QotW9: STOMPing Singaporeans
The Idea of Stomp
STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) is an integration of content and activities of three platforms of print, online and mobile, to interact and engage with Singaporeans in new and exciting ways (STOMP, 2006).
STOMP wants to engage their readers in areas which appeal to them, thus providing readers with new avenues to express and interact among themselves. STOMP wants to be a forum of lively discussions, from topics ranging from national issues to where to get the best food.
Citizen Journalism??
Citizen Journalism also known as participatory journalism, as the words suggests, is the act of citizens playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information (“Citizen Journalism”, 2007). The intent of citizen journalism is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires (Bowman & Willis. 2007).
STOMP and Citizen Journalism
One first look at STOMP’s website, reminds me of Singapore Press Holding’s second highest circulating paid English-language newspaper, The New Paper. The New Paper targets readers with eye-catching tabloid style journalism coupled with sensational headlines (The New Paper, 2007) because these are what Singaporeans likes and wants to read. Singaporeans have a liking for gossip or anything new. This is why Singaporeans have been labeled as, “kaypohs”, meaning busybodies.
Thus, STOMP is using the nature of the “kaypoh” phenomenon and citizen journalism to generate news. So instead of just hanging around looking at something has happened, people take photos, send them to STOMP, and the rest of Singapore will comment over it.
Ugly Commuters = Ugly Singapore
There was this section of “Singapore Seen” there is this section, “Ugly Commuters”, whereby Singaporeans take photos and even videos of ugly commuters of the public transport of Singapore. A few quick clicks around the other sections of “Singapore Seen”, shows that the page views of each “article” of “Ugly Commuters” are viewed in terms of thousands of views, as compared to the rest of the sections of “Singapore Seen” which are only viewed in hundreds of views.
Firstly, this portrays how ugly Singaporeans can be on public transports, but, I personally feel that it is a disgrace to Singaporeans. Singaporeans are kicking a fuss over some other stuff that others have done. And with the set up of STOMP, Singaporeans have found an avenue of disgracing those that has not been behaving well in public. Take a look at the “articles” on “Ugly Commuters”, you have pictures and videos of people occupying more than one seat, people blasting their music out loud, people falling asleep, unwilling commuters that do not want to give up seats to the elderly or the pregnant women and people crowding over the entrance of MRTs. I felt that people are fussing over this kind of small matters that happens throughout the whole world. It is just the way people are. You might think that you are the most considerate being in the world but some others might not consider that. I’m very sure that people in the other side of the world, for example, in Japan, you would also meet some commuters that hog more than one seat.
Lastly, imagine someone taking a photo or video of you doing something peculiar, and your faces have not been mosaic? I feel that it disturbs my privacy a lot. Some might say that, if you dare to do something, you should dare to let others catch you in action. But, I feel, every image taken should at least seek for the permission of the person in the picture or video before releasing out into the public domain.
Thus…
As the title go, “Singapore Seen”, does everyone wants to be seen like what some of the other Singaporeans? Will these Singaporeans be willing or unwilling to be seen? Will STOMP invade the privacy of the “victims” of the photographs? I personally feel that it is good that Singaporeans are involved in Citizen Journalism, but, please be involved in news that are meaningful and not invasive.
References
Bowman, S. and Willis, C. (2003). We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information. The Media Center at the American Press Institute.
Citizen Journalism. (2007, January). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
Gillmor, D. (2004, July). We the Media: Chapter 1, 3 & 9. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://download.nowis.com/index.cfm?phile=WeTheMedia.html&tipe=text/html
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. (2006). About Us. Retrieved March 31, 2007 from http://www.stomp.com.sg/about/about.html
The New Paper. (2007, January, 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Paper
STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) is an integration of content and activities of three platforms of print, online and mobile, to interact and engage with Singaporeans in new and exciting ways (STOMP, 2006).
STOMP wants to engage their readers in areas which appeal to them, thus providing readers with new avenues to express and interact among themselves. STOMP wants to be a forum of lively discussions, from topics ranging from national issues to where to get the best food.
Citizen Journalism??
Citizen Journalism also known as participatory journalism, as the words suggests, is the act of citizens playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information (“Citizen Journalism”, 2007). The intent of citizen journalism is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires (Bowman & Willis. 2007).
STOMP and Citizen Journalism
One first look at STOMP’s website, reminds me of Singapore Press Holding’s second highest circulating paid English-language newspaper, The New Paper. The New Paper targets readers with eye-catching tabloid style journalism coupled with sensational headlines (The New Paper, 2007) because these are what Singaporeans likes and wants to read. Singaporeans have a liking for gossip or anything new. This is why Singaporeans have been labeled as, “kaypohs”, meaning busybodies.
Thus, STOMP is using the nature of the “kaypoh” phenomenon and citizen journalism to generate news. So instead of just hanging around looking at something has happened, people take photos, send them to STOMP, and the rest of Singapore will comment over it.
Ugly Commuters = Ugly Singapore
There was this section of “Singapore Seen” there is this section, “Ugly Commuters”, whereby Singaporeans take photos and even videos of ugly commuters of the public transport of Singapore. A few quick clicks around the other sections of “Singapore Seen”, shows that the page views of each “article” of “Ugly Commuters” are viewed in terms of thousands of views, as compared to the rest of the sections of “Singapore Seen” which are only viewed in hundreds of views.
Firstly, this portrays how ugly Singaporeans can be on public transports, but, I personally feel that it is a disgrace to Singaporeans. Singaporeans are kicking a fuss over some other stuff that others have done. And with the set up of STOMP, Singaporeans have found an avenue of disgracing those that has not been behaving well in public. Take a look at the “articles” on “Ugly Commuters”, you have pictures and videos of people occupying more than one seat, people blasting their music out loud, people falling asleep, unwilling commuters that do not want to give up seats to the elderly or the pregnant women and people crowding over the entrance of MRTs. I felt that people are fussing over this kind of small matters that happens throughout the whole world. It is just the way people are. You might think that you are the most considerate being in the world but some others might not consider that. I’m very sure that people in the other side of the world, for example, in Japan, you would also meet some commuters that hog more than one seat.
Lastly, imagine someone taking a photo or video of you doing something peculiar, and your faces have not been mosaic? I feel that it disturbs my privacy a lot. Some might say that, if you dare to do something, you should dare to let others catch you in action. But, I feel, every image taken should at least seek for the permission of the person in the picture or video before releasing out into the public domain.
Thus…
As the title go, “Singapore Seen”, does everyone wants to be seen like what some of the other Singaporeans? Will these Singaporeans be willing or unwilling to be seen? Will STOMP invade the privacy of the “victims” of the photographs? I personally feel that it is good that Singaporeans are involved in Citizen Journalism, but, please be involved in news that are meaningful and not invasive.
References
Bowman, S. and Willis, C. (2003). We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information. The Media Center at the American Press Institute.
Citizen Journalism. (2007, January). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
Gillmor, D. (2004, July). We the Media: Chapter 1, 3 & 9. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://download.nowis.com/index.cfm?phile=WeTheMedia.html&tipe=text/html
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. (2006). About Us. Retrieved March 31, 2007 from http://www.stomp.com.sg/about/about.html
The New Paper. (2007, January, 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Paper
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