Change of the face of Journalism

The world of journalism has been altered greatly ever since the Internet revolutionized the spread of information. Spreading information used to be reserved for individuals who have the access and capability to go out into the field and search for that valuable piece of information/story where it then gets published on newspapers and magazines.

Ever since, the  Internet took over the information strata of the world, journalism companies aka newspaper companies, have observed a steep drop in its consumers and many have turned to virtual means. The birth of online newspapers and magazines come about due to the increase in reliance of the public on the internet instead of newspapers. Also, the increase in accessibility of information on the net as well as the low cost, is one of the more important factors as to why people would much rather prefer surfing the net for information as compared to purchasing a newspaper with exactly the same information.

However, the picture of reading a newspaper in front of the breakfast table is something that most cannot seem to shake off. Despite this, the  emergence of IPads and tablets, have made the use of electronic devices seem more plausible to fit that image.

Furthermore, everyone and anyone in possession of internet, has a hand in creating and distributing information regardless of his/her capabilities. This is especially daunting to the world of writing/journalism as they rely on their ability to craft information as well as weaving stories in such a way that it captivates the readers. However, the use of web 2.0, has changed things in such a way that everyone has a voice and they want to be heard. Hence, the creation of avenues like forums and discussion boards, where people are able to voice what they want to say.

I, for one am still very much supporting the use of physical media. However, the growth of contemporary social media and its high accessibility is especially captivating for me. Its ease and the multitude of content that it possesses, makes reading and the search for information so much faster and convenient. Even though I love chilling with a cup of warm tea and with a good book in hand, the information found on the internet far exceeds that of the ‘past’.

Politics…..bleurgh

Power and limitation of internet for political campaigning. 

The use of the internet is so powerful in today’s society that information can be spread from one nation to another in mere seconds. In the events of a political campaign, the media goes crazy chasing after political heads as they fight to win votes from the people. But these political parties have taken to social networking sites especially the ones more popular with his/her country. Twitter and Facebook stand up top as the most popular sites among politicians.

Barrack Obama is one such person who has taken the Twitterdom by storm. His followers amount up to 23 million, with countless fan pages on twitter dedicated to this one man! He is seen to be somewhat of a celebrity in the States as well as all around the world. This man can do no wrong especially in the eyes of the youths who view him as a rock star  When he recently visited Myanmar, he was so widely received that banners of the American flag were waved enthusiastically and it appeared to be something similar to a procession of some sorts.

Hence, the internet is a very important medium for political parties/leaders to use to spread their influence over wide areas as well as to allow them to seem more accessible to their people. This would therefore, increase their popularity as well as the trust that the public will have on them.

Some have even been lambasted on social networking sites. Take Singapore’s very own political ‘bad guy’, Tin Pei Ling. She was part of PAP’s political party and once the public got word of her facebook account, her pictures became the laughing stock and she got hurled abuses from every side. This is so unfair to her as she’s just doing her job and in the end, her entire personal life is put out on a platter for everyone to judge.

Hence, the internet can definitely be used to further strengthen the political campaign of a particular individual, but it may also harm their chances of winning. Especially with the use of forums and discussion boards where individuals are able to voice their opinions and sway that of the neutral which may further detriment or improve the standings of the political parties.

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Young adults and youth, apathetic towards politics. 

I, am definitely not someone involved nor interested in politics. The whole talk of voting and ‘fake’ competition just screams fake to me. I do not enjoy hearing individuals speak of good things they wish for the country and laugh as soon as their backs are turned away. But thats just me.

Most of my classmates take a huge interest in the political campaigns between Romney and Obama that discussions about the campaigns can be heard in every class. Also, most seem very literate in that area and even take a stand.

However, the lack of entertainment value may be attributed to this. The American politics are always so hyped up with big celebrities lending their hands in helping to raise funds for the political campaign of their choice. In singapore, politics is treated as something ‘sacred’ and many are scared to voice out their opinions in fear of being thrown into jail. Demonstrations are rarely heard of, and those that get caught, are thrown into jail as well. Protests against anything is heard, will also be thrown into jail. Though there are avenues to raise concerns as well as to voice opinions, there are ways to go about this, but the American way has proven to be best in getting the public or youths involved.

Samsung vs Apple

Both ads are marketing their products through the use of multimedia devices as well as cleverly using apps to highlight the superiority of their product in contrast to other similar models. For example, the rivalry between Samsung and Apple is can get so heated that people have been known to argue over something as minute as that. Going back to the commercials, both ads are highly engaging as viewers are so drawn into the functions of the phone that we sit up straighter and hold the screen closer as we gape in awe at the unique functions that they offer.

But wait, as we look closer and watch both videos one after the other, we realize that both products offer similar functions and apps. The only difference is their marketing strategies.

The one from Samsung is highly engaging through the use of a multitude of apps to showcase exactly what it has to offer. The use of Google maps especially, seems to be a poke at Apple’s maps functions which is deemed to be so bad that many hit a dead end instead of arriving at the end of their journey. Furthermore, the use of the functions in Samsung makes the user go through his day with so much efficiency that the viewer would find this unexplained pull towards purchasing the product.

Apple’s commercial is highly prized for its humor and the way it pokes fun at its other competitors. There are also widely known for their ability to pull potential consumers to purchase their products due to the wide acclamation that they have. Iphone users have that tag associated to them as it symbolizes something of higher prestige than that of other mobile phone users. Apple capitalizes on this in their commercial and it does bring a spark of humor as well as poking at its competitors.

However, Samsung has showcased a lot of its other functions which serve to further highlight its competency over the powerful Apple. Albeit this, I feel that Apple has successfully managed to capture its audience attention with this short clip stating that “If you don’t own an IPhone, well, you don’t own an IPhone”. A statement so bold, it works.

Truth be told, I have no biasness towards any of this products. Yes, I am an apple user, but I hold no animosity towards any other products nor companies. May Samsung and Apple coexist harmoniously.

 

Cybercrime

A 21 year old, polytechnic student by the name of Lin Zhenghuang illegally tapped into his neighbor’s wireless connections and posted a bomb hoax on a popular forum here in Singapore. Unfortunately for his poor neighbor, her house was raided by the police who then let her off after clarification. His act sparked an increase in interest by the police forces on dubious acts done on the cyber world. This makes Singaporean officials even more resilient to combat this problem.

The increasing number of cyber crimes in Singapore has raised a lot of questions on what could be done to combat this problem. The increasing trend is due to the increase in the prevalence as well as relevance to information. The internet makes the search for information so much more efficient and fast. The overall impact of this creates the intense reliance on the internet. Hence cyber crimes occur much easily as the number of users on the net has increased by so many folds that it is hard to keep track of the number of users online. Hence, cyber criminals are able to appear and disappear much easily.

Also, cyber crime can be done through mobile apps and through controlling a person’s mobile phone. A recent phone theft occurred here in Singapore where the thief controlled the person’s schedule through controlling the phone of the individual. Singaporeans and people in general, are highly reliant on their mobile phones and many have been known to sleep with or next to their phones.

In my opinion, cyber crimes are much harder to eliminate than physical crimes. This is as, the risk of getting caught is much lower as compared to physical crimes. Though this may not seem to be the case due to lots of tracking devices available on the net as well as the tracks that link the individual back to their online activities, they may very well be found easily. However, due to the many hacking devices available, the user may easily get away from their activities and hide behind another user’s account. Hence, the risk of getting maimed for this kinda activities, is pretty high.

 

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Prevention, better than Cure. 

A way to prevent any types of threat to one’s internet privacy would be to have passwords on every account that you’ve got. This is to prevent anyone to have access to your personal information as well as to prevent anyone from snooping around into your personal activities.

Another way to prevent other users from using your account would be to lock your wireless connections such that it would only be available for your usage. This is as, as mentioned in the first paragraph of this post, another user may assume your identity through this method and hence, this would put all the blame on you instead of the actual guy.

However, there’s no surefire way to have full security on our internet or our computers. Hence, the best way is, i guess to not have a computer? cause there are means that we’re not sure of that are available out there that can destroy all the data that we have or worse still, steal our identity.

 

Toolios

I’m paying homage to one of the ost genius ideas ever. Something that has spawned TV shows, movies, games, music, and is even being portrayed by both cosplayers  and hallooweeners alike. Its…………. POKEMON! DO NOT JUDGE ME.

(its pretty lame but i ran out of ideas, so yeah!)

and if you havent jumped onto the battling bandwagon, please do.