Event
20 January 2010 YouthQuake 6: The Influence of Online Media on Singaporean YouthsReported by: Frieda Chan
From left: Elvin Ong, Bernard Chen, Terence Lee
With the prevalence of online media used by political parties, the topic takes on special significance as the role of online media vis-à-vis print media will come into prominence in the coming elections, much more so than the General Election in 2006.
The sixth installment of the YouthQuake series forums attracted an audience of about 30 participants, including working adults and students, amongst whom the youngest was a secondary 2 student who participated in the vibrant discussion at the forum.
For the first time at YouthQuake forum, the panel was made up of an ‘all-campus students’ team. The speakers include: Elvin Ong (SMU Business and Political Science, year 4), Terence Lee (NTU Communications undergraduate and Former News Editor of The Online Citizen (TOC) and Bernard Chen (Workers’ Party Youth Wing Secretary and NUS History, year 1)
Dishing out the ‘appetizer’, Elvin stimulated the forum participants’ minds with questions on the effectiveness of online media reaching its Audience with its intended Agenda that results in eventual Action, using examples from local online alternative media. He also shared on some personal exchanges he had with a prominent leader who maintained the view that diversity is not good for Singapore. This perhaps, explains why our local mainstream media is less vibrant than its overseas counterparts. He questioned on how successful have both the government and alternative groups’ Agenda reached the Audience? Are the Actions or Inactions something we think that will strengthen this country?
Terence shared that the view “online equals to free” puts alternative media in Singapore in a delicate situation. Sharing from his personal experience as a student journalist, one of his opportunity costs to cover stories is the time he needs to spend on studies. Maintaining such websites is no easy feat as there are various costs involved in capturing and running stories and having the stories up on the Internet. He emphasized, “Passion alone cannot sustain the sites”. Comparing Singapore’s situation against that in the United States where it is easier to reach venture capitalists to fund the running costs, he attributes the difficulties faced here to the climate of fear in Singapore.
The other issue he raised was on the subject of “objectivity”. The impression that “online media = lacking in integrity and mainstream media = credible” is a fallacy because no journalist can claim that his or her view is objective. Everyone would have his/her view, including the mainstream media journalists. Hence, the next time any media claims to be objective, we might want to think twice and assess.
Related to Elvin’s theme on Audience, Agenda and Action, Bernard Chen shared that it is not easy to engage political apathetic young people through the Internet because people tend to go to sites which interest them, and do not necessarily visit political forums that they are not interested in.
Bernard believes that while the Internet helps political action, it is but just a tool. The more important factor is for the candidate to be able to put up a message that is stronger and more convincing. He illustrated this with a study on the US President Obama Barack’s successful campaign against his opponents who also extensively used the Internet.
In the local context, although some people may think that their views posted on the Internet would be heard and considered by the policy makers, experience tells Bernard: “Nothing beats the face-to-face communication with fellow Singaporeans, to understand what they are really facing and how they think.” Walking his talk, Bernard has been actively walking the ground with party members every week to engage residents. He is also known among the student activism circles as the main engine behind the recent successful campaign to lobby for fairer transport fares for tertiary students. Concluding his speech on “A Constructive Voice or An Unnecessary Noise – The Internet’s Significance on Politics”, he challenged all to, “Be the change that you want to see rather than the voice you want people to hear!”
Indeed, being in the Workers’ Party Youth Wing creates countless opportunities for constant interaction with like-minded people, fostering the inception of various initiatives and ideas. It encourages thinking out of the box and the development of ideas and opinions crucial to assisting and raising political awareness among the youths in Singapore. We are hopeful to see more youths taking keen interest in the affairs of the country. To find out more, you can contact The Workers’ Party Youth Wing at youthwing@wp.sg or go to our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/wpyouth.
Event
6 January 2010 YouthQuake 6
THE INFLUENCE OF ONLINE MEDIA ON SINGAPOREAN YOUTHS
16 Jan 2009, Sat 2.30pm – 5.00pm
@ WP HQ, 216-G Syed Alwi Road, #02-03
With the prevalence of online media on political parties, this topic takes on special significance as the role of online media vis-à-vis print media will come into prominence in the coming elections, much more so than in the 2006 elections.
The Workers’ Party Youth Wing (WPYW) invites you to attend this sixth installment of the YouthQuake series of forums. This forum will bring together four young Singaporeans who will share with you their unique insights and experiences in the online media scene. It promises to be an engaging and enriching session for everyone!
Making Sense of Virtual Reality – Agenda, Audience, Action
By Elvin Ong, 24, SMU Business Undergraduate
Elvin will explore the question to what extent can online media in the virtual world motivate people to take action, in particular, political action, in the physical world?
Alternative media – taking the next step
By Terence Lee, 23, NTU Communications Undergraduate & News Editor of The Online Citizen
The alternative media in Singapore is in a delicate situation: while it has attained a measurable amount of influence among Singaporeans, it has also stagnated. Readership has plateaued, and we are nowehere near seeing a full-fledged, professional form of alternative media that countries like Malaysia currently enjoy. In his presentation, Terence Lee will share his ideas about what the alternative media can do (or cannot do) to progress beyond its current form.
Implications of Singapore Law on Online Media
By Sangeetha Yogendran, 23, NUS Law Undergraduate
Sangeetha will be examining the rights one has regarding online media, focusing on censorship and defamation laws. She will also examine the potential implications of the cooling-off day and talk about whether the current laws should be changed in this new online era.
To register your interest, please contact Bernard Chen at bernardchen@wp.sg
Note: The fourth speaker, Ruth Komathi will not be speaking due to other personal commitments.
News
31 August 2009 WP Youth Wing Conference 2009The annual WP Youth Wing Conference was conducted at party HQ on 30 August 2009.
Perry Tong stepped down as WP Youth President after 3 years to facilitate leadership renewal, and the Workers’ Party CEC appointed Koh Choong Yong to be WP Youth Wing President.
Norhidayat Ali completed his 2-year term and stepped down from his position as a Youth Wing ExCo member.
The Vice-President and 3 new ExCo members were elected in the Conference yesterday.
The following members now form the new Youth Wing Executive Committee:
President: Koh Choong Yong
Vice-President: Ng Swee Bee
Secretary: Bernard Chen Jiaxi
Executive Committee Members:
- Frieda Chan Sio Ping
- Koh Chee Wei
- Nathaniel Koh
- Jamilah Bt Md Lutfi Lim
- Chelsea Lu
- Alfred Ng
- Aaron Peng Jian Xiong
- Tan Thuan Tong
The WP Youth Wing Executive Committee would like to express their thanks to Perry Tong and Noorhidayat Ali for their contributions to the WP Youth Wing.
Announcement
19 August 2009 by WPYW Updates on WPYW’s National Day CelebrationsIn a previous post we announced the activities the Workers’ Party Youth Wing has planned for this year’s National Day celebrations.
Essay Writing Competition
The Essay Writing Competition has come to an end, and the results are now out! Prize-presentation for the 3 winners will be at the Town Hall Dialogue session below.
National Day Outreach
On 9 Aug 2009, a group of Workers’ Party members went around different locations in Singapore to distribute flags, and to wish everyone a Happy National Day! If you spotted us, you would get and probably also be wearing the “I Love Singapore” temporary tattoo on you that day!
To see a slideshow of the photos taken on that day, checkout the post on the WP main site.
Town Hall Dialogue
Open for Questions
The Road Less Travelled
How youths are taking an alternative route to nation-building?
The Workers’ Party Youth Wing would like to engage you in a discussion on the political future of Singapore, due consideration to the education of Singaporean youths and the nation building process via a responsible and constructive platform. Breaking tradition with the normal formalities associated with a public forum, you will be hearing from Youth Wing Members as they share with you their thoughts and aspirations in an open and frank town hall dialogue.
The details of the "Open for Questions" Town Hall Dialogue are as follows:
| Date | 22th Aug 2009 (Saturday) |
|---|---|
| Time | 1400 hrs - 1700 hrs |
| Venue | IOI Plaza, 210 Middle Road, #07-08 (Diagonally across NAFA Campus 1) |
To register for this Public Town Hall Dialogue, send your Name/Email to 9162-6801 or email the Workers’ Party Youth Wing at youthwing@wp.sg.
See our e-invite for the event. More details about the Town Hall Dialogue.
We look forward to see you at the forum!
Announcement
17 August 2009 by WPYW Results of “What Is Your Ideal Singapore?” Essay Writing CompetitionHeld in conjunction with the Workers’ Party’s National Day Celebrations, the “What Is Your Ideal Singapore?” Essay Writing Competition began on 14th July 2009 with the objective of reaching out to young Singaporeans and inspiring them to share their vision of an ideal Singapore.
Eleven eloquent and articulate essays were received from young Singaporeans ranging from 15 to 30 years old. Essays’ scores were calculated using a combination of Facebook ‘likes’ from members of the public and a panel of five judges. More than 80 unique ‘likes’ from different individuals were made on Facebook. Since the start of the competition, the WP Youth Wing Facebook Page has seen a modest increase of ‘fans’ or supporters.
The winners of the Essay Writing Competition are:
Champion: Crystal Ong, 15
1st Runner-Up: Terence Lee, 23
2nd Runner-Up: Natasha Lai, 22
The prize-presentation ceremony will be held on 22nd August, Saturday, 2.00pm @ IOI Plaza, in conjuction with the WP Youth Wing Town Hall Dialogue.
The WP Youth Wing congratulates the top three winners and thanks all eleven participants for their valuable insights into their ideal Singapore. All participants have demonstrated great vision and given us hope for the future of our country!
Once again here are the essays for your reading pleasure:
Announcement
14 July 2009 by WPYW Celebrating Singapore’s 44th Birthday!On 9th August 2009, Singapore will be celebrating her 44th National Day. As each year passes, the youths of our young nation becomes ever more poised to take ownership of the future of Singapore.
To mark our nation’s 44th birthday, the Workers’ Party Youth Wing is organising a series of events for Singapore’s youths.
Essay Writing Competition
“What Is Your Ideal Singapore?”
The theme of the Essay Writing Competition, “What Is Your Ideal Singapore?”, will enable youths to articulate their hopes and dreams for our nation.
This is a competition with a difference. Using Facebook as a platform for scoring the essays, members of the public have a vote in the final results. Facebook ‘likes’ will make up 40% of the total score, while the rest of the scores will be from a panel of judges.
The competition will be open for submissions of essays from 20th July to 9th August 2009. Submit your essays at essay@wp.sg. The top 3 entries will win a Borders gift voucher each, with the top prize valued at $150.
We look forward to your participation in this competition.
If you have any enquiries, please feel free to contact Nathaniel Koh (Project Lead) at essay@wp.sg and visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/wpyouth.
Additional information – refer to the “Full Terms to Participants”.
Town Hall Forum
Open for Questions
The Road Less Travelled
How youths are taking an alternative route to nation-building?
Do you have a burning question for the Workers’ Party Youth Wing? Have you ever contemplated being a part of the Workers’ Party Youth Wing? What could probably be your worries and considerations?
Breaking tradition with the normal formalities associated with a public forum, you will be hearing from 6 Youth Wing members as they address your queries and concerns in an open and frank town hall dialogue.
The details of the "Open for Questions" Town Hall Dialogue are as follows:
| Date | 22th Aug 2009 (Saturday) |
|---|---|
| Time | 1400 hrs - 1700 hrs |
| Venue | IOI Plaza, 210 Middle Road, #07-08 (Diagonally across NAFA Campus 1) |
If you are keen on attending this forum, kindly register your interest with the Workers’ Party Youth Wing @ youthwing@wp.sg.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/wpyw.
We look forward to see you at the forum!
