The national identity conceptualized for Singapore was one that advocated ‘collectivism over ‘individualism’ (Wong, 2001). This national ideology was based on five shared core values: nation before community and society above self; family as the basic unit of society; regard and community support for the individual; consensus instead of contention; and racial and religious harmony (Aquilia, 2005).
SNSs and blogs have accelerated the transfer of American culture and values into the pre-dominantly Asian culture of Singapore and here’s why: SNSs and blogs are essentially tools of individualistic expressions. These social networking tools appeal to the Asian sense of collectivism in community: Myspace’s slogan, for instance, is “a place for friends”; Facebook purports to help you “connect and share with the people in your life”; and Twitter is “a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected.” Users might indeed be plugged into the wider blogsphere via links to friends’ blogs or linked to numerous other netizens via Facebook groups but by promoting individual-to-individual connections, these social networking tools are essentially platforms for self-expression and ultimately promote the American value of individualism. The glorification of celebrity bloggers, the likes of Perez Hilton and closer to home, Xiaxue, who are able to command a strong online following through their opinionated postings and liberal viewpoints have galvanised users to air their thoughts and even sensationalise postings – something unheard of and frowned upon just a decade ago in Singapore. Over Facebook, a similar occurrence can be likewise observed, with users exhorted to customize their profiles and stake out clear positions on issues like politics in their status.
References:
Peter Aquilia, May 2005, Endangered Genre: English-Language Television Drama in Singapore, Media International Australia incorporating Culture and Policy, No.115.
Wong, K.K. 2001, Media And Culture in Singapore: A Theory of Controlled Commodification, Hapton Press, Creskill, NJ.
