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The status quo of information provision on the Internet in Vietnam today
The status quo of information provision on the Internet in Vietnam today
28/10/16
In recent years, the development of information services on the
Internet has brought about undeniable benefits to the world people. People
becomes closer together, can easily access the huge database online updated
every day, every hour from around the world. Information on the Internet is
extremely rich and varied. The Internet enhances information exchanges and
communication among people, contributes to the development of knowledge
economy, and increases democracy, transparency and openness in society. This is
the general development trend of the science and technology era.
According to new data published by the Internet World Stats, by
the end of June 2015, Vietnam boasted 45.5 million Internet users, reaching 48%
of the national population. Along with that, Internet-based information
provision including electronic media and social media (including web pages,
websites, social networks, personal web pages) have also grown very rapidly.
In recent years, along with the strong development of technology,
electronic media in Vietnam has been gradually renovated to adapt to the
development trend of modern communication, meeting increasing information needs
of audience. Under the leadership of the Party and the management of the State,
along with the traditional forms of media, electronic media has made an
important contribution to the overall achievement of the country's renewal
process. With 114 electronic newspapers and magazines and more than 250
electronic websites of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations,
electronic media has become the shock force, promptly and comprehensively
providing information on political, and socio-economic life of the country and
the world and acting as the voice of the Party, the State, socio-political
organizations and the people's forum.
They have proactively, positively and creatively contributed to
the dissemination, protection and development of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh
Thought, brought the Party viewpoints and lines and the State law into life,
fought against acts of law violation of organizations and individuals and
combated social evils, refuted erroneous and hostile information, and points of
view, promoted their role and position in information provision and propaganda,
and led ideological orientation, and public opinions.
Besides, they have also positively and effectively communicated
the Party and State’s lines, policies, and solutions to develop economy and
society, thus created trust and consensus in society. On that basis, levels,
sectors and people of all strata have made efforts to overcome difficulties and
challenges and contributed to making important socio-economic achievements.
Along with that, they have also manifested more clearly the oversight role and
social criticism, helping the Party, State and government at all levels in time
build, adjust and complement many decisions, implement effectively appropriate
socio-economic, enhance the fighting spirit against negative actions,
corruption and wastefulness, reject erroneous and hostile allegations, and
contribute to maintaining political stability, and socio sustainable
development.
In reality, the system of electronic newspapers of Vietnam has
taken advantage of technology, confirming its increasingly important position
in the revolutionary press system, in both provision of information and
communication as well as meeting the demands for information and entertainment.
Given its special advantage in external information, electronic media is an
important and effective external information provider as it can be easily
accessed by the Vietnamese community and international friends worldwide
through the Internet. It can also be a sharp weapon in the fight against
“peaceful evolution” in the ideological front, exposing distortion and
accusation of external hostile forces and domestic political opportunists.
Besides providing information, the electronic media including more
than 1,600 websites and 132 lisenced social media, not to mention dozens of
foreign social networks with a large number of users, such as Facebook and
Twitter and thousands of personal web pages, creates a diversified
communication environment, and improves exchange of information among Internet
users. According to statistics of comScore (one of the world's leading
companies on measurement and evaluation of online marketing solutions’s
effectiveness), in Feruary 2016, eight out of ten websites with highest traffic
from Vietnam are social media. Thus, we can see, social media is increasingly
attracting a large number of Internet users, especially in recent years, users
tend to search for information on social media.
One of the reasons why social media is rapidly developing is
information on social media is quick, rich, and interesting. Social media is
increasingly attracting users because of its highly interactive, quick update
from multiple sources. Users are very eager to make their own comments,
remarks, assessment and exchange on different fields, and ongoing issues of the
society. Information on social networks are rapidly spreading, and disseminating
and easily causing social impacts.
To a certain extent, social media is also one of the effectively
channels disseminating the Party line and policies, State laws, supporting the
media, expanding press agency outreach, and helping information of the
mainstream media reach farther, and faster.
Besides these benefits, online information also poses potential
risks, and run counter to legitimate interests of society. As an open
environment, the Internet has contained negative and harmful information of
different characters, such as vulgar words, pornography, violence incitation,
terrorism, slanders, besmearing, deceit, and threat to national security and
social order and safety.
Over the past period, though Vietnam’s electronic media has
thrived in both quantity and quality, pooling new synergy and new face for the
media in general, but there remain many limitations, and shortcomings. Some
newspapers have not yet fulfilled their functions in the field of ideology and
culture, but continued to run after trend to incite sensation against habits
and customs, discredit people which adversely affects the reputation of
organizations. Misinformation, lack of political sensitivity, and copyright
violations have increased. Technology-oriented development has not been given
due attention to by several media organizations.
Social media is also a communication channel that causes
information disturbance in society. Information on these pages mostly collects
sensational stories from other newspapers and communication channels and
sometimes edits with different titles as compared with the contents. Many
information sites have frequently violated copyright, causing media
organizations’ resentment while readers may have misunderstood that they are
electronic newspapers. Information on personal pages and social networks is
often trivial, unselected, difficult to identify sources and lack of
verification. Even when the event is true, it may be viewed, accessed and
interpreted by individual subjectivity, hence it can be easily distorted. That
is not to mention, if taken advantage of for the purpose of fraud, violations
of law, contrary to the legitimate interests of the community, social and
national security threat, the consequence is extremely grave, especially when
users are mostly young people, lacking strong acumen, and not mature enough to
receive information on the Internet.
There are many causes to the limitations and shortcomings listed
above. In terms of technology, the Internet is the open environment, allowing users
to freely provide, find and use information. So, depending on motivation,
purposes and awareness of individual users and organizations that information
posted by them on the Internet is positive or negative or even runs counter to
the legitimate interests of social community. Today, besides the positive
impacts in many aspects which promote social development, negative impacts of
wrong and harmful information on the Internet are increasing and complicated.
Meanwhile, many party committees, administrations, unions at all levels from
the central to local levels, as well as many officials and people have not
fully and deeply realized the complex nature, the negative and positive sides
of the Internet, not paid due attention to communication, education and advocacy
of Internet user organizations and individuals to abide by law, differentiate
between right and wrong and proactively fight, criticize, reject
misinformation, and fabrication on the Internet.
Meanwhile, the impact of the globalization of information, the
explosion of media platforms on the Internet have led to tremendous changes in
social life, and communication, the work of Internet-based information
management has met with difficulties and fallen short of technology
development. The enemy forces have been thoroughly taking advantage of the
media to carry out “peaceful evolution” schemes on the ideological and cultural
field, causing misinformation and confusion among society in order to sabotage
the Party and State of Vietnam. In addition, there are limitations in
management and planning. Mechanisms, policies, legal framework have been
incomplete and not caught up with development. Leaders of a number of press
agencies have not strictly observed information discipline. Many have not paid
due attention to management and have not been consistent in handling violating
media organization under their managment.
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All comments [ 10 ]
After nearly 20 years of the Internet connection, Vietnam is one of the countries in Asia with highest number of Internet users.
Along with the constant development of technology, the provision of and use of information on the Internet have increasingly diversified in both platforms and contents, not only bringing about many benefits to people, but also posing many challenges to the whole society.
It is an urgent demand to effectively manage information provision on the Internet in the current period.
Negative elements of international integration, particularly in the field of information and communication on the Internet, have strong impacts on social life. Feverishly deploying “peaceful evolution” scheme, hostile forces have taken full advantage of the Internet in order to generate misinformation, causing panic in the society.
more than ever, electronic media should continue to maintain the leading role, provide orientation and information in time to reject misinformation, and malicious and reactionary allegation on the Internet.
The authorities should continue to review, amend and supplement legal documents, mechanisms and policies, facilitate healthy development of electronic media and other forms of social media on the Internet coupled with strict management.
it is necessary to strengthen the organization apparatus and raise the effectiveness of State management over the press and electronic media, overcome overlapping and ambiguity in delegation and assignment among regulatory agencies, between the Central and local levels to ensure effective governance of information platforms on the Internet in the country.
The authority should give preferential support to Vietnamese internet services providers, contributing to building and developing good information, and prevent bad information on the Internet.
There should be research and forecasts on the development trend of the communication platforms and methods on the Internet in the future for proactive solutions, orientation and appropriate governance in line with the actual development of Vietnam and the development trend of the world.
The importance should be attached to communication, education and mobilization of Internet-users to comply with the law, social and cultural norms, ethics, differentiation between the right and the wrong, true and false, proactively fight and criticize misinformation, fabrication, false accusation while enhancing management of information on the Internet.
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