Social media is a force to be reckoned with politically.
It helped usher in the Arab Spring, brought Julian Assange and Wikileaks notoriety (still very much in the minds of the public with their recent release of the Strafor cache) , and helped to marshal support for Occupy Wall Street all around the world.
And the change it brings happens in an eyeblink, at least compared to how old politics work.
The KONY 2012 campaign is a viral video currently sweeping the world. Launched just this week on March 5th, it has already gained 55 million views on YouTube in five days and is still trending upwards. That’s more than 10 times the population of Singapore.
It’s an eclectic mix. The only two really Singaporean videos are the Yam Ah Mee Election remix and the plastic bottle heartbreak video. I would have expected more content from Singaporeans, but these are the stats from YouTube.
The hype surrounding Internet or smart TVs these days begs the question: why would you want to check your Facebook on your TV with an awkward remote control rather than your touch-screen phone?
Apparently, TV makers think differently. From Samsung to Sony, they have been cranking out smart TVs as the next big thing for the living room, and well, now you too can get your old TV on this “next gen” goodness when you plug in an Asus O!Play Mini Plus set-top box cum video streamer.
Never mind if you can’t pronounce its name. This petite gizmo not only streams all sorts of video formats from your PC to your TV, but it also acts as a conduit for “smart” e-services that your neighbour’s spanking new TV offers. …
Another day, another 3D phone being launched in Singapore.
Right after HTC touted its Evo 3D phone yesterday, Korean handset maker LG today showed off its Optimus 3D to reporters here, confident that its S$938 phone will make people start taking pictures and videos in 3D and view them on the screen without using any special glasses. …
A series of massive earthquakes hit Japan at 5.45 GMT today, causing widespread devastation in the form of landslides, floods and even a 4-metre high tsunami. If you have family and friends in Japan, and want to keep track of everything that is happening, here are a few ways to do so:
Google’s Person Finder The search giant launched “Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake” shortly after the earthquake hit. The Web-based app allows you to look for a person by searching his name, and, should there not be a result, let you create a new record for a missing person. The service is available in both Japanese and English, and should be very handy for those trying to locate a loved one.
Live blogs Many news outlets are live-blogging the catastrophe on the fly, including BBC News, Reuters, and The Guardian. Accompanying the live blogs are interactive maps, videos, and pictures. You can also contribute by submitting information on the unfolding disaster.
YouTube Arabic news network Al-Jazeera is providing live coverage over on their channel.
Twitter Twitter is an excellent place to hear what people on the ground are saying. Virtually all trending topics right now are about the disaster, including #prayforjapan and #tsunami. Searching for “Japan earthquake” on Twitter also yielded numerous results.
If you have any other ways of tracking the earthquake, do share them in the comments below. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people affected by the disaster.
The more I talk to the Youth Olympic Games folks to uncover stories for Digital Life, the more I find out that some of the really interesting YOG social media content is hidden behind “official” content and not given enough publicity.
Take a look at the Youth Guru YouTube video below. It’s quite a hilarious series, with 15 videos to date. *Chio peng* (aka ROTFLMAO in hokkien dialect). Well done Youth Guru folks!
The content in this series is far more fun than many of the videos on the official Singapore2010 channel on YouTube. Youth Guru should have its own YouTube channel, or just highlighted instead of being lost in the array of official videos on the main channel.
As I’ve said before, I think some of the social media content for YOG needs more love. For example, this Youth Guru series is hilarious. Others, like the Odyssey Singapore 2010 virtual world, needs a little bit more work.
The key issue is that all of them could use a little more publicity. And as I’ve said before, one relatively easy way is to reach out to the Singaporean blogs!
Commentary: Opennet problems threaten to spoil Singapore’s fibre broadband experience
Nokia Lumia 900 comes to Singapore on May 26, costs S$849
Goondu review: Audio Technica ATH-ANC9 QuietPoint
SME Toolbox: Basic IT gear for a new business
Hands on: Samsung Galaxy S III stars as new flagship phone
