Problem Solution Essay Draft 1

Social media has engaged us in many aspects of our lives, from online marketing and shopping to networking and to the dissemination of news and information. As more people embrace social media, many online platforms proliferate. One such example in Singapore is the STOMP platform that was created and maintained by the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), which aims to engage netizens in the sharing of first-hand information.

The STOMP official website allows netizens to contribute articles and information via uploads of photos and videos, as well as news articles on a real-time basis. However, it appears that some netizens have been misusing it for online shaming which sometimes tantamounts to harassment and the invasion of personal privacy. In some instances, netizens resort to posting fabricated photos just to gain the attention of fellow users. One such example is the photo of an elderly standing in front of a NS man in uniform and seated in a train. The photograph was posted on 24 Mar 2014 by one of the netizens. He sparked public outcry by complaining about the NS man’s perceived lack of graciousness conduct for not giving up his seat to the elderly. However, in actual fact, there was a reserved seat meant for elderly citizens just a few seats away. The elderly probably chose to stand. This post inevitably portrayed an inaccurate perception of the NS man who by virtue of the uniform he was donning represents the Singapore Armed Force. There was also a recent photo of a man who dozed off in a train. The man inadvertently revealed his private parts as his legs were spread wide apart while seated on the train. The photograph was shared on STOMP on 28 Jan 2015 before going viral online. This had likely put the man to shame and embarrassment. Some feel that SPH allows insensitive articles and articles which have not been rectified for their accuracy to be uploaded on STOMP at the expense of other citizens. While SPH owns the site, it states in its terms and conditions that it holds no responsibility and control over the content contributed by the third-party users. (STOMP, (n.d.))

While STOMP involves netizens in the information sharing of first-hand news, SPH should set guidelines to make sure photos and information put up online are accurate, do not infringe privacy of others or constitute harassment before they are approved to be disseminated.

There was an online petition created by retail executive Robin Li in April 2014 via an international campaigning site change.org for the closing down of STOMP website as he felt that “STOMP had failed to rectify and set simple sensible guidelines before any irresponsible netizen contributes a fabricated story without getting the right facts.” (Li, 2014) To date, the petition has gathered more than 24,000 signatures. It was unsuccessful in bringing STOMP down, but garnered a response from the Singapore media regulator, the Media Development Authority (MDA) to say that “it will not influence the editorial slant of websites but will take firm action if there is a breach of public interest or the promotion of racial and religious hatred or intolerance.” (The Straits Time, 2014) While this message from MDA serves as a warning to citizen contributors, articles such as the one depicting a man’s private may not deemed to fall within the category of breaching public interest or promoting hatred and intolerance. In fact, the photograph was published on STOMP after MDA’s response.

Notwithstanding the concerns with the Stomp Platform, a complete closure of STOMP may be extreme as STOMP can still be an interactive platform supporting citizen-journalism. It also encourages interaction and sharing of first-hand information amongst netizens almost on a real-time basis. SPH could perhaps step in to regulate the content of reports submitted by contributors by filtering articles containing elements of harassment or infringement of personal privacy prior to being published online. When there is a video or photo uploaded that speaks ill of a particular type of behaviour, SPH may need to make sure that the faces of the featured citizens are blurred to prevent identification. While this requires input from SPH in terms of resources and will invariably delay the publication of articles submitted by contributors, such vetting could be important in fostering a healthy online environment. Being the owner of the platform, besides drawing to the attention of contributors that they are responsible for the contents posted subject to the terms and conditions imposed by SPH, it may be helpful for SPH to include a checklist of the standards expected of the contributors before they can post their articles. This is likely to promote responsible online behaviour amongst them.

With the proliferation of social media platforms like STOMP allowing freedom of contributors to post and share information, social responsibility from contributors become paramount. I hope that if SPH steps in to moderate content posted on STOMP, it can help to promote good social habit of contributors and create a healthy online environment.

(823 words)

References

STOMP. (n.d.). Terms and Conditions.

Retrieved from: http://www.stomp.com.sg/tnc.html

Li. R. (2014, April).  Close down STOMP.com.sg. Change.org.

Retrieved from: https://www.change.org/p/sph-stomp-com-sg-close-down-stomp-com-sg

MDA responds to anti-Stomp petition. (2014, April 19). The Straits Times. Retrieved from: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/mda-responds-anti-stomp-petition-0#sthash.vfvJ6DvB.dpuf