptions. A group of 28 YouTubers whose videos span the categories of learning, comedy, gaming, pranks, and lifestyles recently came forward to urge their fans to exercise their right to vote, a privilege only citizens of a free, democratic country are entitled to.
The video was released on Thursday (Dec. 26) with just 15 days remaining until the country's presidential and legislative elections.
At the beginning of the video, Ray (都省瑞), co-founder of popular YouTube channel Ray Du English, which has 2.45 million subscribers, asked viewers what comes to their minds when they mention Taiwan.
Ray's fellow YouTubers provided their answers: "night market," "baseball," "technology," "bubble tea." "democracy," "freedom," and "equality" were the most common answers.
He then reminded viewers that Jan. 11, 2020, is the day of Taiwan's presidential elections and the day its people can freely elect their leader. Zhe of the the Huang Brothers YouTube channel joined in, saying it is a citizen's duty to participate in the decision-making process.
Chang Chih-chi (張志祺), also known as Shasha77, added that Taiwan had arrived at this stage of democracy and freedom thanks to the efforts made by previous generations. Jay Chang echoed Shasha77 by saying that freedom of expression in the country allows people to say essentially whatever they want.
Other popular influencers in the video include Brian Tseng (曾博恩), the 28-year-old standup comedian and host of the Night Night Show; Baichi Princess's Dai Pin-ya (戴平雅); Hanhanpo Video's Tseng Wen-han (曾文翰); and Lyla of I'm Lyla fame.
The video was shared by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on her Facebook fan page the day after its release and has received over one million views in three days.
Source：Taiwan News
