GOVERNMENT AND THE MEDIA- Singapore

The increase trend in governments using social media

Media is a crucial part of our everyday life. It allows us to communicate with others, get new information and connect with people all over the world. In current times, media acts as our lifeline to the outside world. It can be assumed that the government feels the same way about media. The Government uses an array of media from advertisements to commercials to give out information to the public. Recently, the government has ventured into new-media technologies such as social media.

A recent statistics conducted in the year 2012, showed that 56% of the world uses social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. (Statistic Brian, 2012) In Singapore, even Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has his own Facebook and Twitter account. These social networking sites act as feedback channels, where people are able to comment and share their views with the government bodies. However the question, Is social media the best way to reach out to the masses? always remains.

Using social media, the government can reach out to a greater number of people. Without it, individuals may be unaware of certain things that the government has addressed or taken action upon. An example would be when National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan discouraged students from Polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education (ITE) to take up a degree. (The Straits Times, 2012)

This issue sparked much controversy in Singapore. With the aid of social media, youths studying in Polys and ITEs as well as their parents were able to share their discontent on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. With the vast coverage it was given on such sites, the issue gained much publicity.

Another incident would to the recent coming out of politician Vincent Wijeysingha as gay on his Facebook. (The Straits Times, 2012) Like the example before, this issue also struck much controversy over social networking sites. His coming out represented his full support of Pink Dot, an event that celebrates the freedom to love. An array of people showed their support for him by posting on his Facebook while others shared their discontent.

Social Media is used by a multitude of youths. Through it, the government can communicate and reach out to more youths. This is crucial, as the younger generation is the vital key to our future, as stated by Mr. Chan Chun Sing. (MCYS NYAA Newsletter, 2012)

Member of Parliament, Tin Pei Ling reaches out to the youths through social networking sites frequently. As the youngest member from the Peoples Action Party, she is well known to interact and discuss on going matters in Singapore with the youths. On the 18th of August 2012, Miss Tin held a tea session with various youths living in Macpherson, discussing about what can be done to improve the community. Invites were sent to youths who were actively participating in discussions on her Facebook page.

Moreover, some of the ideas contributed were then implemented such as the Mass Cleaning Event that got the residents of Macpherson together to keep their neighbourhood clean and green. Till today, Tin Pei Ling constantly keeps up with the youths views and opinions through social media, giving them a greater sense of belonging in the country. However, there are still many who question the governments usage of social media. Although it allows them to reach out to a larger audience, are they actually behind the social networking pages themselves? (The Straits Times Forum, 2012) Many government Facebook accounts are controlled by their office, made up of public relations experts who focus on the goodwill of the government bodies.

People have indeed start questioning, whether the government themselves are truthful to what is being posted. Or is it just another publicity act? His public relation staffs control the Facebook and Twitter accounts of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Any post on his wall seems to go unnoticed as they are never liked or commented on. Therefore, people may not seem the need to governments using social media to communicate with the masses. Whats the use of getting feedback from the public when it goes unnoticed?

With the increase in technology, people have found it easier to pass their feedback to the government through social media, as it is more accessible and less time consuming. When unnoticed, the people will feel like they dont have a say in the governance of the country through their feedback and will eventually lose their trust and faith in the current standing government.

At the end of the day, although social media tools present a multitude of opportunities to the governments, implementing them comes with an array of challenges.

Word Count: 798

References:

Newspaper References:

The Straits Times, Toh Yong Chuan, May 5 2013, University Degree Not Vital For Success: Khaw Boon Wan The Straits Times, Andrea Ong, June 3 2013, Opposition politician Wijeysingha is first politician to say he's gay The Straits Times Forums, Patricia Prathibha, Use Social Media To Air Views To Governmnet

Online References: www.statsticsbrain.com/search/socialnetworking/2012 www.facebook.com/vincentwijaysingha www.facebook.com/leehsienloong www.facebook.com/tinpeiling