The Straits Times Stomp or more officially known as Straits Times Online Media Print integrates the content and activities in the three platforms of print, online and mobile into a single website. The website has gained much popularity in Singapore partly due to an increasing ownership of handphones which are capable of taking photographs and video clips and the high penetration of broadband usage in Singapore. This are the two crucial important development contributing to the popularity of the stomp website.
How Popular Has the Site Been?
Netizens have been logging in to the website to load photos and video clips of the daily seen, sights and happenings in Singapore. Known as the 'Singapore Seen' (sic) you will be able to find all forms of postings from accidents to public show of affections, fighting to pure strange behaviours amongst Singaporeans. The website has also been a placed where Singaporeans expresses their grunt and complaints and anything that they see out of the ordinary.
Singaporeans record the interesting happenings that they witness such as a quarrel on board a bus, inconsiderate driving and riding, indiscriminate parking to unsocial behaviours amongst other Singaporeans. But more and more, the website has become a place where petty complaints and comments were posted. I supposed it is easier to be a shadow person who posts such scene on the websites without revealing their true identity from the active participants correcting those act in the first place. It is much easier to snap a photo of students making out at the void deck without having to confront them, it is easier to express the disgust of a person enjoying a seat on a train or bus and ignoring an elderly or a pregnant woman standing without having to tell them to give up their seat.
Singaporeans are more comfortable in observing from afar and quick in logging on to the internet and loading up their observation at the very first opportunity that they are hook up to the internet but they are very slow in taking the proactive action of correcting those actions. We give our comments and complaints but never lift a finger to do anything about it. So what are we? A society of concerned people or a society of complaint masters. I would think that the latter would aptly describe us more than the former.
I couldn't help but expressed my astonishment at the type of complaints that could be read on the website. Singaporeans already known for being quick to complain but slow to react reaches a new level with the introduction of the website. Here, you will be able to see a sort of ranting and comments. The mocking that they received online hasn't stop the website to gain popularity.
Many would say that the advent of the website is a natural progress in the continuing interest in citizen journalism but to me it is more of an outlet where Singaporeans may express their views without doing anything about it. As the saying goes why make your hand dirty.
No comments:
Post a Comment