- Joined
- Dec 30, 2010
- Messages
- 12,730
- Points
- 113
The People’s Action Party government has essentially given up on engagement. This change of tack is becoming clearer by the week as more and more instances arise where ministers and members of parliament go out to bash citizens trying to raise issues or comment on current affairs. Staircase railings, face masks and who-knows-what small thing emerging tomorrow are considered serious enough issues to roll out the government’s big guns.
In small ways here and there are clues that our government sees new media through this lens — and worse, it’s a distorted lens because they know of no other kind of journalism except a compliant one. The reference model is itself a faulty one in addition to being irrelevant. As a result, it keeps misdirecting itself whenever it tries to grapple with this beast (for surely, it sees new media as a beast). It imagines organisation and hierarchy where there is none. It expects a devotion to accuracy and professionalism when the average guy couldn’t care less about it whenever he feels an urge to speak. It demands seriousness when people want to be entertained.
Our government is obsessed with licensing. But as attempt after attempt shows, it cannot sensibly draw a line anywhere without provoking ridicule. And that is simply because you can no more licence blogging and social media than you can licence people for water-cooler, cocktail-bar and kitchen sink chat.
Last year, Minister Yaacob Ibrahim inflated his sex doll named “internet code of conduct”. Some people were aghast. More laughed. Most ignored him. Codes don’t work unless there is organisation, and as far as internet speech goes, there simply isn’t.
Internet speech is not a bigger, more democratic form of journalism. It is human interaction at electron speed.
Still wearing its blinkers, the government is appalled by the prospect of inaccuracies, untruths, wild accusations and merciless disrespect (to the powers that be) the new age brings. It thinks Singapore will be worse off for it.
It is wrong. It is the exact opposite.
- http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/re-introducing-the-climate-of-fear/
In small ways here and there are clues that our government sees new media through this lens — and worse, it’s a distorted lens because they know of no other kind of journalism except a compliant one. The reference model is itself a faulty one in addition to being irrelevant. As a result, it keeps misdirecting itself whenever it tries to grapple with this beast (for surely, it sees new media as a beast). It imagines organisation and hierarchy where there is none. It expects a devotion to accuracy and professionalism when the average guy couldn’t care less about it whenever he feels an urge to speak. It demands seriousness when people want to be entertained.
Our government is obsessed with licensing. But as attempt after attempt shows, it cannot sensibly draw a line anywhere without provoking ridicule. And that is simply because you can no more licence blogging and social media than you can licence people for water-cooler, cocktail-bar and kitchen sink chat.
Last year, Minister Yaacob Ibrahim inflated his sex doll named “internet code of conduct”. Some people were aghast. More laughed. Most ignored him. Codes don’t work unless there is organisation, and as far as internet speech goes, there simply isn’t.
Internet speech is not a bigger, more democratic form of journalism. It is human interaction at electron speed.
Still wearing its blinkers, the government is appalled by the prospect of inaccuracies, untruths, wild accusations and merciless disrespect (to the powers that be) the new age brings. It thinks Singapore will be worse off for it.
It is wrong. It is the exact opposite.
- http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/re-introducing-the-climate-of-fear/
