you need censorship, whether you like it or not

link to the article:http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/1596176/more-governments-censoring-internet

The new media is an incredibly powerful article. In this article, the author talks about how powerful the Internet, which is an important part of CMC (Computer Mediated Communication), is and many countries in the world are still depriving their own citizens the rights to access any websites in the world.

I definitely agree with the author about how powerful the Internet has become. The Internet, unlike the mass media, is able to achieve convergence by making voice, video and data into common digital formats and combining two way interactive capability. For instance, now a simple video taken on a camcorder can easily be digitalized and uploaded into the computer and later the Internet. Moreover, two way interactive capability is achieved if you upload the video or data on social networks such as Twitter, Myspace, Facebook and people get to comment and provide feedback. People can access this from everywhere, regardless of their location, as long as they are connected to the web.

This can be a really powerful and completely unstoppable tool. As more and more people view the video, one can be easily influenced by the comments of the others. Moreover, with the easy access of information, information can be transmitted quickly to almost anyone. This is the reason why so many countries are actively censorship contents online, because they do not want people to know information that will be detrimental or undermining to the country's policies.

So regarding this, if you were to ask me if I agree the Internet has to be regulated, I believe it has to be to a certain extent. Websites and news articles that promote racial and religious hatred have to be sieved out from our scope of attention. People's perceptions can be influenced very easily and these websites can alter their values and beliefs. Moreover, the no-boundaries access can potentially allow foreign influence to undermine your country directly. I understand that many people are upset about China censoring many websites but there is always a risk that information that is potential harmful to the country will enter the country and cause conflicts within the country. In the West, many people are sympathetic to the cause independence cause of the Tibetans. There are many websites that are set up dedicating to this. If these websites are allowed to enter the web premises of China, this will stir up more negative feelings towards the government and more positive feelings towards Tibert. The results? More conflicts and disarray in the country. Let's put these into another perspective. What if there are many foreign websites that are dedicated to the Independence of Texas, do you think that the US, which has claimed to be a strong supporter of free speech, will allow these websites into the American cyberspace?

The bottom line is that due to the ability of convergence, the Internet is a powerful tool...too powerful that things have to be done to limit its effects. Censorship needs to be there to protect the interests of the country and to prevent potential conflicts. I am a strong supporter of it. Are you?

Is reading actually believing?

link to this article: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_499358.html

Once again, these few names will appear in front of you. Tiger Woods, John Terry, Ashley Cole and now Singapore's very own Jack Neo?? Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of having their affairs exposed by the media. In this article, many Singaporeans have stated their disappointment and some have also decided to boycott his movies.

What surprised me about this is not about Jack Neo, whom many people have stated their perception of him being a upright, caring family man as portrayed in his movies, having this affair but from the overwhelming responses from people around. Recently, there are too many stories about famous celebrities having affairs that Jack Neo's affair seems to me that it is not merely a coincidence that this is exposed at this 'peak period'. It seems to be that the Magic Bullet Theory is at work here. The Magic Bullet Theory states that the mass media is all powerful but the audience is all powerless, so the mass media is able to manipulate a passive and gullible public. People also feel that the mass media is a credible source and believe in it without questioning it. This is why I am surprised that so many people are believing this story from the strong responses I have seen.

Let me illustrate this further. Pro-wrestling is staged. Most people know that. However, two particular incidents stood out. In early 1998, the then-WWF brought in Mike Tyson and he had an in-ring brawl with wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin. Many media bought the news and it was even the headlines of some, even though this was a completely staged confrontation. Last year, Donald Trump was staged to 'purchase' Monday Night Raw from WWE owner Vince McMahon. Soon after that televised episode of Raw, WWE shares were affected because some investors thought that the news was true.

So this has shown that despite of the rise of technology that the audience has greater access to look for other sources, most people still rely on the mass media for information and believe wholeheartedly. The mass media still has an almighty control on the minds of people.

I am not disputing this affair. I am not saying that this is fabricated. I am just thinking that this affair may be sensationalized to a certain extent to generate interests. I must point out that the mass media has its agenda setting function. The mass media is able to downplay some issues and magnify others. Could this be a publicity stunt? Unlike previous Chinese New Years, Jack Neo did not release any films this year but will be releasing his new film only in March. So, is this trying to generate interests towards his movie? Also remember that in Singapore, the various sources of mass media are tightly linked to each other and controlled by the government. So I will not be surprised if the newspaper is actually aiding the television company to drum up interests in this affair and person, since all of them are linked and aiding each other will help in moving towards a secret agenda.

So, give me your thoughts. Are you going to believe in everything the mass media says?