First-Year Writing Competition (AY2425 Term 1)

There’s a new drug in town. Unlike conventional drugs, it’s widely accessible across the ages and free. Harmless looking at first, I soon fell into the temptation of short-form videos, labelled by some as “digital crack cocaine” (Koetsier, 2020). I was always trying to get the next quick fix every waking moment – even in the shower – because if I didn’t, restlessness and irritation would kick in. I was not alone; similar behavioural patterns were observed among hooked teenagers, with one even “locking his mother out” for cutting the Wi-Fi (Lau, 2023). Short-form videos were mentally and physically affecting the development of young people, without their knowledge.

Approaching the peak of addiction, I averaged 3 hours on the likes of TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels – close to the mean 2 hours spent on TikTok by American teenagers (Radesky et al., 2023). One study however suggests a decline in attention span, averaging just 47 seconds, despite the long hours (Ducharme, 2023). Platforms operate as “dopamine machines”, offering instant gratification through succinct 60-second videos that can “train brains to crave rewards from shorter content” and avoid offline activities that progress at a slower pace (Coleman, 2024). Shorter attention spans can also impact short-term academic performance, with a study of 1047 college students showing positive associations linked with academic procrastination (Xie et al., 2023).

Delving deeper, I discovered a more sinister side to short-form videos. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (2022) observed TikTok’s algorithm recommending accounts signed up for 13-year-olds – the minimum age limit – suicide and eating disorder videos within 10 minutes of liking mental health and body image videos. Such videos can potentially impact mental wellbeing, with an Institute of Mental Health study reporting a higher susceptibility of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among young people with more than 3 hours of excessive exposure (“Excessive Social Media Use”, 2024). Similarly, short-form videos have also been blamed for causing deaths. Take for instance 9-year-old Arriani, who perished while filming herself doing the TikTok blackout challenge already linked to 15 other deaths involving 12-year-olds and below (Carville, 2022).

However, some have argued that short-form videos also offer educational benefits through microlearning – an approach that breaks down complex information into bite-sized bits. These videos, paired with the platforms’ screen time controls, can help to improve engagement and knowledge retention among younger learners (Wright, 2023). While short-form videos can serve as complementary learning tools, research indicated a high prevalence of misinformation while screen time limits on platforms didn’t always work as intended to curb addiction (Brewster et al., 2022; Morrison, 2023).

How can we then minimise the negative impacts of short-form videos? Well, the answer might be as simple as deleting the applications. The results were coherently positive – young adults who quit short-form videos experienced significant improvements in overall mental well-being (Getahun, 2024; Miron, 2024; Sabieddine, 2023). Most also gained additional time for other things, like catching up on hobbies or spending time with family. For the less adventurous still preferring to get a small fix, they can consider swapping some screen time for exercise and outdoor activities which can help encourage social interaction, lower stress levels and build attention during childhood (Adventure Education Solutions, 2017; Jargon, 2022).

With the introduction of new platforms in an already congested marketplace, short-form videos have slowly become more commonplace and a way-of-life in the current digital world. What users can do is to recognise early symptoms of addiction and take the first step to nip the problem in the bud before it worsens. For now, I guess I will be deleting TikTok and Instagram to focus on this assignment.

Reference List

Adventure Education Solutions. (2017, November). Outdoor Activities Can Benefit a Child's Mental Well-Being.https://www.calaes.com/blog/outdoor-activities-can-benefit-a-childs-mental-well-being

Brewster, J., Arvanitis, L., Pavilonis, V. & Wang, M. (2022, September 14). Beware the ‘New Google:’ TikTok’s Search Engine Pumps Toxic Misinformation To Its Young Users. NewsGuard. https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/september-2022/

Carville, O. (2022, November 30). TikTok’s Viral Challenges Keep Luring Young Kids to Their Deaths. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-11-30/is-tiktok-responsible-if-kids-die-doing-dangerous-viral-challenges

Center for Countering Digital Hate. (2022). Deadly By Design.https://counterhate.com/research/deadly-by-design/ 

Coleman, T. (2024, February 15). 'TikTok brain' may be coming for your kid's attention span. The Week.https://theweek.com/health-and-wellness/1025836/tiktok-brain-and-attention-spans 

Ducharme, J. (2023, August 10). Why Everyone’s Worried About Their Attention Span—and How to Improve Yours. Time Magazine.https://time.com/6302294/why-you-cant-focus-anymore-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Excessive social media use linked to mental health symptoms among youths: IMH study. (2024, September 19). Channel News Asia.https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/youth-depression-anxiety-stress-social-media-body-image-cyberbullying-4617641

Getahun, H. (2024, April 27). I'm Gen Z and spent 7 hours a week on TikTok. I deleted the app and now have more time to do actually fun things. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-tiktok-user-quit-mental-health-productivity-us-ban-2024-4 

Jargon, J. (2022, April 2). TikTok Brain Explained: Why Some Kids Seem Hooked on Social Video Feeds. The Wall Street Journal.https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-brain-explained-why-some-kids-seem-hooked-on-social-video-feeds-11648866192

Koetsier, J. (2020, January 18). Digital Crack Cocaine: The Science Behind TikTok’s Success. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2020/01/18/digital-crack-cocaine-the-science-behind-tiktoks-success/ 

Lau, D. (2023, July 24). The Big Read: Teenagers hooked on social media - what’s the cost to their mental health? Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/big-read-teenagers-social-media-addiction-cost-mental-health-3647121

Miron, L. (2024, July 30). I deleted TikTok as a college student. It saved my mental health. PIRG. https://pirg.org/articles/tik-tok-bad-for-teens/

Morrison, S. (2023, March 2). TikTok isn’t really limiting kids’ time on its app. Vox. https://www.vox.com/recode/2023/3/2/23620393/tiktok-screen-time-limit-parents-ban

Radesky, J. S., Weeks, H. M., Schaller, A., Robb, M. B., Mann, S. & Lenhart, A. (2023). Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use. Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2023-cs-smartphone-research-report_final-for-web.pdf

Sabieddine, L. (2023, March 26). Reclaiming my attention span: My week without TikTok. The Michigan Daily.https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/digital-culture/reclaiming-my-attention-span-my-week-without-tiktok/

Wright, M. (2023, May 18). Microlearning: Revolutionizing Online Education for the TikTok Generation. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/microlearning-revolutionizing-online-education-tiktok-michael-wright

Xie, J., Xu, X., Zhang, Y., Tan, Y., Wu, D., Shi, M., & Huang, H. (2023). The effect of short-form video addiction on undergraduates' academic procrastination: a moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1298361. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1298361

That familiar red screen faces you once again. The words “defeat” plastered across it. Frustrated, thoughts of the match and your opponents’ shiny new equipment stick out like sore thumbs in your memory. A thought pops up: “I’d have easily won if I had that gear too...” An idea strikes, you rush to the in-game shop and see flashing offers for various Loot-Boxes. Surely one would not hurt, right...? 

The above scenario is one that many gamers have experienced before. Loot-Boxes offer random item(s) after being purchased, which can be downright game-breaking in nature by offering huge benefits to the wielder in the form of exclusive items (King & Delfabbro, 2018). Gamers are more likely to spend money after harsh negative experiences like losing (Costes & Bonnaire, 2022). This predatory loop of losing and buying is a vicious cycle that is designed to sink their teeth into gamers and not let go. Within this pattern comes the pernicious issue of Loot-Boxes promoting gambling tendencies in gamers.  

Loot-Boxes promote gambling behaviours as they exhibit “Gambling-like mechanisms” which make them “potentially addictive” (Syrola, Nyrhinen, Nuckols & Wilska, 2023). They also have similar “psychological characteristics and risk profiles” which make them 20% more likely to become a gambler (Spicer, Fullwood, Close, Nicklin, Lloyd J. & Lloyd H., 2022). The abuse does not stop there as once the company has lured in these hapless gamers; they sink their teeth in with sinister methods like the “sunk cost effect” and “entrapment” strategies by incentivizing gamers to stay due to the time and money they have spent on the game (King & Delfabbro, 2018). What these companies have done is strap their poor consumers to a slot machine with invisible chains, where the only way to win is to pull. 

So, what can be done to close Pandora’s Box of gaming? Legislation has proved ineffective to curb the spread of Loot-Boxes (Xiao, 2023). As such, I offer an alternative instead: the Battle-Pass system. Already widely adopted by many popular games, the track offers rewards to players based on their completion of in-game tasks. Most of all, the rewards and transparent and standardised for all players, nobody will have an inherent advantage. In a survey conducted with over 622 participants, the majority of people expressed support for the Battle-Pass over Loot-Boxes at 65.1% to 34.9% (ResetEra, 2023). 

Some supporters of the Loot-Box may claim how it is essential to the survival of a game. By making the game easier, it becomes more for gamers, and they are incentivised to come back and continue playing each day. (Manzoor, 2023) Loot-Boxes are also insanely lucrative, earning upwards of half the revenue for game companies (King & Delfabbro, 2018), and are utilised by an excess of 70% of independent creators on online game marketplaces like Steam which use Loot-Boxes as a form of revenue (Syrola, Nyrhinen, Nuckols & Wilska, 2023). Loot-Boxes allow producers to keep the game service running for players.  

Despite this, the dangers of Loot-Boxes outweigh the benefits. It can cause those struggling financially to overspend on games and harm children who are more susceptible to the gambling influences of Loot-Boxes (King & Delfabbro, 2018) and is not necessary (Warren, 2018).  Harkening back to the Battle-Pass solution, companies can charge a premium on it to receive additional items for a lump-sum of cash, removing the need for gambling while earning their keep.  

Just remember, the next time you lose a game, stay your hand and let the executives know that yes— we do have phones—and no, we will not waste our money on their Lose-Boxes. (AzAMOuS, 2018) 

Reference List

Costes, J.-M., & Bonnaire, C. (2022, November 25). Spending money in free-to-play games: Sociodemographic characteristics, motives, impulsivity and internet gaming disorder specificities. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9737990/

King, D. L., & Delfabbro, P. H. (2018, November 1). Predatory monetization schemes in video games (e.g. ‘loot boxes’) and internet gaming disorder. EBSCOhost. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.libproxy.smu.edu.sg/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=b16153f3-1970-44dc-b6a4-8748ada51d41%40redis 

Sirola, A., Nyrhinen, J., Nuckols, J., & Wilska, T.-A. (2023, October 13). Loot box purchasing and indebtedness: The role of psychosocial factors and problem gambling. Addictive behaviors reports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10616135/#:~:text=The%20chance%2Dbased%20nature%20of,et%20al.%2C%202022

Xiao, L. Y. (2023). Breaking ban: Belgium’s ineffective gambling law regulation of video game loot boxes | Collabra: Psychology | university of california press. University of California Press. https://online.ucpress.edu/collabra/article/9/1/57641/195100/Breaking-Ban-Belgium-s-Ineffective-Gambling-Law 

Spicer, S. G., Fullwood, C., Close, J., Nicklin, L. L., Lloyd, J., & Lloyd, H. (2022, August). Loot boxes and problem gambling: Investigating the “gateway hypothesis.” ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460322000934?via%3Dihub#s0070

Warren, M. (2018, December). Loot boxes: Financial necessity or profit enhancer? universityofsunderland.shorthandstories.com. https://universityofsunderland.shorthandstories.com/loot-boxes--financial-necessity-or-profit-enhancer-/index.html

ResetEra, A. (2023, August 13). Battle passes or loot boxes which do you prefer?https://www.resetera.com/threads/battle-passes-or-loot-boxes-which-do-you-prefer.752461/page-3

Manzoor, M. (2023, March 19). How loot boxes impact the player experience. Camlann Games. https://camlanngames.com/how-loot-boxes-impact-the-player-experience/#:~:text=Positive%20Impacts&text=For%20instance%2C%20if%20you%20are,more%20fun%20and%20less%20challenging.

AzAMOuS. (2018, November). dO yOu GuYs NoT hAvE pHoNeS?. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly10r6m_-n8&ab_channel=AzAMOuS 

Let’s be real: learning to drive in Singapore is anything but smooth. Getting your driver’s license is supposed to be a rite of passage, but for many, it’s more of a nightmare. The problem? The insanely long wait times. For a country that prides itself on efficiency, you’d expect better, right? Let’s break down what’s going wrong and how to fix it.

It’s no secret among Singaporeans that driving lessons and tests can drag on for frustratingly long (Lim, 2024). As a learner enrolled in a driving school myself, the next available lesson is an outrageous six months from now. This isn’t just about convenience. Maier et al. (2021) proved that long waits between driving lessons worsen information retention and lower confidence in learners, leading to more failed exams. Limited exam slots also pressure learners to book exams early even if they aren’t ready, contributing to a higher failure rate and resulting in more re-examinations (Henderson, 2024). Unsurprisingly, Singapore’s driving exam pass rate hovers near 40% (Singapore Police Force, 2024), considerably lower than other countries (Eser, 2024). This vicious cycle of unpreparedness and re-examinations clogs up the system, creating a bottleneck. 

The problem doesn’t stop there. The scarcity of lessons has driven many Singaporeans to employ illegal third-party services advertised on platforms like Carousell, to secure earlier lessons. These services “snag slots the moment they become available, such as when another learner cancels” (Chin, 2022, p. 8). This creates a secondary market where those who can afford to pay, snatch earlier slots, leaving others stuck with much later ones. As more learners feel pressured to turn to these services, costs will rise, and the playing field becomes increasingly unfair. This also opens the door to potential scams. In the UK, scammers have begun posing as slot-booking services, preying on desperate learners (Corfield, 2024). Singapore could face the same issue if this problem continues unchecked. The current process is stressful enough, the introduction of scammers would only make things worse.

So, what can we do to fix this mess? Well, we need more instructors. The government acknowledged Singapore’s shortage of driving instructors back in 2022 (Shanmugam, 2022), yet schools are still struggling to recruit sufficient instructors (Lim, 2024). One solution to this shortage would be to begin reissuing private driving instructor licenses. Ever since new licenses stopped being issued in 1987, the population of private driving instructors has been dwindling (Yang, 2021). These freelance instructors were once popular for their flexibility and personalised teaching. Adding new ones into the system would address the shortage and relieve pressure on schools.

Conversely, some argue that introducing new private instructors could lower the overall quality of driving education (Ong & Ng, 2024), especially since they operate independently without regulation by driving schools. Given the risks involved, maintaining high teaching standards is absolutely crucial for road safety. However, this concern misses a key fact: the final exam is conducted by the Traffic Police, an independent body that ensures consistent testing, whether the learner is from a school or a private instructor. Furthermore, pass-fail rates for all private instructors are publicly available (Singapore Police Force, 2024), so underperforming instructors would naturally lose students and get phased out. Thus, I believe that adding private instructors will ease the exiguity without diluting the quality of driving education.

While the long wait times at Singapore’s driving schools are exasperating, they’re not beyond fixing. Reissuing private instructor licenses will alleviate the instructor shortage and quash the delays. It's time to streamline the process and focus on what truly matters—eliminating the frustrating waits and introducing safe drivers onto the road.

Reference List

Chin, H.S. (2022, November 28). Desperate learner drivers pay for queue-jumping 
bot services to secure earlier slots. The Straits Times.  https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/desperate-learner-drivers-pay-for-queue-jumping-bot-services-to-secure-earlier-slots

Corfield, G. (2024, August 27). Learner drivers desperate to book tests being 
targeted by scammers. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/27/learner-drivers-desperate-book-tests-targeted-scammers/

Eser, A. (2024, July 23). Driving Test Statistics: Pass Rates, Costs, and Global 
Trends. Worldmetrics.org. https://worldmetrics.org/driving-test-statistics/

Henderson, C. (2024, June 25). Driving test fail rates rise as young people race to 
book test slots anywhere they can. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/25/driving-test-failures-rise-dates-demand-soaring-lessons/

Lim, K. (2024, June 21). Is Singapore’s Driving School System Stalling? Rice 
Media. https://www.ricemedia.co/singapore-driving-school-stalling/

Maier, D., Verinceanu, A., Bacali, L., & Lazăr, P. S. (2021). Study on Analysis of 
Determinants that Influence Candidates Behavior in The Examination Process for Obtaining a Driving License. Review of Management and Economic Engineering Vol. 20, No. 1(79), March 2021, p. 48.

Ong, J., & Ng, A. (2024, April 27) 'Like a hobby': Private driving instructors rue 
sunset industry that has quirky students, comfortable salaries. Channel NewsAsia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/private-driving-instructor-licence-retirement-traffic-police-4260856

Shanmugam, K. (2022, November 7) Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on 
Whether Current Number of Driving Instructors Can Meet Demand for Class 3 Practical Driving Lessons. Ministry of Home Affairs.
https://www.mha.gov.sg/mediaroom/parliamentary/written-reply-to-pq-on-whether-current-number-of-driving-instructors-can-meet-demand-for-class-3-practical-driving-lessons/

Singapore Police Force. (2024, September 9) Passing Rates Of Theory And Practical 
Tests.https://www.police.gov.sg/Advisories/Traffic/Traffic-Matters/Waiting-Time-and-Passing-Rates-of-Theory-and-Practical-Tests

Yang, W. (2021, August 22). End of an era nears for private driving instructors. The 
Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/end-of-an-era-nears-for-private-driving-instructors

In my first month of National Service, my grandmother passed away after a long battle with dementia. I was told to 'man up' and soldier on, or risk failing my training if I took time off to grieve. At that moment, I had never felt more alone. I feared that sharing my grief with my section mates would make me appear 'weak' and ‘less of a man’.

Alarmingly, I am not alone in this struggle. When asked about their friendships, fifteen percent of male respondents said they had no close friends at all, a fivefold increase from 1990 (Cox, 2021). Given the strong correlation between isolation and suicide (Alothman et al., 2024), it is unsurprising that in the past year, the number of male suicide deaths in Singapore was double that of women (Samaritans of Singapore, 2024).

The root cause of the problem is the societal conditioning of men, who have been raised to adhere to traditional masculinity by prioritising being independent and downplaying their emotions (Richmond et al., 2012). Consequently, men isolate themselves from support sources because sharing their feelings could be perceived as weakness (Keum et al., 2021). When men are told to internalize their emotions, loneliness can fester and make suicide ‘palatable’.

I believe we can turn the tide on this deep-rooted issue with male support groups (MSGs). By offering safe spaces for men to be candid with their feelings, they are able to connect with others facing similar struggles and are more open to sharing their experiences as compared to traditional avenues of support, thereby reducing isolation.

MSGs are unique in that they are men-only - they allow men to be more emotionally vulnerable without feeling embarrassed as compared to mixed-sex groups (Cramer et al., 2013). Participants also build connections in the process of helping each other work through their problems (Broughton et al., 2016).

Crucially, men have been proven to be more receptive to MSGs than visiting doctors (Cramer et al., 2013). Formal medical environments can prove intimidating, especially when men have been conditioned to believe that any acknowledgement of emotion will be judged - even by a medical professional! In contrast, MSGs can help men realise that there are others facing similar issues and provide an opportunity to connect with them in a less formal setting. I can vouch for this - I attended virtual sharing sessions hosted by Men’s Group Singapore after my grandmother’s passing rather than go to a doctor because I did not want to be labelled by the latter. With men already reluctant to seek help, MSGs are needed to reduce the barriers that prevent them from doing so.

Critics argue that MSGs can breed misogyny. Support groups for divorced men have been observed to be hijacked by bad actors who direct conversations “away from… institutions and toward women” (Kimmel, 2017). Indeed, safe spaces for men to discuss their struggles can counterproductively reinforce traditional masculinity.

However, MSGs are not monolithic. In fact, many aim to move away from traditional masculinity by encouraging introspection rather than directing hatred outward. Groups such as the Masculinity Action Project help men realise how traditional notions of masculinity can be destructive and they provide “alternative solutions to those offered by the misogynist (movement)” (Yu, 2019). Therefore, most MSGs in fact combat misogyny by critically examining traditional masculinity.

MSGs make men more receptive to opening up due to their informal setting and also help men build strong social connections with one another. If we challenge traditional masculinity and reduce social isolation with these groups, we stand a much better chance at avoiding these preventable tragedies.

Reference List

Alothman, D., Lewis, S., Card, T., Tyrrell, E., & Fogarty, A. W. (2024). The association between living alone, loneliness and suicide mortality and effect modification by age: A case:control study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 352, 278–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.047

Broughton, K. A., Payne, L., & Liechty, T. (2016). An exploration of older men’s social lives and well-being in the context of a Coffee Group. Leisure Sciences, 39(3), 261–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2016.1178200 

Cox, D. A. (2022, April 7). The State of American Friendship: Change, challenges, and loss. The Survey Center on American Life. https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/ 

Cramer, H., Horwood, J., Payne, S., Araya, R., Lester, H., & Salisbury, C. (2013). Do depressed and anxious men do groups? what works and what are the barriers to help seeking? Primary Health Care Research & Development, 15(03), 287–301. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1463423613000297 

Keum, B. T., Oliffe, J. L., Rice, S. M., Kealy, D., Seidler, Z. E., Cox, D. W., Levant, R. F., & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2021). Distress disclosure and psychological distress among men: The role of feeling understood and loneliness. Current Psychology, 42(13), 10533–10542. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02163-y 

Kimmel, M. S. (2019). Angry white men: American masculinity at the end of an Era. Bold Type Books. 

Richmond, K. A., Levant, R. F., & Ladhani, S. C. (2012). The varieties of the masculine experience. Navigating Multiple IdentitiesRace, Gender, Culture, Nationality, and Roles, 59–74. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732074.003.0004 

Suicide numbers decline in Singapore, but vigilance must continue. Samaritans of Singapore (SOS). (2024, July 12). https://www.sos.org.sg/pressroom/suicide-numbers-decline-in-singapore-but-vigilance-must-continue/

Yu, A. (2019, May 18). Where’s masculinity headed? men’s groups and therapists are talking. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/18/716350714/wheres-masculinity-headed-mens-groups-and-therapists-are-talking

They say it is good luck when bird dropping lands on you, but that was not how I felt when “tartar sauce” landed on my shirt while seated outside a Fish & Co. I looked up and to my horror, several pigeons perched on an awning, like a firing squad, with their tail feathers aimed at me. 

The pigeon problem is not anything new for Singaporeans, we get grossed out by the sheer number of pigeons and their droppings in our void decks, on our aircon compressors and hawker centres (Wong, 2024). Despite measures by the government, NParks had recorded between 7,016 - 8,430 complaints on pigeons annually in the last 5 years (Sin & Yong, 2023). To reduce the amount of bird droppings, I suggest we implement pigeon lofts as pigeons will defecate within it and we can sustainably manage the population better.

According to Alexandra Weyrather’s manual, pigeon lofts are houses that provide pigeons seed mixes, water and a place to nest while keeping all their droppings within it (Weyrather, 2021). When necessities are provided for, they will nest and spend more time in the loft, instead of loitering our neighbourhoods looking for food and leaving trails of droppings wherever they go (Weyrather, 2021). 

It is evident that pigeons have associated our neighbourhoods with food. According to NParks, 70% of a pigeon’s diet derives from us (Soh et al., 2021), and they nest where food is most available (Lim et al., 2023). This indicates a clear association between our environment and their survivability. I believe by forming new associations with these lofts, it will entice them to stay inside, and we should see a decline in overall droppings in our neighbourhood.

Aside from containing the pigeons, the loft will allow us to sustainably manage the population by swapping the eggs they lay with fake eggs (Weyrather, 2021). Swapping the eggs can reduce the population by delaying the hen pigeon by two to three weeks before it lays again (Outerbridge, 2016).

If we entice pigeons by recreating conditions where they have access to food and safety from predators at height (Lim et al., 2023), we can sustainably manage the population within an enclosed area instead of removing nests which only causes the pigeon to relocate (Lim et al., 2023) or culling which due to their high reproductive rate is deemed unsustainable (Stukenholtz et al., 2019). When we contain the problem within an area, it means a more targeted approach to sustainably reduce and maintain the population, and ultimately means less pigeons carpet bombing our neighbourhoods!

Some might argue, Singapore is small as it is, where do we find the space to put pigeon lofts? While I agree space is limited, I think that multi-story car parks can offer a solution. The roofs of multi-story car parks are already being used as community gardens, urban farms (Liang, 2022), and even Professor Jamus Lim posited that it can be commercialised (The Straits Times, 2021). I think pigeon lofts can be integrated to provide rooftop community gardens a good mix of flora and fauna while keeping the integrity of its overall function.   

The pigeon problem starts with how we feed them, if left to their own devices they will scour around for food and paint the town white. Though a little radical, I believe that pigeon lofts will decrease the amount of pigeon droppings we see in our neighbourhoods by managing the population and the confines of where they defecate. After all, I highly doubt we would consider the soiled façade of our home and neighbourhood good luck. 

Reference List

Commercialising underutilised carpark space, building business centres in HDB blocks among suggestions for MND. (2021, March 1). The Straits Times.https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/commercialising-underutilised-carpark-space-business-centres-in-housing-blocks-among-mps

Liang, A. (2022, July 30). How Singapore is turning multi-storey car parks into farms. British Broadcasting Corporation. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61919430

Lim, K. N., Soh, M. C. K., Leong, D. Y. W., Lee, B. P. Y.-H., Loo, A. H. B., & Er, K. B. H. (2023). Proximity to anthropogenic food sources determine roosting and nesting prevalence of feral pigeons (Columba livia) in a tropical city. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 4(2), e12234. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12234

Outerbridge, M. E. (2016). Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) Management Plan for Bermuda. Government of Bermuda. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/501134e9c4aa430673203999/t/57605d1640261dc989cec277/1465933079748/Feral+pigeon+management+plan+for+Bermuda+%28PSA+format%29.pdf

Sin, C., & Yong, L. (2023, December 11). ‘They fly in the minute I sit down’: Acres, residents want more policing against bird feeding. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/they-fly-in-the-minute-i-sit-down-acres-residents-want-more-policing-against-bird-feeding

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