SPECIAL REPORT｜In one of his Instagram photos, Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is shown sitting on the bank of a river near a mosque, wearing traditional Malay clothes and reading a book.

He captioned the shot: “One of the best places to go for a read. Behind Masjid Jamek Sultan Ibrahim. Read a book every week and life will be a lot more colourful.”

More than 5,500 people have tapped the heart icon - the equivalent of Facebook’s “Like” button - below Syed Saddiq’s photo.

When Syed Saddiq mentioned that he was in Muar, his followers replied happily, with comments such as “Oh, that’s my hometown”, and “This is where I grew up”.

Meanwhile, fellow Instagram user Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin appears in a flower-patterned shirt, accompanying his child who is riding a white pony. This photo received a more enthusiastic response, with over 36,500 likes.

Another politician, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah, posts a photo of her mother Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail crouching in front of an open cage, playing with a cat. The PKR president looks lovable, and Instagram users respond by liking the photo over 5,300 times.

Revealing a different side

While some politicians are still uploading formal work photos (for example, such as event launches, shaking hands with constituents) on Facebook or Instagram, some have begun to share posts about their daily lives to attract the...