Communicating Thoughts

This week, we went through a very interesting topic. Cultural Imperialism. In this entry, I'll discuss if we're really influenced by cultural imperialism or is it globalization that we're going through...

Which do you think is more appropriate, are we, in your opinion, influenced by other culture or is it just globalization taking hold of our lives? or.. is globalization and cultural imperialism basically the same thing?

I have never gave it much thought before, but after this week lessons I realized just how influenced we are by foreign media, especially from the US.
Just see for example, the recent US presidential elections, it appears even bigger than our own elections here in Singapore! The lives of Obama, Clinton, et al. got scrutinized to its fullest extend even by our local media. I remember the during days of the election when I was on the bus to school, TVmobile was play Channel News Asia, but the news were fixated mainly about the presidential race! now, I just what does the Asia really imply in the title of the news channel. Nevertheless, I think that the world is so interconnected that we are basically a "global nation", what is left to differentiate countries are really only physical borders to mark our territorials. Well, sometimes I think that why should we care about what happens in the US and the problem is, as it seems to be today, anything that happens in the US affects just about the whole world... Thats how powerful they have grown to be...

Let's take a look at life here in Singapore, a walk down most housing estates and you would see KFC, Macdonald's everywhere, and these fast food joints aren't usually empty! we are constantly receiving news feed from the US. Most of our theaters screen movies from Hollywood, which is of course from the US. A lot of other things we use, like computers (Microsoft or Apple), running shoes (Nike), you name it, is from the US.

Sometimes i wonder, if I were to go to the US and stay, would I feel out of place? well, the only thing left to differentiate us is the whether, and maybe they don't have as much delicious food as us here in Singapore!

some would argue that cultural imperialism isn't taking place, it is globalization that is happening, the reason why we're soo connected with the world outside...

my opinion? cultural imperialism is globalization at work. However, what needs to be urgently address is, "is globalization really a boon or a bane?".

I think the benefits of globalization is apparent, third world countries (like us once upon a time) develops, nations build ties resulting in less tensions and wars being fought.

What is worrying however, is how our own identity wilts away and unique traditional practices/cultures gets suppressed leading to extinction from earth one day.

Will there still be diversity in the world tomorrow?

Do you think we are influenced in any way by other cultures? What are the implications and what have been the benefits?

Are you affected by it?

What exactly is mass media?

Like it or not, mass media is prevalent around us.
Some of it produces useful information that we all could benefit from, otherwise they're all merely a waste of resources that serves no social benefits other than for the generation of profit for the group that is trying to get their message across.
This of course, is my opinion of the mass media.

A powerful tool in today's world to convince large crowds to believe what you have got to offer or write about.

do you have a favorite book? or a favorite newspaper to read? or a favorite song?
How did you come across it? and what make you like what you like?

Do you pick up a newspaper to read, watch Television, listen the the radio or surf the internet once day?

some way, some how, the mass media has influence our thoughts and ideas of the rights or wrongs. Well, I'm a believer of John Locke's theory that we're all born in a Tabula Rasa, or a blank state, and our minds are being constructed to think and act what the world is telling us is right to do. The mass media forms part of the information we have in our brains, and aids us with our conversation with people. Most of our decisions, beliefs and values are based on what we know for a fact, our experience or our assumptions of things; and all these are based on what the mass media portrays and fortifies.

Do you not agree with me on the influence of the mass media? or do you think that the mass media isn't as powerful as I have made it out to be?
shout it out here!

Reflecting back on this week's topic on "Group Communication", I've decided not to use any media work or sources to discuss issues regarding it; instead, I will use my exposure and past experience regarding what it means by "Group" and what are the pros and cons of it...

Well, I'm sure readers of my blog would have had to work in groups or have been involved with communicating within a group throughout or at least once in our lives. So, when you're reading through this entry of my blog, please think of your past experience, and later comment on whether you agree or disagree with what I have got to say (or type...)!

Group communication in sports:
My first encounter with any form of group communication probably dates back to my primary school, when I was part of the basketball team. As mentioned, basketball is a "Team" game, and that implies that winning matches very much depends on the the team working as a whole or a group rather than having individual players performing well.

Being a kid, I was an egocentric and individualistic player blessed with better skills (having started earlier) than my peers during that time. I'll play the game myself, choosing to shoot or dribble when the better option would sometimes be to pass to a team mate. Well, it didn't help that I was so obsessed with winning rather than having fun during that time and it also didn't help when my teammates always try to find for me rather than have a go themselves. Of course, matches in inter-schools end up with many loss because we were essentially a one-man team. well, we finally learn to work as a group in our last match (well, actually I was benched by my coach...) and we finally managed to play as a whole rather then individuals resulting in us winning that match(too little too late)!

But the very important lesson we learn here is, if we all work together instead of depending on one player, we could perform better and achieve better results!

Group communication in organizations:
Well, my second formal need to be part of a group was during my secondary school period, I was the vice-chair for my class during my schools "Entrepreneurial Fair". Now this was the first time I was involved in having to lead discussions on what we were going to do, and how we were going to get things done. It was a class effort, and many ideas were suggested and given much after thought to.
Well, the pros of having a group to discuss what we were going to do led to a myriad of ideas to be considered. Then, everyone was assigned different roles and the whole event was successful as everyone did their parts and we met our target sales! strangely not much problems encountered and everything run so smoothly despite having over 30 people involved in organizing and executing the event!

Group Communication in project works:
Groupthink.... groupthink groupthink... if you're wondering what this is, well this is the biggest problem I have faced with all the group projects I've been involved with during my time spend doing project work. It is the problem of everyone in the group going in the same direction, not considering other ideas or options available leading to a very narrow piece of work.
I used to think that if everyone is heading towards the same direction and idea, it would be a good thing as there won't be disagreements or arguments. But now, I've learn that this is a major problem as often, ideas run dry and people don't seem to be able to come up with something novel!

So what are your experiences in working with a group, and what do you think is the benefit of working in a group and the problem of being in one?

In a week with breaking headlines of the first Singaporean female teacher having sexual relations with her ex-student making the frontpage, there is a pressing need to discuss what is the appropraite level of intimacy a teacher and a student should engage in.

Today, I read an article from the Sunday Times, "One SMS can mar ties" , by Mavis Toh, telling us of how the evloution of digital age has made bonding between teachers and students easier, resulting in the blurring of boundaries that once stood between teachers and students.

He provided a real example of a teacher who once gave out his handphone number and email to students only to attract the unwanted attention of one 15-year old student who not only called him in the wee hours to chat, but also sent him "I love you" messages. His intention for providing his contact details were good, so that his students who couldn't make it to class can contact him about what was taught, but what he couldn't control was how the student were to react to the his availability of being contacted at all times. Thankfully for that girl (well, I don't know how thankful she is or did she really want to further her relationship with her teacher) , this teacher did not have any malicious intentions and did the right thing in distancing himself from her and learning never to give out his hp number again. This case ended here and did not develop into any other deeper relationships that our society frowns upon or it would have been a bigger headline that I'm sure you would have read or heard.

After a week of holidays (where did all that time disappear too?) because of CNY (Chinese New Year), I'm back to blog using more concepts I've acquired from lessons 3,4,5 & 6 of COM101.

CNY is a festive period where Chinese go visiting with the popular greeting, "Gong Xi Fa Cai", exchanged generously. Gong Xi Fa Cai, loosely translates to "wishing you get rich", so is getting rich so important to the Chinese that we go round wishing that others strike it rich as well?
Well, some of the "traditions", or activities, of CNY includes gambling- from ban lak(black jack), Tai Tee, Mahjong, and even now the yearly $10 million Toto draw (darn, no luck this year...)! So, it appears that a lot of people are always in hope of that quick buck, and gambling is definitely one of the most dangerous way to adhere to.

My subject for this entry is a television commercial that struck me on the weeks leading up to and during CNY. It was constantly aired during the commercials (and even on tv mobile!) and came in two languages, English and Mandarin, but why not in Tamil and Malay?

The issue I'd like to raise in this entry is, have you watched this video before and if so, has it left an impact on you? Would it be effective in getting gamblers or family members to call the helpline number right at the end of it?

If you have not watched it, I've embedded the video into this entry, please take a look at it and comment!
Below are the two videos taken from youtube for your reference,
English verison:


Chinese version


This is the transcript of the videos in English:

"You know me,
I know what I'm doing,
I can win it all back.
My luck is changing,
I'm going to strike the big one.
Imagine what we can do.
One more try,
this will be my last...
I promise I'll give it back to you"

The high frequency of this message definitely caught my attention and the communication through the use of the mass media by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has been effective in letting the public know of its existence as well as creating awareness on the problem of gambling that plagues many families.

According to Seiler & Beall,

"Perception is the process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information in order to give personal meaning to the communication we receive."(1999)

So, with that in mind, the message the video is trying to convey also requires us (as receivers) to select, organise and interpret the information and give personal meaning to.

This video has four specific qualities to aid my selection of information:

1. Frequency - as mentioned earlier, this commercial was constantly aired on channel 5, 8 and TV mobile, leaving an impression on me.
2. Contrast - The contrast between the desperateness of the father asking for money and the the fear and sense of hopelessness from the daughter highlights the problem gamblers could induce into families.
   
3. Intensity - The intensity portrayed by the actor with his speech being broken down into short sentences amplifies the message from each sentence.
4. Novel Stimuli - There's two here, the words from the father is typical of a gambling addict, always believing that his "luck is changing" and he just wants "one more try" and it would be "my last". At the end, a young girl, supposedly his daughter, is portrayed clutching onto her "piggy bank", oh my, how much could that be for his father to take from to gamble away?

From the above, I gather that the man is desperate enough for him to ask his little girl for money, a terrible situation that some families face. How I could relate to this commercial is that from my past experience, when I'm gambling, I'd usually go for it and if I lose, I'll try to get back what I lost... Thankfully, I never had to lose much to begin with :x Influence from my social network includes my parents, who are avid gamblers who live in hope of "striking the big one". Again, fortunately for me, they gamble only within their means, and not gambling more than they could afford.

This video also makes use of two organizational principles, figure and ground, and closure.

1. Figure and ground - did you realize that all the shots focuses only on the characters, and after that it highlights the message it intends to send out captivatingly in text , "often, the people who suffer from problem gambling aren't the gamblers."
2. Closure - not much information was provided, but I was still able to come to conclusion with what the whole situation the family could be facing...
   

Within the video itself you could also see the verbal communication between the father and the daughter. The father was trying to persuade his daughter to part with her money by appealing to her with reason and emotions (logos and pathos) in trying to convince her that his luck is changing and to imagine what they could do with it. The language used was also symbolic using words such as "you know me" and "this will be my last", suggesting that he has already tried many times and also taken his daughter's money before. The daughter's reply was non-verbal as she clutched onto her piggy bank obviously not trusting her father's words any more.

The non-verbal communication in this video is normative and idiosyncratic in interpretation as the way the father talks and the daughter's non-verbal reply is typical of a Chinese family where children are usually taught not to rebuff their parents requests. The piggy bank the girl was holding on to was an objectics or artifact to symbolize the girls savings, as the piggy bank is usually where children keep all their money in. Also observe the the facial expression of the father when he's talking to his daughter, and notice the tremor in his body (kinesics) actions and voice (paralinguistic) when he says "one more try", showing that he is even nervous (maybe ashamed?) about asking his daughter for money. Also note his eyes (oculesics) throughout the video, how in instances when he felt ashamed he would look down, and when he mentions "imagine what we could do", his eyes lit up.

Overall, this video is effective in its use of language (simple and concise) and non-verbal cues to accentuate its emotions and meaning. With CNY come and about to be gone, plus the casinos in sentosa and marina resort coming up in Singapore, what better time will there be in arousing public awareness of such an problem and the avenue for help should families need it.

I think this video also has an implied message to all viewers, and the message is for people to think twice before gambling and getting addicted to it, because you won't be the only one suffering...

Overall, I feel that although this advertisement could have been useful in creating awareness of such a problem existing in families, it might not be as impactful in getting people to actually call the helpline.

I have my doubts,
what do you think?

References:
Lecture notes
Seiler & Beall, communication making connection, 1999:31
http://www.upperstorey.com/ncpg3/index.html

P.S. for those of you out there who are facing a similar situation, please do not hesitate to call the helpline,
Problem gambling hotline: 1800-6-668-668

So... for my first official post on this blog, I'll like to discuss something that struck me while I was reading the papers today.

The article was from the THE NEW PAPER ON SUNDAY, pg 37, "SHE WANTS HANDPHONE: Should I give my 8-year-old daughter a mobile?"

The article was written by S. Murali, a Dad in a dilemma about whether to give his 8-year-old daughter a mobile phone. This article is an example of the new age predicament for parents, who are obviously pressured to provide more material goods (hence, non-essential goods) to their children. It must be said that children today have many more extra activities even in primary schools and most of the current generation of parents are both working to make ends meet; resulting in less time to run about and pick after their children and therefore the mobile phone provides the next best alternative communicating tool.

But is there such a need?

I'm in no position currently to discuss whether or not to give the kid a phone as I am not yet a parent, so I have no clue as to what my priorities might be when it comes, but this evolution of
technology has definitely changed the lives of humans forever.

Today, most people wouldn't be able to leave their homes without their mobiles, since pay phones are becoming a rarity and we somehow or rather have this niggling constant urge to communicate with someone, with today's most common channel being through SMS.

Murali's article was very well written, pointing out his initial fears (like the phone being a "plaything" rather than a "real functional item"), but he also highlights the changing times and the hectic schedule of his daughter already causing a few mix-ups where either her parents/grandmother/aunt not picking her up on time or they waited hours for her because they didn't know that she had extra activities. He next takes about the pros and cons of giving his daughter a mobile, and is she too young for it? He than has a discussion with two friends with two different opinions and perceptions, the first one saying no to giving the mobile and the second friend reminding him that he is now living in the "dark ages" and emphasis why he should get his daughter a handphone simply because "you can buy a new phone for $50 theses days. Daughters costs a little more." His article ends with him agreeing with his second friend, and it ticks three very important aspects of an article, it appeals to the ethos, pathos, and logos, with credibility (him being a father, so knowing the fears of a missing child), emotion (the importance of your child not being lost ?? ), and reason (why he should indeed get his daughter the phone she craves).
My take on this?

Give the child a phone(a simple one, like those above, should suffice, since they would usually argue that it is for them to call you in case of emergency ;) as it will not only provide a better means of communicating device to their parents, but it will also allow them to blend in with all the other kids in school, who might have the latest nokia or iPhone, and not let them feel left out and be made a mockery off, after all, we all can't live without one too right?