Voxyboys

One fine day, a group of web designers decided to set up an online community called “Friendster”… which took over thousands of homes in Singapore! Oh my gosh, it’s like a virus - contagious. It’s like a drug - addictive. It’s like a showcase - pose, pose, pose for the world to see.

But really. Majority of the users there are Singaporean / majority of the Singaporeans actually use Friendster. (The former sentence is NOT the same. Similar, but still…!) So, what is MySpace? What is Tagged? What is hi-5? What is competition??? Ultimately, what makes Friendster the most popular online community in our nation?

Ask people around our age … let’s say teenagers. The conversation would go..

Andy: Hi Sandy, do you have a Friendster? What’s your email address? Can I add you?
Sandy: Huh.. what? I don’t HAVE a Friendster.
Andy: YOU DON’T HAVE A FRIENDSTER? I thought everyone has a Friendster.
Sandy: Ok, so what’s Friendster?

This is one, out of thousands of ways, that Friendster got so popular. I mean, the boom started in October 2003 (some of us joined it when it was still a baby!), but it’s becoming a social issue in a way, because people, after 4 years enjoy the Friendster community. I might be left out in the dark, because my Friendster profile is drop dead boring, [compared to those with cutesy pink backgrounds and Youtube videos ready to be played...] but provides whatever information deemed necessary so you actually know more about me. Do you think?

I think Friendster is becoming more evil, more influential, than some undisclosed war hero. If you go to History in anyone’s browser, www.friendster.com is definitely in at least 1 of the days. Oh my goodness, it’s a phenomenon! It’s a craze! Someone help us!

I wonder if anyone suffers withdrawal symptoms if they don’t go on Friendster for 1 whole day. Hmm.

Can you believe that SOME people have 500 so-called “friends” on their first account. (Yes, FIRST account.) And create a second one to add MORE? Friendster overachievers.

Sure, you can never have too many friends. Maybe we all should befriend each other, so everyone is everyone’s friend, and “friend of a friend” no longer exists. That is what I call “a harmonious online community.” Does that sound politically correct to you? I love my concepts, they are so 1960’s!

And it’s so addictive (not to me though), that there are actually hundreds of people that go on Friendster religiously everyday without fail (creepy, huh?) and view other people’s profiles, their pictures, just to kepo a bit. (Kepo-ism a Singaporean lifestyle that just doesn’t change!) STALKERS! STALKERS!

“Who’s viewed my profile?” These people I’ve never seen, known, or have any relation to, are looking at your profile. Of course, you can reciprocate, but isn’t your private space being intruded?

A lot of you have 50 pictures (even exceeding that) and put every speck of your autobiography into your PUBLIC profile. What’s the purpose, man? Just so the stalkers can look, laugh and lose their sanity over some photos where you try your very best to “act cute?” Shame on you.

Even to the testimonials, people used to say lots of positive things about you such as “Oh, Jack is a nice guy, hardworking, and likes to help me in my homework,” and years later, testimonials have become “instant messaging” … “haha lol Jack you owe me ten dollars! what do you mean you not free? club with me la.”

IMITATE.

Singaporean youths redefine what an online community is all about. Which is quite scary, if you think about it, because they have this untapped power that is not utilized yet… and if only the older generation realised how they set trends on the Internet.

In photos: Doe-eyed… thin, tucked lips… top view camera angle…

IMITATE.

Some even resort to Photoshop. Like me, and my fellow designers. Photoshop is the “in-thing” now, everyone wants to look perfect in their pictures, right? Let’s say change the colour tones, or set threshold levels to distort the contours of the faces they’re unsatisfied with.

Of course, this WILL catch on. Mark my words. Photoshop is spreading like wildfire as well. So long, blemishes. Now, anyone could look good with the adequate skills with the “most powerful software in the whole wide world.”

Friendster is no longer used to add friends. No sirree. The focus has changed to “looking beautiful/hot/cute/etc.” … and Friendster-users want others to see how beautiful they are. That’s ONE channel on how people flaunt their “supposed beauty.” Of course, a mugshot is the epitome of unadulterated beauty. It’s just the definition of beauty has been twisted, thanks to the existence of Friendster/Neoprints/Ayumi Hamasaki and voila!

IMITATE.

The birth of Friendster pictures that you see everywhere now. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but youths become so obsessive with their appearance, especially in teenage years, where we are all MOST susceptible to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence.

Therefore, these “BEAUTIFUL” pictures that we see on Friendster nowadays, are merely a facade that youths today put up. They give the illusion that they’re confident of themselves, but actually, they’re hiding from what they can’t “cure.”

But the thing is, we can’t possible blame Friendster itself. It’s just the medium. We could probably blame the youths, but they’re not the one who start the trends, do they?

Let’s go back to the media industry. That’s where beauty is defined. And what about the singers, actors, and entertainment identities? We see Asian beauties like Ayumi, and random Japanese girls as Neoprint models. We see Western beauties like Catherine Zeta Jones or Heidi Klum.

IMITATE.

Girls slab on some eye makeup, foundation, concealer… and look at those big eyes. Surely they look good in photos.

Friendster users soon figure out an *illusion* to big eyes.

1) Force it wide open
2) Camera from top view

Majority of Singaporean youths think that posing *THAT WAY* is cute. Girls do it. A handful of boys do the same. It’s not wrong, but don’t you find it scary that this is the way that we view our fellow friends, and more importantly, ourselves?

This even carries to MSN.

Zhi lian? Vain?
Pride? Camwhores?
Isn’t Pride considered one of the Seven Deadly Sins? If that’s the case, wouldn’t most of the camwhores be committing the exact same sin? Of course, this is method of thinking is very conservative, but that’s just the thing!

Singaporean youths neither realise nor embrace conservativeness. I mean, let’s face it. We’re not nuns, monks or priests. Many youths are dressing down and even doing things when they’re strictly underaged. And this is going to spread to the younger babies, and they’re watching their “korkor” and “jiejie” do things like these and what do they do?

IMITATE.

Oh, and let’s not forget peer pressure.

We imitate the things we admire most. We admire our elders, and do whatever they do, walk their walk, talk their talk. What ever happened to “setting a good example?” Has that been thrown out the window and voraciously eaten by a creature called “Indifference“?

Society is indeed more open towards such issues. But being so rebellious, such as drinking, smoking underaged, watching M18 movies when you’re barely legal, and getting into clubs when you’ve just reached 15… I’m sure it’s nothing new, but youths are being more daring and dare to flirt with danger (or in this case, fine, jail or both.)

It’s not a good path to take.

And to think that it all started with Friendster.

“Imitation is best form of flattery.”
- Anonymous