Internet Warriors
Monday, April 25, 20113:35 PM
The upcoming General Elections has created a lot of buzz on the Internet. Even more so that now politicians are turning to social media to expound their proposed policies. The one politician (if we can really call her that) that has probably generated the most buzz of all has got to be Tin Pei Ling from PAP, who is contesting for Marine Parade GRC. This is mainly because of the image she has portrayed online, through her Facebook pictures, the way she has answered questions at Interviews, and her unexpected behaviour that did not seem befitting for a politician.
Some examples include her cutesy pictures posted on her page, the one which she poses with her Kate Spade bag being the most infamous, how she answered that her greatest regret in life is "not having brought her parents to RWS", and last but not least, saying "I don't know what to say" to a reporter and stamping her foot like a child. Such actions have prompted thousands of Singaporean netizens to criticize and diss her strongly on the Internet.
This brings me to my point, that the Internet allows people to criticize others with no respite and no restrictions. Although the Internet has allowed more freedom of speech and a greater whirlwind of fresh ideas and opinions, it has also encouraged irresponsible speech in many different ways.
Friends and I were debating about Tin Pei Ling on my Facebook wall, and some brought up a point which I would like to highlight on this entry.
"She's been trolled on the internet enough dont you think? The chances of her winning the votes are extremely low after the whole media fiasco, theres no point spitting on someone thats already down and out. Do we really want to push her over the edge? shes young and inexperienced her entire life has changed in the past two months and she practically has no privacy any more. Even britney spears shaved her head and went on a crazy rampage when people did that to her and she was a super star. All im saying is i think the interwebz should back off abit before this girl cracks." - Syed Hyder.
"i dont think the internet has been fair to her. she's been the butt of all the jokes, every one has been just flaming her non stop, for her pictures, to her personal life which honestly, is unfair. Thing is, this lady hasn't said anything smart for any sorta reprieve. im not making fun of her, but her going into parliament like that would be unfair dont you think? i mean, i dont make fun of her, im just judging her based on her virtues and ideas, which honestly, are lacking. But yes, honestly, the internet community is absolutely trolling on PAP candidates." - Ian Toh
Their points prove that the Internet and its users can really be very foolish and merciless as they carelessly air their thoughts online without thinking twice.
I shall end this post with my response to them.
"i think that if you want to step on a pedestal like this and put yourself out for the public to scrutinize, you have to make sure that you are fit for the public to scrutinize. well the image that miss tin decided to put on is that of a bimbotic person trying her best to look less bimbotic, and if that is her decision, she has to be prepared for all kinds of insults that will go her way.
even our dear emperor who has done so many wonderful things for our nation gets backlash all the time. even the most ridiculous insults that have no correlation to the bad or the good he has done. but i'm sure that he understands that because of his social status and his fame, this is what he must endure from time to time.
if miss tin cannot withstand the pressure of mere internet backlash, she really shouldn't be contesting. she should go home."
Inch Chua
1:43 PM
As presented in class one fine day, Inch Chua is a friend of mine who has made it big with the help of the wonderful Internet. Inch Chua is an indie singer-songwriter who used to be in a rock band called Allura. After starting her solo music career, she found fame in less than a year because of the home-made videos of herself playing music that she had been posting on YouTube. The first video she put up features Allura's original song.
And then she did a cover of YouTube sensation's David Choi's song.
From covering his song a year ago, she now works with him and his manager, having played shows with him and toured with him in USA.
Take a look at her first music video.
Recently she went to LA to meet Ashton Kutcher, his company, and other social media savvy youths who have achieved something great with the Internet, to discuss different ways social media can be used to better art, film, and music in time to come.
Snakeweed Sessions
11:17 AM
A couple of musicians and myself have teamed up together to create a series of acoustic music sessions that feature some of the world's best indie musicians and regional musicians. It is named "Snakeweed Sessions" because the recordings are done at Snakeweed Studios, Singapore's renowned indie studio. So far, the acts that are featured on the first season are Villagers (Ireland), Inch Chua (Singapore), Monster Cat (Singapore), and Rachael Yamagata (USA). Snakeweed Sessions was inspired by "Live on Abbey Road".
Here is Villagers' session in which Conor O' Brien plays his hit "Becoming a Jackal".
Here is a sneak peek of Inch Chua's interview. Her sessions will launch on 29th April.
We aim to share these videos on YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and Twitter, in hopes that such videos will go viral, just like how "Live on Abbey Road" is very viral. For them to go viral, it is fundamentally important for the material/product to be of a certain quality or standard. In other words it has to be extremely good. There are many forms of goodness. For example, it can be so bad it's good, so funny it's good, or so well-produced it's good. We believe that ours fall in the third category as I have mentioned. We engaged top-notch musicians and film makers for this project, to ensure that the videos will look good and sound good.
My New Android Phone
Thursday, March 17, 20111:20 AM
I recently got myself an Android with data plan, and I am absolutely amazed by how different life is with such easy access to the Internet anywhere and anytime. Life simply becomes so much more convenient! I never get lost anymore thanks to Google Maps and GPS, I know exactly where the nearest ATM is should I need to draw money, and that saves me loads of time. If I'm not sure of anything I see or hear, I can simply google it and get my answer instantly. I can also Facebook, network with people on the train, check for important emails and reply them. Life seriously has become so much easier with smart phones and internet on the go.
Even though I have only gotten the Android for barely a month, I can already feel that I won't be able to live without it. The modern society has generally become so attached to technology. Honestly, I have to say that the phone is my best friend. The Internet is my best friend. I spend more time with the Internet than with anyone else. I surf the Internet when I'm travelling, when I'm waiting for someone, when I'm chilling after a meal... And then when I go home, I surf the Internet even more!
Sometimes I wonder if that's where my soul has escaped to, the cyber world. My empty vessel simply travels from place to place, while my mind and my soul linger in the cyber world. It's quite a scary thought. But as scary the thought is, everyone around me including myself, does not seem to have any qualms doing it.
Business and the Internet
Monday, February 28, 20119:38 AM
I recently started a music school with several of my music loving friends, and I must say that we owe a lot to the Internet. The Internet has made it amazingly easy to advertise for our school. We have a page on facebook, a Twitter profile, a website, etc etc etc... People know about us before we have even printed any posters or banners or organized any campaigns to promote ourselves!
But of course, if advertising is easy for us, it is definitely easy for other music schools as well. I guess the trick lies in the knowledge of how to maximize the advantages of the Internet in the best way possible. Anybody knows how to use Twitter and Facebook, but whether they use it effectively is another thing.
My father is a good example of someone who does not know how to maximize the advantages of social networking sites to promote his business. He owns a dance school and has a facebook account for it. However, he retains his traditional mindset that "the Internet is a dangerous world and strange people might very much want to steal your private information and harm you." Therefore, his dance school's facebook profile is set to Private, and nobody else can see his profile except friends who have been vetted and added. As you can see in this scenario, the purpose of social networking for business is very much compromised.
On a side note, do feel free to like my music school's page here: http://www.facebook.com/thunderrockschool
and follow our Twitter here:
http://www.twitter.com/thunderrocksch
There! Maximizing the advantages of the internet by getting as many eyeballs on my school's page as possible! :D
Dial-Up
Tuesday, February 15, 20113:43 PM
I recall the year 2000 as we stepped into the 21st century. People around me were excited that we made it into the 2nd millenium. It signified milestones in technology, progress in society, and we thought we were the future.
At that time, almost every household had a computer and internet connection. We thought we were so modern and stuff, but we were still using dial-up.
It's funny now that we think about it, what with everyone connected to the internet with lightning quick broadband. Once upon a time, it took a person about 5 - 10 minutes to get connected. Now, we complain if we even have to wait for 30 seconds.
3:43 PM
