Unwired info the latest fab

AS THE Asian region reached 1.5 billion mobile subscribers in March 2008 with an annual rate of around 30 per cent for its total subscriber base, the world and is becoming increasingly "unwired". New Media practitioner Nicholas Aaron Khoo said this presents Brunei with "a unique and amazing opportunity to connect with and reach out to the rest of the world as rapid as possible, making information flow accurate".

"I think Asia is getting unwired really fast as more and more social networks launch mobile services in this part of the world," said Nicholas.

With the advent of 3G services in the country, a high Internet penetration rate and a generally tech-savvy population, Web 2.0 technologies and social media can already be seen penetrating its way into the sultanate's mainstream.

Mention online networking communities such as Facebook to any Bruneian youth and they will be able to identify with it. This form of socialisation has quickly been absorbed into the lives of Bruneian teens and young adults.

"Social media as a term really highlights the importance of interaction, the consumer and the community," wrote Nicholas, who is the official webmaster for CNET, in an article forwarded to The Brunei Times by Asia Inc Forum for the upcoming ThinkBig Technology Forum tomorrow.

Citing Wave 3 of the Universal McCann report, he said "social media is a global phenomenon happening in all markets regardless of wider economic, social and cultural development. If you are online you are using social media."

This trend has and will continue to impact both the private and public sector, said Nicholas, who will be one of the guest speakers during the forum.

In 1999, the Asean Secretariat recorded 317.46 PC users out of every 10,000 Bruneian inhabitants. Statistics provided by the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AiTi) stated that as of June 2007, there were 44.92 PC users for every 100 Bruneians, representing a 14-fold increase over the span of eight years.

"Don't be afraid of technology failing on you. Just imagine if you gave up using your computer because of that blue screen of death on your Windows 95. Or imagine if you decided choose to stop using the Internet because you have downloaded some malware years back? The world would never progress, and WE, not technology, will be the worse off for it," he said.

"When I lost data from my crashed mobile phones and hard disks, I learnt to do more regular backups and safe-keeping information. I just have to improve my way of using technology instead of blaming technology and giving up on it, without trying to rectify the problem. That's how technology is; it always helps you find a better way to do things eventually."

Nicholas blogs for CNET Asia and recently as a guest blogger for InfoComm123.Sg and works with many Web 2.0 companies as well as organisations like Singapore Press Holdings, Samsung Electronics and Singapore Slingers. These are the advantages gained from the globalisation of information. (HHM1)