Digital Media & Entertainment

1. Overview

With the convergence of media, telecommunications and computing in recent year, we have seen major changes in the digital media and entertainment sector, from the first 'killer' application, the email, to MMORPG games. ICT is transforming the production, processing and distribution of content and services. In the process, it is opening up an era of new interactive and immersive possibilities, experiences and business opportunities that will radically change the world.[1105sgict:1]

Hence, to join in this revolution and embrace its possibilities, Singapore aims to establish itself as a DME capital offering innovative content, services and technologies to the world.

2. History/Milestones

 2.1. Old Media

If we recast old media into this model, traditional print media encompasses the following: newspaper, journals, magazines, radio and TV. To be fair, the old media industry has now consolidated into large corporations and the management have a very strong control towards what gets transmitted to the people.[1105sgict:2]

Mediacorp Pte Ltd is Singapore's leading media company that covers most medium of media, ranging from radio, television, newspaper, magazine and movies. As the pioneer of broadcasting industry of Singapore, the company is able to reach out to 99.4% of Singaporean adults each week.

According to YearBook of Statistics Singapore, 2008, there are drops in the number of consumers of old media in some years. This could be caused by the emergence of new media.

2.2. New Media

 The new media revolutionized by the birth of the internet, is now championed by the world wide web and open source ideals of sharing information, followed by the resurgence of web 2.0, which basically invoke the technologies of blogging, podcasting and videocasting. The internet has sought to redistribute power once against the old media.[1105sgict:2]

 A few years ago, when Amazon first came to being, the traditional bookstores were threatened. In the end, the traditional bookstores set up their homepages which also catered to selling books online. Actually, some of them have now worked with Amazon to merge into similar services. Traditional businesses, being stronger and strapped with more cash, counter-attacked by taking the technology of internet. Notice also that the two biggest revenue generators in the web are not high technology but pornography and online casino.[1105sgict:2]

The news is not the only source of information anymore, anyone with good writing skill can be a publisher, broadcaster or public critic today. They do not even have to live in Singapore to engage in domestic politics. As there is no government, no gatekeeper online, freedom of expression and censorship are often the issues to be concerned.

2.3 Online entertainment

Singapore totaled $1.2 million in subscription revenue in online gaming in 2005, growing by approximately 30% over 2004. In 2005, Singapore held a 0.1% market share of the APEJ region's total subscription revenue of $1.39 bln, where online gaming service providers often "overlooked" the potential of Singapore for other larger, more robust gaming markets such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. [1105sgict:4]

2.3.1. Future

• The region's market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 21% from 2006 to 2010 reaching $3.6 billion by 2010. 
• Telecommunications service providers, online game developers, and even traditional information and communication technology (ICT) vendors are showing growing interest in this fast-emerging market.[1105sgict:4]

3. General Law & Policies

3.1 Computer Misuse Act

(See Computer Misuse Act)

3.2 Spam Control Act

(See Spam Control Act)

3.3 Regulatory Acts

(See regulatory acts)

4. Application of ICT

4.1 Digital Media

Digital Media, refers any storage device that holds digital data, or form of information stored in the computer, including data, voice and video. Indeed, as compared to the past, we now enjoy a wider range of digital media. Examples includes from Blogs, or Online diaries, Chatrooms, Email to Internet news.[1105sgict:5]

4.1.1 Celebrity Bloggers 

(See Rise of Mr Brown) 

Yet, that is not all to digital media. Globally, we are experiencing a new phenomenea, one overlooked Web trend - overlooked by the mainstream media, at least - is the proliferation of public diaries, generically referred to as Blogs and the result of it, celebrity bloggers.

The term originated from "WeB log" and was further promoted by pyra.com as a Blog at its www.blogger.com site, although www.pita.com is considered the original source of easy-to-use Web logging. People who "Blog" are called Bloggers, and right now there are hundreds, thousands of Blogs on the Net. 

In Singapore, there are several celebrity bloggers too, like Steven Lim, and Xiaxue, and Mr Brown.

4.2. Entertainment

Five general subtypes of Internet addiction were categorized based upon the most problematic types of online applications, and they include addictions to Cybersex, Cyber-relationships, online stock trading or gambling, information surfing, and computer games.[1105sgict:6]

The most commonly seen in Singapore is addiction to computer games and the massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs).

 Some cyber-addicts can play non-stop for more than 12 hours a day and some went to the extent of feigning ill to avoid meeting friends.[1105sgict:7]

 In one case, nephew of Ms Ellen Lee (Sembawang GRC) used to skip school and mix with bad company at cybergaming centres. He is still 12 years old and has already ended up with an $80,000 'debt' for revealing his friend's game account password after being coerced by a bully.[1105sgict:8]

5. Crimes

5.1. CyberTerrorism

Cyberterrorism - Cyberterrorism is defined as a criminal act conducted with computers and resulting in violence, destruction, or death of targets in an effort to produce terror with the purpose of coercing a government to alter its policies. [1105sgict:9]

5.1.1. History

During the week of February 22 2005, Singapore, one of the world's most "connected" nations (with almost 60% of its more than four million people living in homes connected to the Internet), said that it was prepared to spend $23 million over three years to stop online crackers from doing damage, including cyberterrorism.[1105sgict:9]

Singapore's parliament has approved tough new legislation aimed at stopping "cyberterrorism":

• Security agencies can now patrol the Internet and swoop down on hackers suspected of plotting to use computer keyboards as weapons of mass disruption.
• Violators of the Computer Misuse Act such as website hackers can be jailed up to three years or fined up to 10,000 Singapore dollars.[1105sgict:10] 

5.1.2. Reaction

• A vocal opposition fear the law will be abused. 
• An online poll by popular Internet portal Yahoo Singapore showed that 70 percent of respondents felt the new laws gave the authorities too much power, and they were afraid they were being watched.

But the Ministry of Home Affairs said that "any measures to be deployed will be non-intrusive in nature." Any private information about "law-abiding citizens" security agencies may come across in their hunt for hackers will be protected.[1105sgict:10]

6. References

[1105sgict:1] Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. (2008, October 15). IDA Singapore - Infocomm Adoption - Overview. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from www.ida.gov.sg: http://www.ida.gov.sg/Infocomm%20Adoption/20060405174006.aspx

[1105sgict:2] Unknown. (2006, June 15). New Media vs Old Media. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from sgentrepreneurs.com: http://sgentrepreneurs.com/marketing-branding/2006/06/15/new-media-vs-old-media/ 

[1105sgict:3] SingStat. (2008). stats-cluture.pdf. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from singstat.gov.sg: http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/reference/yos/statsT-culture.pdf 

[1105sgict:4] itfacts.biz. (2006, June 26).Asia-pacific online gaming market to reach $3.6 bln by 2010 | IT Facts. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from www.itfacts.biz: http://www.itfacts.biz/asia-pacific-online-gaming-market-to-reach-36-bln-by-2010/6827

[1105sgict:5] PCMAG.COM. (n.d.). digital media Definition - PC Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from www.pcmag.com: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=digital+media&i=41342,00.asp

[1105sgict:6] Kimberly Young, M. P. (2008, September 27). The Mental Health Concern for the New Millennium. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from www.netaddiction.com: http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/cyberdisorders.htm 

[1105sgict:7] Lee, A. S. (2007, November 14). AsiaMedia :: SINGAPORE: Game addicts can manage problem at centre. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from www.asiamedia.ucla.edu: http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southeastasia.asp?parentid=81880

[1105sgict:8] Lee, O. G. (2007, November 13). MP's young nephew a cyber addict and $80,000 in 'debt'. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from www.asiaone.com: http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20071114-36619.html 

[1105sgict:9] yourdictionary.com. (n.d.). Cyberterrorism - Definition of Cyberterrorism at Your Dictionary. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from www.yourdictionary.com: http://www.yourdictionary.com/cyberterrorism 

[1105sgict:10] zone-h.org. (2003, November 24). Zone-H.org - Unrestricted Information - Singapore "cyberterrorism" laws raise fears of abuse. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from www.zone-h.org: http://www.zone-h.org/content/view/3688/31/