Week 10 to-read-list
1. Internet activism, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Politics have never, ever interested me one bit for over 20 years of my life. (I know, I am getting old... D: ) That is, until the recent presidential race in America last year. There was so much buzz about it that one cannot help but notice. As we all know, right now the world is on the brink of a new phase, a new chapter as history is made by President Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States of America. It is amazing to see how a race, once shackled by slavery in less than 50 years ago, now has a representative as the most powerful man on Earth. It is powerful symbolism and sends a powerful message to the world. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
President Obama is unique in many ways. But one way that he stands out is that he is tech and media savvy.
Technology, especially the Internet forms the backbone of his campaign which we all know by now was extremely successful. Many people argue that Obama appealed to the younger generation, the politically apathetic generation by reaching out to them through these means. Television is no longer the sole purveyor of politics. Internet has changed the entire dynamics. And you know what? This is so much less expensive than buying spots of television. Facebook? Free. Sms? Free smses are bundled with many phone plans. Internet webpage? Not free but with 24/7 access and a wide outreach. It just blows the mind to think about how the next presidential elections will be fought. Maybe television will be paying candidates to follow them! Reality TV at it's finest... NOT!
Is this the new wave? Could the Internet be the saviour of Singapore politics? Can we freely express our views on Singapore politics on the Internet? Is the government watching? (if you are, I really love Singapore! :P) Am I going to be blacklisted? Am I going to be the a political candidate in the next elections and use the Internet to become maybe a MP, maybe be in Parliment or even the President of Singapore? Who knows? More importantly, who cares in Singapore?!?!?!
On a lighter note of politics, I don't want to overload you with the 'Yes, we can' MTV for Obama. This video is more lighthearted and easier on the eyes :P and it created quite a stir when it came out and made 'Obama Girl' a star in her own right. Watch her cavort around lip-synching about how she has a crush on Obama. Yes, that's not her real voice. But it doesn't take away the 'value' of the video one bit, does it? And how many votes you think she won for Obama? :P
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