Some thoughts on digital life in Singapore

SingaporeI’m just back from a quick trip to Singapore. It was an interesting time to go back to one of my favourite cities; Singapore just had a general election. It’s a country dominated by a single party for a very long time but we started to see some fractures in the status quo. These came from a new, younger generation of digital natives. So the internet and social media became the de facto tool for raising profiles and campaigning. It was only natural. Now, the sceptic might argue that this was all a flash in the pan, a lot of noise and very little signal. The buzz didn’t translate into seats won. I think though, it’s drawn a line in the sand… Singaporean politics is starting to shift. This isn’t about digital, it’s about a new generation, globally connected they instinctively turn to the digital tools on hand because they get them, use them and people they know use them too. Beyond politics, Singapore is pretty well wired up, it’s got pretty good speeds and the same internet adoption as the UK (77%). Mobile is ubiquitous. And there are some nifty local apps available, I particularly like the taxi app that shows you where the cab is and how long it will be before it arrives. There are a few good eGovernment apps too. But not many. And when it comes to digital engagement and open data the examples are thinner on the ground. There is a repository for open data (at data.gov.sg). However, it’s not as mature as the UK or Australian versions and some of the data sets in here seem to be aimed at commercial re-use. One example is traffic management data, which would be incredibly useful here in London. Within a week of release we’d have a couple of useful apps (and a dozen useless one too no doubt!), but the Land Transport Authorities link is to a sales pitch, not real data. Digital engagement is embryonic too. The traditional culture of government here seems to have held Singapore back in this area but based on the conversations I had, I’d strongly predict this is going to change. It’s important that countries build tools that reflect their culture and values and don’t just copy what’s hot elsewhere. Certainly there’s no reason why Singapore needs to be reticent, I heard some great ideas coming out of the public sector and the commercial digital and social media scene is strong and getting stronger.]]>

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