JUNE GWEE and WENDY WONG
A research paper in the Civil Service College publication, Ethos Perspectives (December 2006), provides a window on current thinking within some sectors of the administration.
The new media challenges our current assumptions about citizen engagement in the policy-making process. Blogs as a tool for governance can only be effective if governments can develop the right approach, in the context of its values, environment and vision, for engaging its citizenry. In addition, there is an urgency to review current media policies so that it can address the challenges and opportunities of the new media. Before we are too quick to label new media as the playground of the young and restless, or consider hard-headed measures to harness the power of blogs, we need to better understand the motivations and socio-demographics of bloggers in order to develop a more informed strategy to connect and interact with these netizens.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:02 am
i feel that one of the motivations for bloggers is the power to publish. be it for political, social or economic reasons, the blog has become a platform to share one's views about particular topics.
so far, i have come across two compelling arguments:
the cult of the amateur – where amateur / citizen journalists have misconstrued the institution of journalism and without proper training, become the "playground of the young and restless"
however, the wisdom of the crowds is another school of thought where citizen journalism is valued for going into places where journalists have not ventured (manpower straps could be a reason). it's sort of democracy in practice where the silent voices are not just bound by votes anymore, but the blogosphere has become the coffeeshops of discussion. it perhaps has evolved into a new public sphere.
hopefully, as platforms continue to develop, and we tap into the collective consciousness of the blogosphere, the majority of Internet users will be better educated and more widely read, augmented with both traditional and new media. in the end, i reckon that this 'new' media will become like any other media.
these are exciting times indeed -)