Challenge Tomorrow- Securing Our Virtual World

In the final episode of the five-part television documentary on Challenge Tomorrow which look into the future of the cyber world, SMU Behavioural Sciences Institute Director Professor David Chan discussed three issues. First, he said if Singaporeans decide to take up membership in e-residency such as that offered by Estonia, the reasons will likely be pragmatic and economic ones for efficiency and effectiveness. However, issues of national identity and competing ideas of nationhood may arise when individuals come together to form e-communities and the economic reasons for membership develop into social and political thoughts and ideologies. Second, he noted that as Singaporeans spend a lot of time in the cyber world, they begin to develop a dual identity, having both an online identity and a real-world identity, and they behave differently between these two identities. Third, he explained that with internet, Singaporeans can know many things about Singapore even when outside the country and in that sense they can still be rooted even without being physically in the country. But the challenge is to ensure that Singaporeans have the common values, principles and identity even before they leave the country so that the sense of national identity can continue to remain.