社交媒體對新加坡大選影響力加大
For a country whose press freedom ranks alongside the likes of Libya, Belarus and Iraq, Singapore is enjoying a surprisingly vibrant media debate ahead of the city-state’s general election tomorrow — aided by the growing reach of social media.
雖然新加坡的新聞自由程度與利比亞、白俄羅斯及伊拉克等國處於同一水平，但在今日大選前夕，這個城市國家的媒體辯論卻意外地活躍，這部分得益於社交媒體的影響力不斷擴大。
Nine out of 10 Singaporeans own a smartphone — the highest penetration rate in the world, according to a Deloitte report — creating the platform for a political forum. The online conversation stands in contrast to Singapore’s mainstream media, which according to US campaign group Freedom House “remain tightly constrained. All domestic newspapers, radio stations, and television channels are owned by companies linked to the government.”
根據一份德勤(Deloitte)的報告，每10個新加坡人就有9個擁有智能手機，普及率居全球之冠，從而爲政治討論創造了平臺。新加坡的網上討論與其主流媒體上的報道形成對照，按照美國社會運動組織“自由之家”(Freedom House)的說法，後者“依然受到嚴格約束。新加坡所有國內報紙、廣播電臺及電視頻道都由與政府有關的企業持有。”
Singapore ranks 153rd out of 180 countries in the 2015 World Press Freedom Index. There are curbs on online content and private ownership of satellite dishes is banned.
按照2015年世界新聞自由指數(World Press Freedom Index)，新加坡在180個國家中排名第153位。新加坡存在對網上內容的限制，該國也禁止私人安裝衛星天線接收器。
The government has a history of launching legal action against bloggers who fall foul of tight publication laws. Those punished for their comments on social media include 16-year-old Amos Yee, who was jailed after publishing a video criticising the late Lee Kuan Yew that was deemed to have been obscene and insulting to religious feelings.
對違反該國嚴格出版法律的博客寫手，新加坡政府還曾採取過法律行動。在因社交媒體言論而受到處罰的人中，有16歲的餘澎杉(Amos Yee)，他因爲發佈視頻批評已故的李光耀(Lee Kuan Yew)而被捕入獄，該視頻被認爲傳播猥褻內容、傷害他人宗教情感。
Other targets have included Roy Ngerng, who in November was found guilty of defamation for criticising Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. After Mr Lee rejected an offer of damages from Mr Ngerng, the online community responded by raising more than S$110,000 for Mr Ngerng’s defence.
其他受到處罰的人還包括鄞義林(Roy Ngerng)。去年11月，他因批評新加坡總理李顯龍(Lee Hsien Loong)而被判犯有誹謗罪。在李顯龍拒絕接受鄞義林提出的賠償金額後，新加坡網上社區爲鄞義林籌集了逾11萬新加坡元，支援他應訴。
But Singapore’s netizens have been increasingly vocal during the election campaign, through Twitter, Facebook and many online publications. “Social media has had an enormous impact,” says Jolene Tan, author and social commentator. “We’ve seen much more coverage of opposition parties.”
不過，在新加坡選戰期間，該國網民通過Twitter、Facebook及許多其他網上渠道，正在發出越來越大的聲音。作家兼社會評論人士Jolene Tan表示：“社交媒體擁有巨大影響力。我們看到的有關反對黨的新聞報道多多了。”
Eugene Tan, political analyst and associate professor at Singapore Management University, says the influence of social media has already “forced a relaxation of Singapore’s control over the mainstream media”.
新加坡管理大學(Singapore Management University)副教授、政治分析人士陳慶文(Eugene Tan)表示，社交媒體的影響已“迫使新加坡放寬了對主流媒體的控制”。
Among the thorns in the government’s side is the citizen journalism of The Online Citizen, which was founded in the wake of the 2006 election and is run by volunteers and funded by donations ,including the sale of T-shirts.
“網絡公民”(The Online Citizen)網站上的“公民新聞”（citizen journalism，指事發現場普通人即興報道的新聞——譯者注），就是新加坡政府的“眼中釘”之一。該網站成立於2006年大選之後，由志願者運營，運營資金來自募捐、包括T恤衫義賣。
“Because we are run by volunteers, it doesn’t make sense for us to try and compete with the mainstream media,” says Kirsten Han, one of its journalists. “We have to find ways to make election coverage fun.”
該網站新聞人員之一Kirsten Han表示：“由於我們由志願者運營，對我們來說，試圖與主流媒體競爭是沒有意義的。我們必須想辦法讓我們的選舉報道有趣味。”
Such is the establishment’s ire at the publication, it was in 2011 officially labelled a political association, a move that forced it to declare donations and banned it from getting foreign funding.
新加坡當權者對該網站是如此惱火，以至於官方在2011年將該網站歸類爲政治組織，從而迫使該網站申報捐款來源，而且不得接受國外捐款。
Terry Xu, chief editor, says the rise of social media “empowers allows their voices to be heard”.
該網站總編輯Terry Xu表示，社交媒體的崛起“賦予了人民權力……讓他們的聲音能夠被人聽到”。
The country’s establishment is no stranger to the power of social media, with the prime minister regularly publishing statements on his Facebook and Twitter pages.
對於社交媒體的力量，新加坡當權者並不陌生。新加坡總理會定期在其Facebook和Twitter頁面上發佈聲明。
The city-state’s demographics may have also contributed to the buzzing online community, with almost 10 per cent of the country’s 2.5m voters aged 21-25.
新加坡的人口結構或許也是其網絡社區活躍的一個原因。新加坡250萬選民有近10%的人年齡在21歲到25歲之間。
Whether social media buzz will translate into votes for any particular party is debatable. “Although social media is not going to be a game-changer for this election, it definitely will be in the next one or two elections,” says Prof Tan.
至於社交媒體上的喧囂是否會轉換爲某個特定黨派的選票，還有待辯論。陳慶文教授表示：“雖然社交媒體不會改變這次選舉的局勢，但它在今後一兩次選舉中絕對會成爲決定局勢走向的力量。”
Alan Chong, associate professor at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, adds: “Social media can swing a very tightly fought political contest. But if you are looking for decision impact on voting behaviour, it doesn’t yet cut it.”
新加坡拉惹勒南國際研究院(the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies)副教授張嘉鬆(Alan Chong)補充說：“社交媒體能左右一場雙方勢均力敵的政治角逐。然而，如果你期待的是它能影響選民的決定，它暫時還沒這能力。”
