QotW8: Adopt a local politician

Blog’s Title: nofearSingapore
Blog’s URL: http://nofearsingapore.blogspot.com/
Blogger’s Name: Huang Shoou Chyuan
Blogger’s Occupation: Citizen blogger,Doctor
Blog’s Date of Birth: May 2006
Technorati rank:


Dr Huang Soou Chyuan who is the proud owner of this blog should be praise and applauded for the way he delivers his views on political isssues. His blog sounded formal, professional, rational, respectful with no holds barred targeted at anyone. He is also an avid contributor to the Singapore Straits Times forums.

Do blogs allow for greater democracy?

Habermas develops the normative notion of the public sphere as a part of social life where citizens can exchange views on matters of importance to the common good, so that public opinion can be formed. This public sphere comes into being when people gather to discuss issues of political concern. (Thornton, 2002)

However, Minister of Communication and Arts, Balaji Sadasiva, announced that blogs and podcasts would be shut down if they ran overt political content in the runup to the May 6 election.(Giam)
So does greater democracy in blogs prevails in Singapore?

I chance upon this blog whose owner is Mark Glaser, a journalist, critic and new media expert. He had an interview with government minister Lee Boon Yang to get more insight into the new rules for blogs and podcasts. Here is what the QnA was about:

Why is streaming of explicit political content through podcasts or videocasts not allow? What is the worry?

The Internet has its own unique characteristics which require special attention. The Internet is, fast and anonymous. Once a false story or rumour is started on the Internet, it is almost impossible to put it right. Despite its usefulness, the Internet is chaotic and disorganised, with many half-truths and untruths masquerading as facts.

To help bring some order to this chaotic environment, we have made it a requirement for political parties and individuals who use websites to propagate or promote political issues to register with the Media Development Authority (MDA). This promotes accountability and also ensures personal responsibility for comments made on the Internet.

What I can conclude here is that blogs do allow for greater democracy if the bloggers are rationale and responsible towards their comments. Bloggers should engage in an intelligent discussion rather than engaging in deliberately provocative comments if they want a better taste of democracy. Like what Dr Huang Soou Chyuan says: This is our only Home. We want to engage society actively and constructively. Only by asking the right questions can we arrive at the correct answers. There is no need for fear as we are only doing what we must.

Citations:

Glaser, M. (February 2007). Singapore tries to squelch Political Blogs, Podcast. Retrieved March 23, 2007, from http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/04/digging_deepersingapore_tries_to_squelch_political_blogs_podcasts.html

Thornton, A. (2002). Does internet create democracy? Retrieved March 23, 2007, http://www.zip.com.au/%7Eathornto/thesis_200

Giam, Gerald (2006). "Review- The politics of Singapore's new media in 2006." Retrieved March 24, 2007, from http://theonlinecitizen.com/2006/12/31/review-the-politics-of-singapores-new-media-in-2006/

QotW6: Privacy, Surveillance, Sousveillance

Definition of privacy

Concerns for privacy were first aroused by Warren and Brandeis, who published their fear of privacy violations through the use of cameras and photographs. They also sparked off further research in this area and their paper became a landmark in privacy research. Their initial definition of privacy was simple, defining privacy to be the “right to be left alone” (Warren and Brandeis, 1890). With technological advances, people come to realize a greater need for privacy. Most notably, with the influx of Internet and Information Technology (IT), information sharing is as easy as the click of a button, making privacy a more crucial problem that requires immediate attention. According to Thomas Mathiesen, in the age of the internet, we are experiencing something that might be called the 'Omnipticon' in which the many are watching the many, even though no one knows precisely who is watching or being watched at any given time.

Dealing with privacy

Let us just review our email inbox. How often do we receive email spam? How many times have we got to submit our personal particulars, bank account numbers or that we need to register ourselves first before getting access to what we want online? According to Giddens, we feel increasing pressure to expose details of our personal lives to strangers in order to win their trust, and we demand that they expose themselves in order to win our trust in return.

One of my experiences dealing with privacy online would be in chat rooms. We are bound to encounter users who asked for our pictures or even phone numbers even after seconds of knowing. So how do I negotiate my privacy? When I find a chat room or forum that matches my interest, I introduce myself with only as much information as I feel comfortable giving. I do not plaster my phone number, address, pictures or any other personal information on the site. Only after I have met someone with whom I truly "click" and have spoken to them for awhile that I have trust in giving in more personal information about myself. Overall, I feel common sense and that "gut feeling" are great indicators for when you feel your privacy is being violated.

As for offline privacy, what strike me first would be the private lives of public figures and celebrities. I feel that media should only watch and report on them if what they are doing is illegal and immoral or if it would affect the nation in a detrimental way. The media should leave alone issues that are private and personal to public figures and celebrities. After all, they are human beings just like us. We just wish to be on our own, unwatched and respected.

Citations

Rosen, J. (July, 2004). The Naked Crowd. Retrieved March 7, 2007, from
http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm

Federal Trade Commision. (2003). Privacy Online. Retrieved March 7, 2007, from
http://www.shopping-online-guide.com/Privacy%20Online.htm

Warren, S.D.,Brandeis, L.D. (1999). The Right to Privacy. Retrieved March 7, 2007, from http://www.lawrence.edu/fast/boardmaw/Privacy_brand_warr2.html