TWEET GOES BIG!!

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/1012972/1/.html

In the article, it writes about that the major search engines namely Microsoft and Google are incorporating twitter into their search system.

I feel that this is one step taken forward in the advancement of New Communication Technology (NCT). This is because Twitter (one form of NCT) is a free social networking site in which one can update their current status through short messages, also known as a tweet. This shows that the new communication sites are becoming increasingly significant among the people up till the point when even search engines are realizing the potentially large amount of information that these sites possess. From the article, we also know that the next target of these giant search engines is another popular networking site, Facebook. Thus, from the incorporating of the status updates onto the search system, we know how NCT has evolved from the various common networking sites into a vastly large avenue for information.

Lastly, since this is the last part of the last post, I just want to give my opinion on which media theory is relevant to us while doing this blog. I feel that it is the limited effects theory as we as audience, are able to resist media messages by turning off the television or not buying the newspaper. However, we still consume media products according to our own needs and due to circumstances such as the COMPULSORY blog post, in which we have to find media products to analyze with the various communication techniques that we have learnt. =D

black AND white

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_443387.html

In this article, a mixed couple, Beth Humphrey, who is white, and Terence Mckay, who is black, could not marry each other after a Louisiana justice of the peace, Keith Bardwell, refused to issue a marriage license. The reason he gave for not marrying the couple was that he was worried for the future of their children should they get married.

I feel that this is a form of attitudinal barrier to intercultural communication.

This is because of the prejudice Bardwell, who is white, has towards the black community. The black community in America has long been stigmatized as the trouble makers of the society especially due to the high crime rates in areas which the black communities congregate. This has led to Americans stereotyping the blacks being more violent and less educated. Several decades or in fact, the whole American history of having a white president has also led to a belief of ethnocentrism that the whites are more superior as compared to the blacks.

However, we know that the current American president, Mr Barack Obama, is a black and him being able to win the elections based on votes from the citizens, shows the acceptance of a black leader among the dominantly white community. Also, on the top of the list of Forbes 2008 richest celebrity couples are the black couple Beyonce and Jay-Z, who collectively earn US$162 million. In fact, coming in second on the list was also another black couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, who collectively earn US$85million. The presence of prominent black figures in the American society shows that they are becoming less of a negative externality.

Therefore, I feel that Bardwell should see past outer differences and accept that blacks are also able to support themselves in the current society.

decision-making time!

This week was all about the GROUP!

What better media text to represent this statement better than the reality show, SURVIVOR! (In particular, the latest season SURVIVOR: SAMOA)

Well, unless you have been living high up in the mountains and deep in the sea, you would know that Survivor is a reality game show where 16-20 strangers are divided into 2 groups (a.k.a tribes) and have to live together on different parts of a remote island for different durations ranging from 1day to 39days. In between are reward and immunity challenges, which can help in improving the living conditions of their campsite and also, determine the number of members remaining on the tribe. This is because the losing tribe in the immunity challenge has to vote off one member from their tribe. The sole survivor standing will receive one million dollars!

This season, however, had a twist.

In the first episode, as seen from the video, instead of the different tribes heading towards their campsites, the tribe members, having just met each other for less than a few hours with little social interaction, have to elect a leader. This leader will make important decisions in which they feel is best for the tribe. Thus, the groups have to vote, solely based on first impressions and perception. This shows that the group is needed to make complex decisions. However in this case, the decision was made based on the majority of the votes and not through discussion and thus, the leader that they elect, may be ideal in terms of looks but not actions, which can be risky.

At last! There leaders were elected, Russell for the Galu tribe (purple) and Nick for the Foa Foa tribe (yellow).

But wait, there’s more.

They now have to make individual decision to select people from their tribe, for the first challenge, who fits with the various attributes that the host listed such as, “Who do you think is the best swimmer” and “Who do you think is the smartest”. Places for strength and stamina were given to the physically stronger and younger males while agility and knowledge were given to smaller females. However, this is solely based on perception, or even stereotype, in which we group attributes of certain people with certain roles.

Therefore, I view the challenge as a way of seeing whether the judgment made by the leaders were right. It is through the actions, for example, the seemingly strong man being able to move a heavy object, or the ‘agile’ woman able to scale a narrow platform with ease, which ascertains the that first impressions may be right.

I feel that though initial impression is important in deciding different roles in a new group, one has to prove his or herself through actions and fulfilling the requirement of that role.

And personally, I support the GALU TRIBE!!! LONG LIVE GALU!!

it takes two to clap

Like any other dating couple, Peter Khiew and Sally Khoo finally tied the knot on 3rd October 2009, after six years of dating. But, “Who are they?” you might ask. Well, they are unlike the glamour couple Christopher Lee and Fann Wong, but your usual everyday couple who decided to get married (which is also Stage 5 –the bonding stage- of Knapp’s model of relational development) and live the rest of their lives together.

Think it is that easy getting your life partner? Think again.

This article, taken from The Sunday Times dated 4th October 2009, was more than just about two people marrying. It touches on the point of competency between the two parties in a relationship and also, that even with two willing parties in a relationship, both parties may be on different stages according to Knapp Model of relational development despite knowing each other for quite some time.

Firstly, the financial and the social status competency of the two parties greatly differed when they first met at a karaoke session organized for singles in 2003. Peter was a Karung Guni (Rag-and-bone) man then, earning approximately $1,500 whereas Sally was a childcare centre principal whose pay was doubled of his. While many women would wince at the thought of having a partner whose pay was lesser, Sally did not mind. Furthermore, the job of a Karung Guni man, I am sure, is not a job most woman want their partner to have. This showed that there are exceptions in which people do form relationship with others who are less competent than they are. Despite both parties readily accepting each other, there was external pressure from Sally’s family as they felt that he was out to cheat her due to their different financial income. However, after meetings with both families, this uncertainty gradually disappeared.

After two years of dating, Peter was ready to settle down but Sally was not. This showed that Peter was already at the 5th stage –the bonding stage of Knapp’s model of relational development, ready for marriage, whereas Sally was still at the 4th stage –the integrating stage, only ready to admit to others that they are a couple. This shows that despite being a dating couple for two years, their attitude towards marriage does not coincide, which may sometimes, hurt a relationship.

Despite the rejection from Sally, Peter persevered for another four years and in the end, won her over with his acts of kindness. Since then, he has also found a full-time job as a purchaser for a local environmental management company.

After reading this article, I feel that seeing beyond looks and wealth is sometimes more important than focusing on these aspects when looking for a life-time partner. This is because many other aspects like the character can really decide if the person is the right one for you! And of course, a willing party to make the relationship a functional one. =D

Finally, I just want to wish this couple best wishes for the future, and hopefully continue to practise management skills in their relationship. (Or SUFFER THE FATE OF DISENGAGEMENT >.<)

Formula One Fever!

This is an advertisement for Mercedes Benz which I feel clearly plays with the rivalries between Spanish driver, Fernando Alonso and British driver, Lewis Hamilton. It which shows the competitiveness between drivers in Formula One (F1).






In the first three seconds of the advertisement, it shows two F1 cars racing neck and neck until the finish with viewers not knowing which driver winning till the scene in which the cars return to the pit garage. From Hamilton’s body language, better known as kinesics, we know that he won as he waved to Alonso with an air of smugness. After which, the director uses oculesics for the portrayal of Alonso’s emotions with Alonso rolling his eyes upon seeing Hamilton’s wave. I feel that this was a very good way of portraying Alonso’s emotions as the driver was wearing a helmet and the director uses the only feature which can be seen, the eyes.

Further on in the advertisement, the director continually uses both kinesics and oculesics to portray the drivers’ emotions in the various scenes. From the scene which Hamilton was captivated by the woman walking down the street and cannot take his eyes off her, to the one where Alonso was tapping his hotel card on his hand and repeatedly pressing the lift to get away from Hamilton quickly are some of the non-verbal tools used.

Indeed, this is a light hearted advertisement which is not marred by the various scandals that have hurt the image of the sport. From the “spygate” to the “liegate” and recently, the “crashgate” saga, F1 has become more of a circus rather than a sport. Therefore, this advertisement shows that competition between teams and drivers in F1 should be healthy and teams should not resort to unethical ways to score their win.

Also, the advertisement gives as an idea of the amount of dedication and discipline each driver has from the vigorous training in the advertisement. And even though the advertisement was a rather fun one to watch, we must not fail to recognize that F1 remains a very dangerous sport and the drivers are always risking their lives at every race.

Last but not least,

I HOPE THAT THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX THIS WEEKEND WILL BE A SUCCESS!

Less than perfect?? PERFECT!

When one thinks of fashion, tall thin women with flawless complexion and perfect hair and makeup usually comes into mind. This is because we usually associate fashion to the models we see on the various forms of the mass media such as on the television and in magazines. This is due to the selection process where the stimuli selects information due to the frequency of thin models we see on fashion programmes in the media. Thus, we are influenced by the media and the perception we have of beautiful people are the perfect people we see in the media.

However, recently in an American magazine glamour, it published an article with a photo of a nude model which was unlike any of the typical stick-thin women one associates modeling with. Instead, the model was a woman with bigger thighs and also, a fleshier stomach. The article was well received by the public and many gave positive feedbacks about showing a woman who was comfortable in her own skin despite not looking like any of the usual models we commonly see in the media.

"Anyone who thinks that this model is unhealthy should have their head examined. She's tall, has an athletic build and a bit of a tummy. End of story,"

"A real woman who looks like a person,"

These feedbacks showed that people are becoming more receptive of the less than perfect models as they know at the back of their minds, that this is what women in real life look like. This would set a good example for girls who in their bid to seek for that perfect model looking figure, develop eating disorders. Despite the increase in eating disorder rates, we must also not fail to recognize that obesity rates have also been increasing due to the affluent lifestyle of people.

Therefore we must maintain a healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercising so as to not stray to the two extremes. But most importantly, we must be confident in our own skin and be proud of what we have.

MORE REAL WOMEN ON THE MAGAZINES PLEASE!

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/lifestylenews/view/1002565/1/.html

English Standards

In The Sunday Times main paper dated 13th September 2009, it has been brought up that the standard of English in Singapore has been falling. Various reasons have been mentioned to account for the falling standards.

Firstly, the wide range of languages used here can account for the fall in English standards. As Ms Laraine Bamrah quoted, “ Singaporeans’ exposure to several languages results in breadth, but the richness and depth acquired in any one language is compromised.” This is especially true in a multi-cultural society like Singapore. As a result, the use of English is usually compromised.

Also, the use of various communication mediums has also affected the standard of English. As quoted from the text, “Ironically, the standard has fallen with greater connectivity with the world.” This is especially true as seen from the wide use of short forms in communication mediums such as MSN messenger (transactional model) and forums (interactive models) where language is not moderated. Thus, habitual users of these various mediums will find themselves exposed to improper English. Also, the use of SMS has also affected the standard of English. This is because in order to fit the 160word limit of each message, users will find means and ways of summarizing their message mostly, by shortening the originally intended word so that the meaning of the message is not lost. The prevalent use of short forms may consequently, compromise the spelling standard of the users.

I personally feel that the exposure students have in presentation skills is limited. This is because presentation skills are not emphasized on in the primary and secondary level. Thus, when students reach tertiary level education, they often find themselves struggling to present themselves due to weak verbal skills, which may lead to low self-esteem. Furthermore, classroom lessons are usually one-sided with the teacher speaking and the passive students accepting whatever the teacher is saying. This shows one form of linear communication. Thus, students who are not trained from a young age to verbalise their thoughts will have difficulties expressing themselves in the future.

Therefore, I feel that improving English standards should be done from a young age. As Mr Matthew Ong said, “Teachers need to equip young learners with a solid foundation and the courage to speak well.” Changes to the education systems such as grading class participation and emphasizing on project presentation starting from the primary levels could help to equip students with greater presentation skill and thus, improve overall English standards as they can communicate more effectively thus boosting confidence.