The cameo culture

Categories: Singapore

The videoclips of NSmen clowning around report published by the September 3 edition of Sunday Times highlight the problems with irresponsible use of the ubiquitous camera phone. The camera phone which was first introduced few years back had created a new culture - the cameo culture. Suddenly there is a camera on-hand when one is needed. Coupled with that, the digital format meant that the pictures need not be printed to hardcopy for it to be viewed. The presence of photo-sharing and video-sharing site has make the sharing of such photos and videos more compelling. In short, now everyone can take photos/videos at anytime anywhere and share it with just about anyone.

In the clip which was uploaded to the YouTube.com, two NSmen in uniform were shown fight each other, one with a parang with the other shooting him with his rifle loaded with blanks. After a few shots, the parang-weilding compatriot fell, with both men laughing after that. I am not sure about the security implications from such a short video, but definitely safety rules had been broken. It is well-known that pointing a weapon at anyone is no-no because there is always a risk of injury to the other person. This covers all weapons as well as sports equipment. Even the safe sport of golf, golfers are not to hit the ball if they are people on the tee. Blanks had known to kill because blanks can still penetrate the body if the shot was near enough.

Some people may say that give the NSmen a break, after all they are young and out for some fun. Unfortunately, such irresponsible acts are not limited to youngsters alone. In the UK, an investigation is now being carried out by the Fire department after a video in which a firefighter was spurned in a tumbler dryer was shown.

The above two pranks were fortunately relatively harmless. In these days of where everyone is trying to be famous overnight, with photo/video hosting sites promoting there sites with prizes going to the most popular, people may just be taken away with their pranks. Hence, there is this video where a cat was burned deliberately, where bullying is glorified and putting a firecracker in a bottle which is up the behind! And all these in the name of fun and glory! How sick can a person be?

In vigilantism, there is always a risk of mob justice. The line between helping and victimising is very thin. Sometimes, a picture does not tell the whole truth. When this happens, the victim has no chance to defend himself because a verdict had already been made by society at large. This will embarass, hurt and sometimes harm the victim. Vigilante site had been sprouting up. Two examples are Rude Singaporeans and Parking Idiots in Singapore. A car which was seen parking into the next lot may not be the culprit but the victim. The driver may park that way because the first car which did not park properly had left, leaving the second car looking as the culprit. But the photo did not 'explain' the real incident which created this situation.

The people who took the photos that were posted on the Rude Singapore site are also vigilante in a sense. Here they are fighting against badly behaved people who has not regards for the next person. However in their quest to fight for the truth, they had themselves committed the very thing they profess to fight against. By taking the photo of another person without his knowledge, this is invading of privacy - especially if it is uploaded to the web for the world to see. Isn't such action rude in the first place. Imagine yourself appear on the website because your MP3 player was loud enough for the next person to hear your music.

Camera phones also means that anybody can capture video of themselves for rememberence. This brings to mind the Tammy video episode. She was probably not wrong to film herself in a sex act. However she was wrong in assuming that the simple action of taking herself can backfire so badly. With the digital age and internet, anything digital is fluid - it can be sent to anyone anywhere in the world. Coupled with the natural curiosity of human nature, any video of the intimate nature will surely finds its way to the Net. Hence if you want to take anything for posterity, make sure that they can stand any scrutiny and will not hurt yourself.

Cameo culture is here to stay and is not necessarily bad. With the always available camera phone, candid snapshots can be taken anytime. This can create a culture of creativity and discovery. Sometimes such photos can served as proof as when an accident had happened.

On the reverse, if not used properly, much harm can happened like that listed above. Therefore before you press the snap button on your camera phone the next time, ask yourself whether this simple action is responsible, not dangerous to yourself and others, acceptable manners and not snitching.

Remember, the action of taking is a simple process but the result may be a convoluted and drawn-out one.


Links:
Gruesome stunts, risky pranks mar video sites