It’s that time again – New Year’s resolutions – quit smoking, eat healthily, exercise more, drink less. There are many ways to succeed in achieving your goals, but sometimes we get so caught up in moving forward, that we forget about the past. Without reflecting on, and learning from the past, it’s important to understanding the present, and ahead.
So in celebration of what has been, before we move on to what will come, team Mutant has come up with a list of the headlines that made waves in 2013.
So here it is, we present to you: Mutant’s Top 10 News Stories of 2013
- Little India Riot
Reports of the Little India riot took a downward spiral to the blame game – rowdy foreign workers, lax liquor licenses, and tardy ambulances. Forbes delved a little deeper; suggesting that issues such as social discrimination may have triggered the anger.
- Anonymous Hacking
While the Anonymous cyber protest against new licensing rules was not a democratic coup d’état, it goes to show the lengths people are willing to go to be heard.
- US Govt Shutdown
It took me a while to understand what was going on, and when I did, it didn’t make sense. The leaders of the most powerful nation on earth couldn’t come to an agreement which led to a 16-day shutdown of the US Government leading to thousands. Childish anyone?
-
Introduction of Vine App
Vine was introduced at the peak of GIFs’ widespread popularity. The app, owned by Twitter, allows anyone with a smartphone to create his or her own hypnotic video loops, and share it with the world
- Syrian Civil War
The harrowing after effects of the Arab Spring were mercilessly splashed all over the news. Vice ran an article (under the pretext of an injured cat in Syria), shedding light on “Lens Young Homsi”, which documents the war in their hometown, Homsi, through poignant videos and photographs.
- Facebook buys Instagram for 1bil
It has been a few months since the lucrative acquisition, and subtle changes have been imposed- tagging friends in photos, and recently, “Instagram Direct”, where users are enable to privately share an image with friends – adds an enhanced social dimension to the app.
- Nelson Mandela’s Passing
The world mourned the passing of an incredible man responsible for one of the most incredible social and political stories of the past century. This tweet by @HillaryClinton summed it up really well. “Nelson Mandela was a champion for justice & human dignity, with unmatched grace. I’ll remember him as Madiba, truly an unconquerable soul.”
- Breaking Bad Finale
From the love-hate relationship we had with Heisenberg, the demise of the Mr White and Pinkman dream team and the terrible fate of Uncle Hank to the catchy twang of the opening theme, saying goodbye to Breaking Bad, was tough. We will definitely be looking forward to the prequel spinoff, “Better Call Saul” coming really soon (beginning of2014). - Dove Sketch
Dove campaigns have always gone against the advertising grain of perfection, and focused instead on coming to terms with the beauty of reality. This sketch is no different; honest, poignant, and most importantly, a wake up call for women.
- Blurred Lines (of Copyright)
The salacious music video with topless sexpots prancing around may be part of a ploy to deviate from a more scandalous issue – Marvyn Gaye estate is suing Robin Thicke and Pharrell for copyright infringement – claiming that “Blurred Lines” ripped off Gaye’s “Got to Give up”. Have a listen to both songs and judge for yourselves.
Need help with your news? Drop a message to hello@mutant.com.sg