WATCHING THEM WATCHING ME: A STUDY ON LATERAL SURVEILLANCE IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

To the average Singaporean, STOMP, otherwise known as Straits Times Online Mobile Print, is nothing foreign. Since its launch in 2006, the online citizenjournalism website grew notorious for being a site where Singaporeans can anonymously upload self-captured photos and videos to name and shame others. STOMP today features a plethora of ‘bad behaviours’ in public spaces, of which incidents surrounding the priority seat on public transport are notably a reoccurring theme. While few studies have explored the role of STOMP in contributing to lateral surveillance and influencing social behaviours in public spaces, they were more focused on the participants and the outcomes of lateral surveillance rather than its process. This thesis seeks to understand the mechanisms that underpin the phenomenon of lateral surveillance in Singapore through a discussion of Singaporean attitudes towards potentially “anti-social” behavior, such as sitting on the priority seat on public transport. Through a mixed-methods sequential explanatory research framework, complemented with participant observation and content analysis of platforms, like STOMP and Instagram, this thesis reveals how shame and the fear of it drive the prevalence of peer-to-peer surveillance in Singapore and foster selfdiscipline among individuals. At times, this self-discipline is even found to be excessive and at the expense of individual comfort and commute experience. This thesis posits that such a surveillance system has further encouraged the creation of a vigilante culture, exacerbating existing anxieties, skepticism, and distrust in our society.