The inert online citizen : online political spaces in Singapore

• Main Author: Rachna Raghupathi
• Other Authors: Tan See Seng
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Political science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76093
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

It is difficult to believe that as recently as 40 years ago, as academics began to delve into the ways in which countries could democratise, most of them had not even dreamed of what would be an eventual gamechanger: the internet. The internet, with its free flow of information and its easy, cheap ways of communication, has the potential to effect change that could shake up existing government structures. Unlike the previous explosive medium- the television- the internet seemed to circumvent national law and regulation, attempts at censorship; governments no longer had a say in what could be seen, and by whom. The liberalising impact it had on societal thinking was even seen as potentially destabilising, especially in developing countries. In hindsight, however, it seems as if the internet has stopped just short of making widespread, 'destabilising' political change possible. And while it has popularised protest and pushbacks against government rule in countries whose political systems are still developing, there seems to be no trace of either in Singapore. What is holding political progress and development back in Singapore? Why has the internet, whose use and penetration in Singapore is one of the highest in the world, not effected the change people expected to see? This paper shall look into the politicising power of the internet, specifically in the context of Singapore. While assessing the obstacles that Singapore must deal with in bringing about political change, I also aim to assess the internet as a medium, as a supposed tool for political destabilisation, to understand if claims of its potential were warranted- again, in the context of Singapore.