News
Communications and Information: Leading Smart Nation push while curbing database breaches
Fake news, the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal, and fears over abuse of surveillance data amid plans by the Government to roll out an interconnected network of smart lamp posts here.
The Big Read: In the war against fake news, public needs to get in the trenches
SINGAPORE — It was over dinner on an evening in December 2016 when a sales manager at a printing company decided that he must make a stand…
Film Production Boot Camp Showcase
Students have completed the first half of HASS 02.201 Film II – Production Studies.
Hacking a Solution to Fake News!
Fake news may be a growing scourge but a team of SUTD students is raring to stamp it out!
Abstract thinking can help us slay orthodoxies
What cerebral traits do Singaporeans need to thrive? Much emphasis has been placed on imagination and creativity as opposed to rote…
Scholars: The public should be made aware of the motivations behind the online fake information (Summarised Translation)
The parliamentary Select Committee to study the problem of deliberate online falsehoods and to recommend how Singapore should respond has invited local scholars to submit proposals. Some of the invited scholars disclosed that they will share their views on the media literacy of the general public, the motives of fake news creators, and the social costs of deceptive information.
Marrying the Best of Engineering and Anthropology
Find out how our alumnus Shaun Lim (Class of 2015) married his interests in HASS with his background in engineering to chart an unconventional yet exciting path for himself.
Dr J. Casey Hammond awarded Taiwan Fellowship for 2018 by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Dr J. Casey Hammond has been awarded a Taiwan Fellowship for 2018 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan).
50 “influencers” promote Singapore’s Budget; Young netizens feel “insulted” (summarised translation)
Lianhe Zaobao, 21 Jan 2018, 50 “Influencers” Promote Singapore’s Budget; Young Netizens Feel “Insulted” (summarised translation)
In an effort to reach out to younger Singaporeans, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has paid for over 50 social media “influencers” to post on Instagram to promote the Budget process. However, this move has triggered controversy among internet users, who questioned and ridiculed the action.
In a report that appeared the day before yesterday, AFP News said that Singapore had sparked mockery with Instagram ‘influencers’ for budget. Regarding this, Prof Lim Sun Sun, Head of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the Singapore University of Technology and Design said in an interview that internet users’ criticism may stem from the fact that these influencers “lack real understanding of the budget details”, and some even misspelt the name of the Ministry of Finance, giving the impression of being unprofessional.
“For these influencers who rarely comment on current affairs, they may be unable to convey the gravity of the Budget process. I do not think that our young people are apathetic towards politics; therefore they may feel insulted when the Budget is conveyed to them in such a superficial manner.”
Experts: Legislation alone will not suffice; addressing problem of online falsehoods requires a concerted effort on multiple fronts (summarised translation)
Experts: Legislation alone will not suffice; addressing problem of online falsehoods requires a concerted effort on multiple fronts (summarised translation)
Government’s plan to appoint a select committee to discuss problem of deliberate online falsehoods signals the complexity of the problem and recognition that it will involve a broad swathe of society and views from many stakeholders.
On the appointment of a select committee at this point in time, Professor Lim Sun Sun, Head of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the Singapore University of Technology and Design felt that with many other countries including Britain, France and Germany also actively tackling this issue, Singapore can glean lessons from their experiences in terms of the nature and efficacy of different possible measures.
She explained that the last US election and the UK’s Brexit referendum manifested the interference of deliberate online falsehoods in the discussion of issues of keen public interest. Singapore may also be similarly vulnerable. “Ours is a highly connected society with an ever growing proportion of our population relying heavily if not exclusively on the internet for information. In light of such circumstances, coupled with the growing sophistication of technological tools for the manipulation of news and fabrication of online falsehoods, media consumers will find it increasingly challenging to differentiate genuine news from deliberate online falsehoods.”
Professor Lim also felt that education is a critical linchpin in the fight against online falsehoods. “People need to be made to understand what the motivations are for fabricating online falsehoods, and how individuals and entities that engage in such activities stand to profit.”