Singapore

In the Asia Pacific region, Singapore is one of the most wired and networked nations with its broadband penetration hitting 99.9 percent of the population by the end of 2008. Singapore had 3.6 million Internet users as of June 2010, representing an Internet penetration rate of 77.8 percent, and 2.3 million Facebook users as of August 2010, accounting for a penetration rate of 50 percent. Singapore also has the greatest reach in online social networking in the region, with 74 percent of its online population having visited a social networking site in 2008. With the country adopting information technology as one of the main engines of economic growth, Internet connectivity and literacy is at a higher level in the city-state compared to its neighbors. It is often dubbed the “intelligent island” for both its early adoption of information and communications technologies (ICTs) and for its wiring of the island with state-of-the-art information technologies ranging from wireless mobile to radio-frequency identification (RFID), which have become embedded into every facet of life in Singapore. The construction of a high-speed broadband [Page 778]network was seen as a cornerstone of the government's information infrastructure plan. With ubiquitous connectivity throughout the island, use of mobile technologies is not limited by technology but, rather, social norms. Because of Singapore's high Internet penetration rate and the proficiency in English of much of the populace, social networking sites are heavily subscribed by Internet users and, as in many other countries, these sites are popular with young people. With a vigorous promotion of Internet skills in the educational curriculum and the workplace by the government, the use of social networking sites is popular with younger citizens, reflecting a digital divide between youth and the older population.