Blog: http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/
Occupation: Citizen Blogger
Blog's Date of Birth: Dec 22,2006. However, his old blog ( http://commentarysingapore.blogspot.com/) show posts that date back to as far as 28 January 2000.
Technorati Rank: 26,774 (332 links from 143 blogs)
Mr. Wang's Tone
Surfing around the Internet, netizens should be able to note that there are more citizen journalism blogs popping up around the net, especially related to politics or what is going on around the world. Mr. Wang is a famous blogger who has a strong online presence, and like most citizen journalism blogs, he takes a very commentative approach towards current affairs in his blog. Take for instance a statement in his recent post titled "What we Believe" posted on March 16, 2007:
I learned ... that the National Council of Churches of Singapore is seeking to criminalise lesbianism. I find this disturbing. I sense a potential threat to the freedom of religion in Singapore.This quote above encompasses how he feels about this current issue, and like the way he has written above, the rest of his blog posts are about his opinions on the happenings in Singapore, and he takes a rather no-holds-barred approach towards his dissection of issues.
Mutual respect and tolerance is the basic principle on which an inter-religious society like Singapore can hold itself together, in relative harmony.
The fans and readers of his blog show good thinking capacity and great mental sophistication towards the issues he blogs about or highlights too. Regarding this issue about freedom of religion in Singapore, a reader Boon had his take on this issue, and his main point is phrased out rather succinctly:
He is not the only reader who has added input into this issue that Mr. Wang has highlighted, and many of the comments posted by other readers also show great insight, and very well thought out opinions. Like blogger, like readers.
Religion is a personal issue. But when it encroaches on the public domain, people must be allowed to speak up despite "religious sensitivities".
Blogs = More Democracy?
We live in an era of knowledge and empowerment. With the Internet at our fingertips, we are afforded a great deal of information with the mere click of a mouse. The Singapore government heavily regulates our local media, but it is near impossible to do that online. Citizen Journalism blogs have sprouted up all over the Internet, and there is no way they can stop people from airing their opinions on politics or any other issue, as long as it is not something slanderous.
According to Thornton, the Chicago communcation school "viewed communication as more than information circulation ... [it was] the process in which people create a culture and maintain it." In the case of blogs and politics, it is true. In this process, people do not just feed each other with information.With this new phenomenon of citizen journalism blogs, there is a gathering place for people to discuss politics, and a culture will sprout out of it.
In short, I believe that democracy will come out of blogs discussing politics and current affairs. I do not think it will affect government policy to a great deal just yet, but it affords netizens the knowledge about what is going on, and knowledge is really power.
These blogs allow for people to have their own take on current issues, and it acts as a voice for the common people. With these blogs, they are allowed to have a platform to air what they think, and this can be cathartic. People can bond with the need to protect their own rights, and I forsee that this will be powerful enough one day to influence government regulation. That itself, is democracy.
References
Giam, G. (2006). “The politics of Singapore’s new media in 2006.” Retrieved on March 24, 2007 from
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2006/12/31/review-the-politics-of-singapores-new-media-in-2006/
Thornton, A. (2002). Does Internet Create Democracy? Retrieved on March 24, 2007 from
http://www.zip.com.au/~athornto/
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