The Media Helps to Construct National Identity and Loyal National Subjects. Discuss.
The media helps to construct national identity and loyal national subjects. Discuss.
Since her independence in 1965, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has been the dominant ruling party of Singapore, and the government had implemented many policies and taken many actions through its various campaigns and programs through television, radio and public service broadcasting in-order to construct a national identity for it’s people and as well as create loyal national subjects. The government have used the media effectively in a monopolistic manner to construct its unique national identity as well as by controlling the media tightly to the point where media reports of the government are always sterile and positive, keeping a long lasting, strangling grasp of power over its subjects.
Only in today’s modern internet era, when citizens found a public space-the internet domains, to debate and engage each other. A new national identity and the notion of national loyalty is debated on a platform, level and frequency never before in Singapore’s history. Leading to questions on if the leading party is able to hold on to power in the next elections.
This paper discuss how the Singapore government have used the mass media to its advantage in constructing a sense of national identity and therefore producing loyal national subjects and how the threat of technology has led to a shift of public opinion, de-construction and a awakening of a new alternate identity. In essence, understanding niche audiences and reaching out to them by using the media.
Firstly, what constitutes a national identity? And how is a country or even a commercial entity able to use the media to nationalise its identity, to evoke a sense of nationalism, pride and patriotism on its subjects? What does it mean to be a Singaporean or an Australian?
Songs and melodies are a way to capitalise and sway emotions. And Qantas used a song as a successful advertising strategy to stir up nationalistic
Since her independence in 1965, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has been the dominant ruling party of Singapore, and the government had implemented many policies and taken many actions through its various campaigns and programs through television, radio and public service broadcasting in-order to construct a national identity for it’s people and as well as create loyal national subjects. The government have used the media effectively in a monopolistic manner to construct its unique national identity as well as by controlling the media tightly to the point where media reports of the government are always sterile and positive, keeping a long lasting, strangling grasp of power over its subjects.
Only in today’s modern internet era, when citizens found a public space-the internet domains, to debate and engage each other. A new national identity and the notion of national loyalty is debated on a platform, level and frequency never before in Singapore’s history. Leading to questions on if the leading party is able to hold on to power in the next elections.
This paper discuss how the Singapore government have used the mass media to its advantage in constructing a sense of national identity and therefore producing loyal national subjects and how the threat of technology has led to a shift of public opinion, de-construction and a awakening of a new alternate identity. In essence, understanding niche audiences and reaching out to them by using the media.
Firstly, what constitutes a national identity? And how is a country or even a commercial entity able to use the media to nationalise its identity, to evoke a sense of nationalism, pride and patriotism on its subjects? What does it mean to be a Singaporean or an Australian?
Songs and melodies are a way to capitalise and sway emotions. And Qantas used a song as a successful advertising strategy to stir up nationalistic
References: Geoffrey Craig. The Media Politics and Public Life. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. 2004 Susan Herbst. Classical democracy, polls and public opinion: Theoretical frameworks for studying the development of public sentiment. Communication Theory. 1991 Terence Lee. Popular cultural policy: National Day and national songs in Singapore. Australian Journal of Communication. 2002 Websites Qantas ‘I still call Australia home commercia.’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbGuqmaDgLA&feature=related Singapore National day song ‘Home’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gWohYVfHRA