Ethical Issues of Blogging in Singapore Essay Example

is but one of the many postings containing such injurious remarks. Despite such comments, Xiaxue’s post was condoned. Although the two blogs commented about different races on different degrees, parallels can be drawn to show that there is no clear benchmark as to when the blogger crosses the line with their posts and will face legal actions. The flippant use of vulgarities on many popular blogs has undoubtedly reinforced in its young readers the idea that it is acceptable to use vulgarities in their conversations.

Currently as there is no regulation or law restricting the use of coarse languages on blogs, hence it is impossible to curb the growing trend in the use of vulgarities without restraint on the blogs. There is also the problem of nudity found on some local blogs. A blogger, who goes by the name of Sarong Party Girl, was the centre of one such controversy when nude pictures of herself posted on her blog was reported in the newspapers. (Lwee, 2005) As long as the there is no restriction on readership, this ethical issue will continue to pose adverse effects on the young audience of blogs.Consequences of Blogging Undesirable Contents Knowing that Bloggers address a certain audience, they used attention drawing pictures and contents as a tool to increase readership. A study on blogs has shown that a measurement of prestige is the measure of attention (Goldhaber, 1997).

The amount of publicity a Blog receives is a good indication of the high status it enjoys. The ethical question arises when these Bloggers include sexually explicit materials and coarse languages to increase their popularity.These undesirable contents are a common sight on blogs

nowadays and they are not only provocative but are also misleading in sending the wrong message out to a young audience. Allowing such contents on these Blogs will send out the wrong signal to adolescent readers that it is socially acceptable. Therefore being at an impressionable age, they may be easily influenced by such conduct.

Blogs as a Platform for Controversies With the popularity of Blogs, vast opinions and comments can be easily posted by readers each day. These opinions and comments are diverse in ideas and can be potential topics of controversies.Many of these comments and opinions are posted in the name of personal opinion. For instance in Wendy Cheng (Xiaxue)’s blog, she commented that ‘I dun (don’t) really mind if strangers think that I'm a freaking bitch, coz (because) that’s the way I am.

Even in real life, when I am unhappy about something, I say it out. I am just being frank. I want an outlet for my expressions, and I dun care if ppl (people) dun like it. ’ (Cheng, 2003) Another illustration was the remarks made by Member of Parliament Mr Wee Swee Kim’s daughter on elitism (Hardwarezone, 2006).Clearly these Bloggers are being socially irresponsible by thinking that they can write whatever they please, ignoring the repercussions of their comments and how they might stir up controversies and social disharmony. It is therefore unethical to use Blogs as a medium for circulating or propagating ideas even though one is entitled to the freedom of expression.

Lack of Accountability The pervasiveness of Blogging in Singapore has brought education, journalism and reporting to a new level; ministers have taken to Blogging (Hussain,

2006) and teachers are using blogs as a teaching aid outside classroom doors (Ministry of Education, 2006).As such it is essential that contents in non-personal blogs should contain reliable information with accurate sources. Unfortunately, Blogs may not always contain all truths, and many Blogs contain only half truths or some, a hoax. Statistics have shown that Bloggers do not value ‘Truth Telling’ as one of the top priorities of ethics practiced while Blogging (Koh, Lim, Ng, Detenber and Cenite, 2005). Therefore unethical Blogging with untruths will reduce the credibility of Blogs in the future, thus impeding it to be a powerful tool of the mass media. Current ResponsesUnder the Media Development Authority framework to regulate the Internet, the Internet Code of Practice and the Internet Industry Guidelines are formulated for the Internet Content Providers and Internet Service Providers to comply (Media Development Authority, 2007).

Despite these guidelines for the Internet content in Singapore, there are still some ‘grey’ areas that fall short supervising contents such as nudity, vulgarities, opinions and comments in blogs that are objectionable on the grounds of ethics and morality. Recommendations Code of Practice for BlogsCurrently there are no guidelines specifically targeted at Blogs. With the increasing popularity of blogs, a Code of Practice for blogs should be implemented to tackle the ethical issues that have surfaced. The following recommendations will alleviate the above problems and consequences: Legal Liability The Blogger should be made aware of the Singapore Legislation and that he/she is legally liable for any inflammatory remarks posted by both the blogger and blog reader.

Due to the large scope of the legislation, a campaign can be held to highlight

the laws concerning blogging.The blogger will also be responsible for the moderation of the contents in the blog by removing objectionable opinions posted by blog readers. Singapore is a nation built by people of different races and cultures. Racial harmony is important and vital in ensuring the peace and prosperity of the country.

With this measure on blogs, it will help to deter potential racist comments that may be detrimental to racial harmony. Transparency Blogs that give professional advice or expert knowledge in areas such as education and politics should be made transparent.The identity of the blogger should be revealed as much as possible and information on personal affiliations and conflicts of interest should also be included in forums to maintain a neutral stand. This helps to ensure that the blogger will be made accountable for the postings on the blog and will be held responsible for his comments. Censorship protocol of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) More stringent checks need to be conducted by ISPs on blog contents to filter detrimental contents.

This will act as a governing body to regulate blogs with sexually explicit materials, course languages and controversial issues. To do so, blogs can be given ratings to pre-empt the readers of the information in the blogs and assist parents in preventing minors from viewing such contents. With this measure in place, blogs with explicit content can be easily filtered out and censored from the view of adolescence. These above-mentioned points may not address all the ethical issues related to Blogging but it seeks to provide a framework to tackle the current situation presented insofar.

Public Education One possible approach the Singapore government can take

would be to increase public awareness. Though stringent guidelines can be implemented on local bloggers to self-censor materials that they publish on their blogs, there are still areas which the law may not be able to cover adequately. In these areas, it is up to the reader themselves to differentiate between the good and the bad contents on these blogs. A possible way to put this into practice would be for the Singapore government to embark on one of its trademark campaigns.The campaign can target different groups of the population at the same time. It can encourage bloggers to practice “Responsible blogging” – that is to self-censor any contents that are not suitable for general viewing, as well as to educate members of the public on what are undesirable contents.

The government may be able to impose legislations on what bloggers post in cyberspace, but it will not be able to reach its desired effects until people understand that it is in the best interest of the nation to do so.As such, public education is an important component in the multi-pronged approach to tackle ethical issues arising from blogging. Parental guidance As children are in the developmental stage of their life, they are the most vulnerable to foreign ideas and concepts. It is the responsibility of parents and older members of the family to guide them on the right path and teach them to differentiate right from wrong. With the free exchange of information brought on by the internet, many wrong values are being spread.

It is fairly common to see youngsters flaunting about their sexual escapades with their numerous sexual partners on their personal blogs

(Cheng, 2007). It is thus the responsibility of the parent to educate their children with the right values. This would help children to differentiate from right and wrong whenever they chance upon unsuitable contents on blogs. It is also through the consistent effort of the parents in their concern about the blogs their children read that would minimize the adverse effects caused by explicit contents.Conclusion Blogging has evolved tremendously since its inception and has served as a powerful tool for education, forums for current issues and an avenue for general source of information and opinions. We would like to stress on the urgency of censoring unethical controversies that have arisen from blogging with policing mechanisms such as a code of practice for blogging.

In addition, public education and parental guidance is essential to make the multi-pronged approach more effective.To conclude, there can be countless guidelines and laws put in place but it is ultimately on the onus of every individual blogger and reader to exercise self-regulation. References Cheng, Wendy ( 2006) and (2007) Online Blog Online source: http://xiaxue. blogspot. com/2006/01/ladies-and-gentlemen-i-present-to-you. html Chong, C.

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