Impact Of Online Social Discourse On Singaporean’s Idea Of Success

The Role of Social Media

Social media has a great impact on the communities both domestically and internationally. It can be stated that due to the advent of social media the world has become a global village in which everyone is connected through the virtual world of social media. Therefore, it is important to take an investigation on the role of social media to change the social structure and behaviour of the people.

Simultaneously, the purpose of this report is to analyse the impact of social media in society. In Singapore the digital consumption rate is so high where 82% of the total population are active internet users (Wee, 2017). Moreover, over 4.40 million of the total population use social media in a frequent manner (Overy, 2015). In fact, the internet penetration rate in Singapore is accounted 82% (Ho, 2016). This makes Singapore as the right option to take further research.

As a result of that the aims and objectives of this research is circle around understanding the relationship between the use of social media and the change in the young generation of Singapore and their lifestyle. In course of the discussion, the 5C factors are also incorporated into the research framework that is identified as the status symbol for the Singaporeans. Hence, the specific objective of this research is to analyse the impact of social media on Singaporean people on the basis of the definition of 5C.

However, the research is not free of any limitation. It can be stated that the research only puts emphasis on the impact of the social media. However, other factors of technological advancement are skipped. For getting an overall picturesque, it is important to include other technological factors that are responsible to affect the new generation Singaporeans subsequently. Despite of that putting thrust on the social media delivers an in-depth analysis on the impact of social media on the youths of Singapore.

Literature review

Definition of 5c

As far as the report of Skoric et al. (2016) it can be stated that the Singaporeans are highly influenced by the 5C factors. Those 5C factors are comprised with Cash, Car, Credit card, Condominium and Country club membership. It can be stated that these factors symbolise the social status of the people. In other words, Seargeant and Tagg (2014) advocated that the there are some traditional quotient that were responsible to highlight the social structure of the country. People who are able to get access those comforts are identified as the rich and they enjoy high lifestyle. Based on this understanding, the country is going to differentiate the social strata that symbolises also the success of a Singaporean.

Definition of 5C Factors

However, over a few years the preferences and perception of the Singaporean people has been shifted from this traditional framework and focus on the emotion and character became an important aspect coupled with the optimism that circled around the people (Tan, 2017). While establishing an investigation over the lifestyle of the Singaporean people Hajli (2014) asserted that the traditional understanding of the five C model had been flourished to a saturation point. Now, most of the Singaporean people enjoyed the basic characteristics of five C model.

As a result of that the traditional perception is also going to transform magnificently and usher a new paradigm of 5C model where creativity, collaboration, contribution, compassion and confidence are labelled as the prime factors to mark the lifestyle of the Singaporean people. based on this the primary objective of this literature review is to develop an understanding regarding the role of social media in shifting the purpose of the Singaporean people from the traditional perception and come forward with a new one.

Impact on the society

In his research, Fardouly et al. (2015) tried to connect the relationship between the social media and social structure of the global society. In this context, it can be stated that the role of social media is related to the friendly reunion. As a matter of fact, the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook to communicate with friends in summer vacations. From that perspective, it can be stated that the purpose of the social media is also connecting people through a virtual platform.

In addition to this, it can be asserted that social media had become an important aspect to analyse the attributes and psychological characteristics of the people. In this context, Messing and Westwood (2014) carried out an investigation on the online social app Yik Yak that is 9^th most downloaded app in US. The analysis revealed that people more specifically the young generations were more attracted to this app and as a result of that it successfully set up a strong community based on the virtual platform (Gerbaudo, 2018). Users became more committed to this community that was relied upon a bond-oriented commitment. Moreover, this practice also responsible to enhance values, goals and purpose to improve the commitment.

In addition to this, the geo-political boundary free characteristic is also considered to be an important aspect that contributed to the development of a healthy and steady relationship with the rest of the world. It is not possible for anyone to travel around entire world and meeting with new people (Trottier, 2016). However, this lack can be overcome due to the advent of social media. It formulates the concept of a global village where people can live and communicate with each other on a virtual platform. Locality or the regionalism has become an obsolete phenomenon due to the advent of social media that makes more flexibility in the process of social acceptability and adaptation.

Impact on Society

Impact on individuals

Besides this, the impact of social media can also be seen in case of transformation within the individual nature. In his research Tsay-Vogel, Shanahan and Signorielli (2018) pointed out that social media can be identified as a driven factor that is responsible to develop the self-esteem of an individual. Self-esteem connotes the idea of a positive or negative evaluation of an individual. It is resembled with the idea of emotional components and serves as an existential function. Self-evaluation is also an important aspect that can be evaluated through the course of social media surfing. On the contrary, Vogel et al. (2014) highlighted completely a different paradigm in terms of the perception of privacy.

The coming of social media and its gradual growth encourage the users to create personal profiles and networks so that users from distant parts also get acknowledged with the idea. Subsequently, the exchange of personal information has become a significant aspect that is resembled with the purpose to make a better world full of surprises. However, amidst of all these, the perception of privacy is also developed in a simultaneous manner that changed the human nature and made them more cautious about the depth and intensity of revealing personal information. In response to this, Kumar et al. (2016) figured out that the concept of privacy, security and transparency has become a glowing idea that influenced an individual enormously.

In contrast to this argument, the study of Cookingham and Ryan (2015) articulated that the social media has become part and parcel of individual life where the people easily motivated and influenced by the posts and blogs. Parveen, Jaafar and Ainin (2015) asserted that nowadays social media is considered to be a driven factor that is associated with manipulating the users politically. Triggering the political blow the entire world is exposed with its nefarious and heinous crimes that people should know and take steps to take down the malpractices of the society. Therefore, basically the social media plays the role of a wiper cleansing the rotten part of the society. Side by side the socio-political discourses is also developed with the help of the social media.

Impact on lifestyle

In course of the discussion, it is pertinent to close down the argument by portraying the role of social media in influencing the youths of the society. As the youths are the face of any society therefore it is highly important to take a deep analysis on the impact of social media on the youths. In this regard, the research of Taddicken (2014) rightly pointed out the role of social media as a triggering factor that can easily attracted the youths. The context can be depended on different aspects such as understanding the socio-political discourses or putting emphasis on the role of social media in business perspectives. The above discussion is already highlighted the socio-political features of social media but it will be inappropriate to make less concern about the factors of business orientation.

Impact on Individuals

Pan et al. (2017) reported that most of the business organisations are currently opting for social media as a medium to attract maximum number of customers. It symbolises that the role of social media is not restricted itself with the socio-political decorum rather it has successfully expanded its reach into the heart of human behaviour and attitude. The best example of this is the change in lifestyle. Cultural exchange is identified as an important aspect that can fervour the responsibility of social media as a whole (Parveen, Jaafar&Ainin, 2015).

The conventional approach of the social media resides with the democratic formation. It symbolises the fact that people are getting more opportunities or scope to make their life easier and happier. As a matter of fact, through social media, glimpse of other countries and cultures are also notified and it left a deep impact on the lifestyle of the people as well. As far as the business orientation is concerned, social media is also responsible to provide a great influence on the preferences and choice of the people. Therefore, it becomes so easier and flexible for the multination companies to get access to the market of a foreign country and influence the people through the presence of social media.

Despite of having a great deal of insights on the literature review, it can be stated that there are some gaps that must be fixed in order to facilitate a better research framework. For an example, the literature review carries out a great deal of investigation on the overall consequences of social media. In fact, putting emphasis on the young generation will restricted the research to focus on the other age groups and understanding the role of the social media on the social discourses. In addition to this, the literature reviews also failed to portray the impact of social media on a social level unlike discussing about the socio-political discourses or the individual transformation of behaviour. Therefore, it becomes pertinent for this research to emphasis more on the social aspects rather than lingering with the other factors of social media on society.

Methodology

Discussion of literature search technique

The research concentrated on undertaking a review of different peer reviewed journals and articles in order to maintain the efficacy of the research objective and guide the study to an unbiased outcome.  On the other hand, the utilization of the peer- reviewed journals has helped in supporting the research through the utilization of different theories and models.  It has helped in maintaining the authenticity of the study as per the needs of the same.   

Limitations

Discussion of data required

The purpose for undertaking the research is to identify the impact of online social discourse on Singaporeans definition of 5Cs. The increasing utilization of media and social media platforms has enhanced the lifestyle of the people (Miller et al., 2012). The study is interesting, as it will be helping to identify the different behaviours of the people relating to the identification of the role of the social media in changing their attitudes towards the definition of 5Cs.

The study will be aiming at questioning the different impacts that are made by the online social discourse on Singaporean definition of 5Cs. The study will be undertaking the reviews from the different respondents in order to understand the amount of change in the mental setup of the people due to the social media discourse. The ever- changing data in the internet has helped in bringing forth subtle modifications in the concept of 5Cs.

The literature review has helped in understanding the different needs of the data collection through the identification of the different changes b5that are faced by the people through the changes in the social media discourse.

A mixed method of data collection is utilized during the research, which included quantitative and qualitative data collection in order to understand the role that is played by social media discourses on the Singaporean definition of 5Cs.  

Discussion of alternative methods of data collection

The different alternative data collection methods that might be undertaken in the research are reviewing peer reviewed journals and government publications order the secondary data collection methods.

Alternative sources of data collection	Distinction between the used source and the alternative source
Peer reviewed journals	The used source will be helping to undertake an unbiased research on the different proponents, whereas the utilization of peer reviewed articles might lead the study to an biased outcome (Roberts,  2013).
Government publications	The government publications help in understanding the consensus of a group of people, which might not be error free. It might affect the efficacy of the research study to achieve the desired outcome. On the other hand, the primary research through questionnaire and online survey will be helping to maintain the efficacy of the research findings.

Discussion of the question content and data required

The research focused on identification of the different impacts that are created by the social media discourse on the Singaporean definition of 5Cs. However, there is a gap in the research, as the study did not measure the degree of impact that is created by the social media discourse on the attitudes of the Singaporeans. The research limitation are based on the time and financial constraints that are faced by the researcher while undertaking the study (Flick, 2015).

Discussion of the format of the questionnaire or interview

The questions were created in a manner so that the different impacts of the social media discourse on the Singaporean definition of 5Cs are evident. The research was undertaken through online survey and face to face interview in order to facilitate the identification of the different changes in the behavior of the people through the social media discourse.  

Literature Review

Discussion of the phrasing of the questions

Phrasing of questions will be helping to redeem unbiased responses from the different respondents. The accuracy of the responses that are collected by the researcher will be helping the same in guiding the study as per the objectives.

Discussion of the response formats

The different response formats that are utilized during the research are the Likert scale and nominal, which has helped in undertaking an unbiased study. The utilization of Likert scale will be helping to identify the different consents of the respondents to the questions. On the other hand, the nominal response format has helped in judging the gender and biases of the respondents.  

Discussion of data collection method

The social media survey was undertaken through the distribution of the survey questionnaire through different social media platforms. It will be helping the researcher in maintaining the efficacy of the research. On the other hand, the face to face interviews were conducted through the induction of questionnaire

Discussion of sample

The sampling theory is undertaken in order to enhance the research with the aim of understanding the different viewpoints of the respondents in the specific context of the research. The design of the research helps in guiding the study towards a specific aim. The sampling method that will be utilized during the research are based on the objective of undertaking an unbiased research outcome (Lewis,  2015). The size of the sampling will be 5 respondents for the qualitative analysis that is being undertaken as a part of the study. On the contrary, the researcher utilized 20 respondents for undertaking the quantitative analysis. The sampling will be helping the researcher in maintaining the efficacy of the operations of the same as per the objectives of the study.

Note on data analysis technique

Data will be analyzed through the utilization of SPSS and Microsoft Excel which will be helping the researcher in conducting an unbiased study as per the objectives of undertaking the research.

Findings and Analysis

The reliability test of the data shows that the collected data through online survey is highly reliable and have high internal consistency with a value of .858.  However, it is difficult to check for reliability in qualitative data due to the direct involvement of human interpretation. The item-total statistics shows that only the first two questions can be omitted as removing those two items would increase the internal consistency of the data. However, those two questions are kept to examine the demographics of the respondents.

Conclusion

The quantitative analysis of the data shows that in all the questions there is clear majority which supports social media. They have agreed to the fact that social media has been instrumental in affecting the lifestyle of the people staying in Singapore. The social media has provided the Singaporeans with free speech which is one of the main reasons of friction between the populations as there are parties that constraint free speech. The younger generation have been more open towards the change and they have embraced the new culture positively.

However, this is different for people belonging to the higher age group as they have a more traditional outlook to this phenomenon. Social media has helped in showcasing the creativity of individuals and the social media is full of innovative user generated content which is one of the major positives of social media. The quantitative study clearly indicates that social media has helped the people in becoming more creative, compassionate and confident. People cooperate with each other more and they are open to talk about their views which has led to big discourse.

The qualitative data clearly depicts the discourse among the society regarding the use of social media.  The majority of the population are changing towards modernization where they are accepting positives from different culture to reshape the Singaporean culture. However, there are still a major chunk of population that have traditional views and are not accepting the change. They want to hold on to their values and traditions. This shows that this discourse will continue for some time and it will take considerable amount of time for the overall society to accept the changes.  The majority of the younger generations are progressive and are freely accepting the changes but it is still difficult for people that have led their life with different cultural outlook to change.

Conclusion

From this perspective it can be argued that the report tries to put emphasis on the role of social media on social discourses of Singapore. In this context, the five C model that the Singaporean people follow has also been taken into consideration as the 5C model is the mainstay of social structure of the Singaporean society. As a matter of fact, the data collection process and questionnaires are also set on the basis of the 5C model or the five lifestyle preferences that the Singaporean people are maintained.

In addition to this, the literature review cares to explain the 5C model and finds out how this shift in the preferences of Singaporean people has been changed with the advent of social media. The literature review part also deals with the basic impact of social media in both social and individual life so that it can provide a theoretical justification behind the purpose of the research. Moreover, the methodology part is also developed a clear understanding and framework of the research proceedings. Mix method has been taken in order to make the research effective enough and in response to this online social media survey and face to face interaction with the respondents are also taken for creating an in-depth analysis and relevant research that can create better understanding of the impact of social media on social discourses of Singapore throughout the 5C model.

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