Beyond selfies and viral trends, social media has undeniably had an impact on society and human communication. One of the areas where platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter), among others, have shaped conversations is in the field of activism. From the Arab Spring to Black Lives Matter to MeToo — which in 2019 found a local equivalent in Monica Baey’s voyeurism case going viral — it is hard to think of a major movement over the past decade or more where social media has not played […]
Read More >Ahmad Abdullah
Social Media = Social Change?: The Benefits and Pitfalls of ‘Slacktivism’
It is a familiar enough situation to many who spend enough time online (which is probably too many of us). A controversy or conflict arises and within days, hashtags are created, profile pictures are changed and statuses are updated to ‘bring awareness’ to a cause.
With much of human communication happening over the internet over the past couple of decades, it is only natural that activism too has moved into the online space. Yet such form of raising awareness has often been described pejoratively as ‘slacktivism’ or ‘clicktivism’ – a ‘lazy’ form of activism that asks little of its participants and affects little change in the real world.
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OKLetsNo: Misogyny and the Malay/Muslim Men
While you may not have been aware of OKLETSGO (OLG) in the first year or so of its existence, in June 2020, the popular local podcast channel would have been impossible to ignore. Started in February last year, OLG is the brainchild of three former local Malay radio DJs – Dzar Ismail, Dyn Norahim and Raja Razie. It quickly earned a high profile for its irreverent takes on issues affecting the Singapore Malay community, as well as a willingness to take on topics still considered controversial in the community, such […]
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Islam and Spiritual Abuse
In recent months there were at least two reported cases of sexual abuse involving asatizah, or Muslim religious teachers, that made the headlines here in Singapore.
In April, a 73-year-old religious teacher was given a 16-month jail term for molesting his 36-year-old female student.
The crime was committed in 2017 – in a mosque, no less – under the guise of curing her of black magic.
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