Journalism and the Internet

As the internet has allowed for the easy sharing of views and information, a result of this is the rise of citizen journalism.

Amongst the most famous of such citizen journalists in Singapore, would be a man known as Mr Brown. Famous for speaking his mind on his internet blog, Mr. Brown also presents his views through the creation of funny videos and spoofs on his topics of discussion. His use of the internet and humour have gathered him a large following, despite him having been issued warnings for some of his more provocative views.



Just recently, he released this video on the upcoming elections soon to take place in Singapore. Already, the video is making its way across social networking platforms like Facebook. HIlarious yet brutally frank, the combination is the trademark of Mr. Brown's work. It even throws in typical Singaporean phrases and makes name plays on various government packages.

Of course, internet journalism is not just limited to the political arena.

The most commonly referred to citizen journalism site in Singapore, STOMP has also raised many issues that people speak out on. Varying from small issues like people leaning on the pole in MRT trains to reports of accidents, the site has become a tool through which citizens are making themselves heard. However, it is unclear whether such expression is truly beneficial yet. While there are a number of views that are mature and distinct issue that probably should be addressed, many have abused the site as a place to make complaints and pick on nitty-gritty issues.

Despite these things though, support for the site is still going strong. It is not clear which direction it will take in the future, but one thing is sure: it won't be dying out anytime soon.