Blogscapes

Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi admitted that he underestimated the power of the Internet in garnering political support, in the follow-up to the biggest loss of political power for the ruling party of Malaysia. He felt that this was a costly mistake and that his party had lost the Internet war.

Due to being ignored by mainstream media, the opposition parties took their campaigning online through blogs and websites.

The recent elections in Malaysia show how the Internet could be galvanised as a political tool. “The Internet definitely played a role in getting young people to vote,” said 25-year-old Michelle Gunaselan, a founding member of online electoral education group VotED. Many young people are now generally more hopeful about their political future, and more interested in the politics of the land, given the Internet’s ability to engage them.

The ruling party is now more open to bloggers and also using new media to reach out to the masses. However, some of the opposition members are not convinced and remain sceptical. It remains to be seen how the ruling party will use the Internet and other online means to win back the political war.

Hm…do you think Singaporeans will take to the Internet for political issues, like the Malaysians?

New Media is constantly evolving. Each day, new forms of using New Media emerge as well as new forms of New Media!

In order to keep up with all the developments as well better my understanding of New Media and its related issues, I’m looking out for seminars, conferences and workshops on New Media organised for this or next year. It would be great if they had a slightly more educational than technological slant, as I’m more interested in the various issues related to the use of New Media than the technology behind it, though I’m aware, often the two are related.

If you do know of any good seminars, conferences or workshops coming up, I would appreciate it if you could drop me a line or leave a message in the Comments box.

Cheers! 

About a week ago, Singaporean blogger, Alex Au, kind of ‘blew the whistle’ on the rental story that was featured in one of the local mainstream print publications in his blog entry, S$2, 500 to rent a 3-room flat? The article was about the rental hikes in Singapore, and not convinced that  a 3-room flat in Jurong East was fetching S$2, 500 in rent as reported, Mr Au decided to do a little investigating around the block of flats which happen to be near his place. 

What he found out was that the flat was actually a two-in-one ‘jumbo flat’ and hence was able to fetch the high rent reported.

This goes to show how citizen journalists are also serious about finding out the truth and in this episode, blogger Alex Au helped to set the record straight on the rental yield of the flat.

Thus, it is little wonder that in an article entitled Citizen journalism aims high, we are told that NowPublic, a fast-growing citizen journalism website, has secured US$10.6 million dollars to finance its growth to become the world’s largest news agency. 

Looks like citizen journalism is poised for further growth and has developed a sense of respectability about it. 

Mr Matthew Lee is the only blogger at the UN with media credentials. What this means is that he has some entitlements that usually only invited press have such as free office space and access to UN briefings and press conferences. He is even allowed to ask questions. The information he gathers makes it to his website innercitypress.com in daily postings. He covers all stories and aspects in the UN, big and small. This is one way of bringing info about and from the UN to the common masses, many of whom now get their dose of info online.

What interests me is that UN has actually granted Matthew Lee, an independent blogger so journalistic credentials which goes to show the growing awareness of the important role bloggers and the blogospehere have in society today, especially in the area of media influence.

Which reminded me of O’Reilly’s proposed code of conduct for all bloggers in a bid to give some organisation and structure to the blogosphere. I was just checking in on O’Reilly’s Radar for any updates and here’s what the man says in Code of Conduct: Some lessons learnt so far:

Rather than responding in detail to the many comments on my Draft of a Bloggers’ Code of Conduct or the earlier Call for a Blogger’s Code of Conduct, as well as some of the thoughtful discussion on other blogs, I thought I’d summarize some of my chief takeaways from the discussion so far.

These include:

• The poor choice of the “badges” I proposed, together with a reiteration of why I thought badges might be useful.
• The need for a more modular code of conduct, a set of axioms rather than a single monolithic “code of conduct” or “terms of service.”
• A suggestion of some moderation mechanisms that might be more effective than a code of conduct.
• A discussion of constructive anonymity vs. “drive-by anonymity”.
• An acknowledgement that a “code of conduct” should be reviewed by lawyers lest bloggers incur additional liability for commenters.
• Why I think civility matters, despite all the nay-sayers.

Well, what do you say to that?

This is a follow-up to yesterday’s posting on Virginia Tech and New Media. In the news on TV last night, there was a footage of the shooter in a self-filmed video that he sent to NBC. The video showed him ranting about society and its failings and for forcing him into a corner, making his killing spree seem an inevitable ending. The use of the video highlights the Youtube generation we are in nowadays, so much so that filming himself and sending the images to the news centre to be broadcast was probably a most natural thing to do for the shooter, though of course we know that there was nothing natural at all in what was said and done.

I received some comments on yesterday’s posting.

Raincoaster commented that a VT had a pre-existing campus-wide text and email tree for emergencies and didn’t use it once the first shootings happened. ”Let’s look at the way the institution could have used new media to prevent an additional 30 deaths, but didn’t.”  Jonny applauded technology for being used to give people a voice to share their grief and worries as many often really just need an easy forum to talk. “If the flip side of this is macabre capitalism then so be it – personally I think it’s a worthwhile trade-off.” 

Thanks for the comments, guys. What do others think? Let’s hear you.

There is no doubt that many have been affected by the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech. Not another one? Not another student shooting case on campus? Not another case of the tragedy of easy access to firearms? Not another case of a misfit individual in society? These are the questions that will haunt society in the aftermath of one of the worst campus shooting cases in the US.

An interesting development is the role of new media in all this. With the sudden turn of events on campus and with many reeling from shock and confusion, new media has become a way for people to find out about what has been happening.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, before there was any news available from traditional channels of information, and instead of using traditional phone lines for fear of jamming them, and because they would be jammed, many students tried to find out if their campus friends were okay and what was happening on campus by logging on to the social networking sites like Facebook, blogs and websites.

People were getting first-hand accounts or recounts in blogs. New media also became a way for people to express their hurts and confusion. Apparently, a recording of the gunshots recorded by a student on his mobile phone has also become available on the Net. Such close-hand ‘reporting’ is not possible in such a situation something that traditional journalists can’t do. In the Straits Times article “Students turn to Net for information”, it was reported that Virginia Tech freshman, Bryce Carter hid in his dorm and “did what anyone his age would do in a time of crisis” - he blogged.

The Virginia Tech webpage has also become a Memoriam site of sorts, allowing people to read about the details of the event and sharing their thoughts and grief through a dedicated memorial link. You can even listen to the podcast and get a transcript of the address made at the memorial service. I think all these links help people to be closer to the situation, and in so doing, perhaps provides a channel for airing their thoughts and emotions. Importantly, there are also crisis hotlines available to provide counselling for those in need.

 It’s indeed a sad day when an individual is so alienated that he turns on society in such a cold and brutal way, and it’s a sad day that following the massacre, threats of copycat killings surfaced in several states in the US. It’ll be a sadder day if there is a backlash against South Koreans (the nationality of the shooter). Already, the South Korean government is warning of possible repercussions.

Many are trying to come to terms with the situation, and there are many who have taken a look at what’s been happening at the Virginia Tech massacre and other similar incidents. Let’s hope that something good will come out of this. Something good must come out of this. 

New Media seems to be playing a pivotal role so far in allowing people to make connections and communicate and seek catharsis of sorts for their grief. If only Cho Seung-Hui, the gunman, would have made use of it earlier. 

In my earlier posting, I talked about Singapore’s take on new media. To show how serious Singapore is about new media, the government has set up a panel to look into the impact of new media on society. The panel will look into issues such as how new media affects the young, how people interact in the future, etc. The panel will be headed by the former editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holding’s English and Malay Newspapers Division Cheong Yip Seng. In fact, a look at the members in the panel reveal many to have media background such as editors and journalists of local publications. This goes to show the convergence that many see between traditional and new media.

aplA recent survey by the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore shows that children aged between 10 and 14 are the most tech-savvy. More than 85% in this age group use computers and the Internet to play, learn and communicate. The finding is not surprising. This would be the group to have grown up and been socialised in a highly technological environment filled with PCs, laptops and other gadgets.  

While the use of technology is part of their daily lives, it is a concern that many are spending too much time, as much as up to 18 hours a day playing online games such as MapleStory. Don’t they sleep, eat, go to school? And this doesn’t just afflict those aged between 10 and 15!  

Just a few days ago, an older teen, 17 year-old, Garyl Tan, was charged with being a Wi-Fi mooch. He had tapped into an unsecured network to get online access to play the game, when his parents had stopped him from playing it at home.

This case has created a controversy. Many have questioned whether it’s illegal to mooch and if the person who allowed his network to be unsecured to be the guilty party instead. That aside, what really caught my attention was the description of the boy cycling around his neighbourhood with his laptop, cruising for an unsecured network! It totally reeks of desperation and madness. It’s little wonder he has been sent for psychiatric treatment for his addiction.

The worrying thing is, how many more of such youngsters are there out there? They seriously need help. Especially at a time when online games are touted as the next big educational tool! The concept of playing as learning is not a new one, but what’s new is the use of online games, as seen in Learning by Joystick. It’s important for children to be taught how to keep some balance in their lives as they play and learn, so that they don’t succumb to gaming addiction.

Another group of people who need help are those who think they can wield the power of new media with impunity. There was yet another recent controversy about the posting of a video online of a couple engaging in a sex act on the bus: bus-sex videotaping. What’s worse? Having sex on the bus, or taping it and showing it to the world? In a separate incident overseas,  a beating of a girl was posted online. It’s not sure if this is another case of happy slapping. Or if the person who caught it on camera simply wanted to show it to the world instead of helping the victim. Or is this a new form of citizen journalism where the citizen journalist goes round looking for a story, not unlike traditional journalists. And not unlike traditional journalists, they face the dilemma: do they interfere or intervene in an event, or do they simply act as the recorders of the event?

In my last posting, I wrote a note of caution about bloggers writing negative comments online. While there is nothing wrong with writing negative comments, bloggers need to ensure that what they say is accurate, or risk getting into trouble. It is naive to think that you can post anything you like and get away with impunity.

Yesterday, we heard news that the Malaysian paper, The New Straits Times, has sued a couple of Malaysian bloggers for defamation:  NST sues bloggers. The case is a landmark case, as many see it as a test of how new media is perceived in Malaysia. It’ll be interesting if laws for traditional media will also be used to judge the case involving new media.

However, this case is different from the mean bloggers I mentioned previously. It has been complicated due to political undertones or rather, overtones. The leading Maysian newspaper has sued two bloggers, Ahirudin Attan and Jeff Ooi over postings in their respective blogs for defamation. The pair had been attacking top company officials. Apparently, the two bloggers have been reflecting pro-Mahathir sentiments, and NST is owned by the ruling party, UMNO.

This is the first time bloggers have been sued for libel in Malaysia, and some say that this is curtailing the freedom of expression, especially when Internet communications has been increasing amidst government controls on mainstream media. Many feel that tightening control will have an impact on democratic principles in the country, and will have a detrimental impact on citizen journalism and the growing blogospehere in the country.

There is no doubt the verdict of the case will be eagerly awaited by users of both new and mainstream media alike, in Malaysia as well as the rest of the world.

In a move that signalled that traditional media is taking new media seriously, the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation launched a lecture series on the media in transition, with the first lecture held yesterday. The guest speaker was Prof Jenkins (MIT) who spoke on From Youtube to YouUniversity- Learning and Playing in the Era of Social Networks.  He touched on the need for parents to be be aware of what their children were doing online and to guide them, but not control them.

He also spoke on something that I highlighted previously in an earlier blog posting of mine, that of how technology is changing the relationships people have with each other: “there needs to be more investment in forging friendships and building relationships - where people actually meet” instead of just relying on emails and handphones.

Organisations and governments are waking up to the powerful movement brought about by citizen journalism and participatory citizenship. Traditional media seems to carry that sense of ”if we can’t beat them, let’s join them” as they try to engage new forms of media to complement and supplement the tradtional forms. Even governments realise that it’s probably easier to embrace new media and harness its potential and avoid its pitfalls than avoid it altogether, as if that’s possible. Having said that, Brazil has actually ordered that Youtube block viewers from watching a steamy video of Brazilian model, after she appealed to the courts to have the video removed! It’ll be interesting to see how the ban will play out in today’s borderless world, esp in cyberspace! 

Well, given the fast changing technology that we have, the definition of new media is hard to pin down, or what is encompasses is hard to pin down. There’s been discussion that blogging is on its way out, just like email is no longer as widespread since the advent of instant messenging. I guess the form may change, but the need to communicate and express is something intrinsic, so the essence of blogging will still remain.

It’s exciting to see how new media will evolve thsi year. The blogscape is indeed full of potential!