20 Oct 2010
STATEMENT BY MS CHONG WAN YIENG, DELEGATE TO THE 65th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON AGENDA ITEM 54, ON QUESTIONS RELATING TO INFORMATION, FOURTH COMMITTEE, 20 OCTOBER 2010
Madame Chair,
The distinguished Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information,
I offer my delegation's warm congratulations to you, Madame Chair, and members of the Bureau on your election. My delegation associates itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished representative of Thailand, on behalf of ASEAN.
Madame Chair, distinguished delegates,
2 New media technologies and communications infrastructure are changing the way we interact with one another at a breathless rate. Surveys conducted around the world show that consumers are spending more time online, not only on emails and work, but increasingly on social media and blogs. According to comScore, a leader in measuring achievements of the digital world, the total year-on-year Facebook visits per month soared a staggering 236 per cent to 3.1 million*. Social networking alone attracted a worldwide audience of over 830.9 million unique visitors and continues to be a growing trend. These gains are aided by the rapid spread of smartphone technology. Morgan Stanley's Internet Trends report of June 2010 showed that more than 200 million smartphones were shipped globally and pegged the projected growth of smartphones at 250 per cent by 2013. Mobile Internet devices would likely hit 10 billion units by 2014. As the prices of such devices fall, the number of users will only continue to grow.
*Comscore's 2009 US Digital Year in Review report
3 Such trends will benefit social networking infrastructures such as Facebook - whose impact and influence have even spawned a film about its invention called The Social Network. Given human ingenuity and desire for building social ties, it is fair to say that Facebook is just the beginning of this digital revolution - there will be many other exciting new media infrastructures to come. At the opening of the Thirty-Second Session of the Committee on Information in April 2010, Mr Kiyo Akasaka, the United Nations' Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, noted the need for the United Nations to keep pace with new technologies, and harness them in ways that enrich and complement its work in traditional media, such as print, radio and television. These will enable the United Nations and Department of Public Information (DPI) to optimise outreach and engage peoples around the world, beyond disseminating information, in a confluence of conventional and new media.
Madame Chair,
4 In this regard, allow me to share Singapore's experience in forging a new media trail to adapt to our "always connected" culture, a phenomenon fuelled by growing mobile Internet connectivity. With 5.6 million wireless broadband subscriptions and a 140.7 per cent mobile penetration rate in Singapore, more Singaporeans, particularly the young digital natives, are turning to multiple online sources for information. In turn, Singaporean Ministries and government agencies are complementing their official websites with a range of Web 2.0 and social media initiatives. We use blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, podcasts and even digital games to interact with our citizens. These channels do not just give the usual spiels on government policies, but also buttress public education, outreach, marketing, crisis communications and public consultation efforts.
5 During the recent Youth Olympic Games hosted in Singapore, the government used Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to tap into youth culture and engage the public. A virtual world called "2010 Odyssey" was also created to provide a simulated experience of the Youth Olympics. The International Olympic Committee President, Dr Jacques Rogge, said he was most pleased with the media coverage of the Games by both traditional and new media, with more than 1,000 journalists following the event on site, over five million videos played on YouTube and four million people joining the Friends of the Youth Olympic Games' Facebook page. We also created REACH or Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home to serve as the Government's primary e-engagement entity. REACH provides "new media" platforms through Facebook and Twitter to enable citizens to share their sentiments on national issues and play a more active role in policy making.
Madame Chair,
6 New and social media are on the cusp of immense achievements, with the continued expansion of enabling technologies. The digital age holds rich promise to help uplift living conditions of people and spread education to all corners of the world. Communities and governments that work with new media changes will surge ahead, but we should ensure that all peoples have access to ICT opportunities. The United Nations has a critical role to play in bridging the digital divide between the information-rich and the information-poor. It is commendable that the DPI has organised two recent fora on the emerging role of social media, and how Member States and the DPI can benefit from it. Sharing of experiences and best practices are a good start, but the United Nations should redouble its efforts to ensure that all Member States have access to and benefit from this exciting new world. Thank you.