Introduction

The 2010 ICA annual conference will be held in Singapore (from June 22th to 26th, 2010). However many of you may have little information about Communication Scholarship in Singapore. In this article, I would like to briefly describe the present state and future directions of Communication Studies (CS) in Singapore.

For those who are not so familiar with Singapore, let me first briefly introduce this country. Singapore is a cosmopolitan city state with a population of almost four million, comprising 77 percent Chinese, 14 percent Malays, 8 percent Indians and 1 percent Eurasians and people of other descent. This mix of ethnicity is expressed through its diverse culture, a result of the intermingling of different influences. Located just above the equator and one of the youngest countries in the world, it is now one of the most "wired" and high-tech societies. Mobile phone penetration as of January 09 was at 131.3 percent, household access to the Internet in 2008 stood at 76 percent, while broadband Internet penetration (including high-speed mobile Internet) rate hit 99.9 percent in December, 08. Communication, culture, and media have become keywords in this society. To become a global media city and to maintain its competitive edge, the Government has increasingly looked towards the media and new media industry in recent years. The Government has committed $5 billion to the National Research Fund for research and development purposes. One of the beneficiaries is the National Research Foundation (NRF), which was allocated $500 million over five years to fund the development of a strategic Interactive Digital Media (IDM) research programme and an office to oversee R&D initiatives in the IDM space.

Highlights of Communication Studies in Singapore

CS discipline in Singapore is still young and emerging, but it is one of the fastest growing academic fields among others. Although Singapore CS was initiated only 19 years ago, there are now more than two thousand students majoring in communication (1600 undergraduates and 440 post-graduates) in three universities, including National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Singapore Management University (SMU).

In many ways, Singapore's CS is similar to that of Western countries. It has strong roots in Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities. Scientific research, critical inquires, and creativity are highly emphasized in this field, and it is both theoretically and practically grounded. Although most of faculties were trained from universities in North America and Western Europe, it would be too naive to assume that Singapore CS is simply copying the Western traditions and achievements. As clearly noted in the mission statements of NUS and NTU, the goal is to leverage the strategic location of Singapore to bring Asian perspectives into communication studies. In other words, we are trying to find better ways to combine the Asian tradition that focuses on the understanding of a human's inner world and cultural meanings and the pragmatic Western approach that emphasizes scientific enquiries and practical implications. Cultural differences between East and West and their implications on communication behavior and media design are also explored in our research projects.

As a relatively young and emergent field, Singapore CS is experimenting with new ways of establishing communication scholarship by integrating expertises from multiple academic fields. For instance, lots of my colleagues in the Communications and New Media (CNM) Programme at National University of Singapore (NUS) are from different disciplines such as Cognitive Sciences, Computer Sciences, Electrical Engineering, English Literature, Fine Arts, Information Science, Information Systems, and Science and Technology Studies (STS). Despite little common theoretical and methodological grounds, we were able to build an integrative CS programme, enjoying the benefits of interdisciplinary approaches, broader perspectives, and "convergence."

As for research, lots of exciting and interesting studies are being conducted in a dynamically developing scene. Given that there are many different types of studies, I'll try to outline the key areas of research. Much attention is given to "New Media and Society." Research in this area encompasses the effects of new media on everyday life in Asian societies. Some of the specific areas covered include Internet diffusion and use, cultural representations of information and communication technologies, media domestication in Asian families, collaboration in intercultural distributed teams, usability and human-computer interaction, etc. The researchers are also interested in examining the impact of the Internet on the cultures, communities and religions in Asian societies.

Another related area of research is "Game Studies." Online and videogames are an increasingly important aspect of the media landscape, with growing social and economic impact in many Asian countries (e.g., Japan, South Korea, and Singapore). This area of research investigates issues concerning the development of the computer and online game industry, innovative application of computer games, computer game design and gamers' in-game behaviors as well as their real life social behaviors. Cultural differences in game design and gamer behaviors are also explored.

There is also strong research interest in "Ethics, Governance, Policy, and Media Impact." This area of research focuses on the practice of media professionals and the functions and effects of media across a wide range of contexts, but with a slant on media in the Asian context. Topics under investigation include content regulation, Internet governance, public policy and political processes, and media's influence on societies. "Information Technology (ICT) for Developing Countries (ICT4D)" is a related domain of research that focuses on the impacts of ICTs on rural societies. Singapore Internet Research Centre (SIRC) recently launched the Strengthening ICT4D Research Capacity in Asia (SIRCA) Programme to identify future research leaders and to facilitate their development through the support of research grants.

Research on "Strategic Communication Management" is of interest to communication scholars here as well. This area of research assesses the communication activities of different types of organizations: government agencies, corporations, and NGOs. Taking the level of analysis internationally, this research program also studies the impact of variables such as culture (both societal and corporate), political ideology, media systems, and activism on the public relations profession.

Last but not the least, more traditional research topics such as "Media Effects, Public Opinion, Political Communication, and Health Communication" also garner wide research interest. Researchers examine the influence of media content, the formal features of media, and the context of communication on cognitive and affective responses. In particular, they examine how learning and persuasion can occur in a mediated environment, including mobile and portable media, video games, the Internet, etc.

On a broader scale, I would like to highlight some randomly selected research projects that reflect the vibrant research activities in Singapore. Several research projects are conducted in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at NTU. The project "Enhancing Education in Environmental Awareness: A Game-Based Approach to Ambient Learning" aims to develop educational games to enhance students' learning of weather and environmental issues in Singapore. The project has been awarded S$1.6 million by the NRF. The project "MARGE: Layering Gaming Interactions in Mobile Content Sharing Environments" investigates the creation, search, and sharing of mobile content using passive multiplayer role-playing pervasive gaming elements. The project has received a grant of S$0.8 million from the NRF. Health communication researchers are collaborating with the Health Promotion Board in two related projects: "Impact of Media and Message Types on Obesity-Related Behaviours" and "Impact of Digital Gaming Technology on Physical Activity and Obesity Related Behaviours." An ICT4D project "Information Communication Technology for Health and Society: A Study in Aceh Besar (Indonesia)" aims to improve maternal and infant mortality in the tsunami-ravaged regions of Banda-Aceh, Indonesia using ICT-related measures (e.g., SMS and mobile phone).

Similarly, researchers from the CNM programme at NUS are also conducting several on-going projects. The project "Unstable Constructs of Space: Technoculture and Cybercafes in Small and Medium Towns of Developing Asia (research grant: S$250,000)" explores the varied experiences and imperatives of media engagement by youth in Asia for cultural consumption, particularly in less affluent countries.

Researchers are engaged in interdisciplinary research projects on interactive digital media and games, including "Listening Strategies for New Media: Experience and Expectation," "Interactive Audio Games," and "Tools for Telling: How Game Development Systems Shape Interactive Storytelling." The ultimate goals of these studies are to understand how human construct sense of sonic media environments, to develop tools for the creation of interactive "sound models," and to increase our understanding of the relationship between the tools and the platforms used to develop interactive stories, and the design choices made by authors of these stories and games. The three projects have been awarded S$566,000 by various funding agencies.

The project "Applying the Female-focused Acceptance Model (FAM) to Develop a Healthcare Information System for Aging Women (research grant: $250,000)" aims to develop, implement, and evaluate a healthcare information system specially designed for aging women in Asia. Another project "Research Examining Factors Affecting Individuals' Risk Judgment" examines the complex relationships among cognition, information processing, media effects, and risk perception in the context of mad-cow disease and food irradiation in Singapore and South Korea. The project has been awarded 100,000,000 Korean Won by the Korea Research Foundation (KRF).

Conclusion

As illustrated above, although Singapore CS is still young, it is actively evolving. It is difficult to predict the future of Singapore CS. Yet, I believe that it will continue to make important contribution to the field of communication by adding new perspectives to communication studies and by broadening an international scope of communication scholarship. It is my hope that Singapore CS scholars continue to play an active role in ICA as in the case of 2010 ICA annual conference.

We look forward to welcoming you in Singapore next year!