Sophisticated Technology: Do we really need it?

This is an article from the Straits Times, 13th Oct. The author compared the simple telephone operator he once talked to to call his mother, but now, technology has become so advanced and sophiscated that he realized he no longer know the real function of a phone.





Is such technology really an essential in our lives? Or is it what we call demand driven technology? If you asked me, the main culprit to this wild goose chase is the media. Obviously, people would never want to buy something which they do not know about. We often see or hear about new mobile phones being introduced into the market and these ads most often painstakingly try to attract consumers. Having such ads being repeatedly shown by the means of mass media, the agenda setting function is too, being at work. The audience, gets the misconception that THIS is the trend and they should get something like that in order not to be ostracized by remaining society. People no longer think of getting they NEED, it is more of what they WANT these days.

Come on, how many of us actually need a mobile phone to stay connected with the internet at all times? Besides those who does not own a life in reality, I cannot really think of any other reasons of having that function. And when will we ever need a phone which allows us to watch movies or any videos for entertainment purposes? We have large LCD screen televisions and movie theatres for all that. Only a fool would stare at a teeny-weeny screen for hours when there are so many other alternative forms of luxurious viewing sensations. However, we seldom negative comments as mentioned in advertisements, this, once again, proves the biasness of the media. Mass media has the ability to take over the minds of the consumers and allow them to perceive what is being portrayed in the broadcasted ads. This may not happen overnight but it alters the mindsets of the audience indirectly and gradually, as said in the cultivation theory.

Spending unecessary money on things that we do not need is being pure wasteful, especially when we are about the go through an economic crisis. People should be careful with what is seen on the media, for some of these messages are biased towards whoever benefits the media and make consumers buy the desired products. Just remember, think carefully before taking a stand and not be a slave of the media!

Difference in Slang Helped Crack the Case...

"Culture if the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another...includes systems of values and values."

Geert Hofstede

CONNECTED the movie

I watched this movie with a friend a couple of days ago. I heard it is a Hong Kong remake of a Hollywood blockbuster, too bad I have no idea what the original title of the movie is. In the movie, the victim Grace Wong managed to seek help after being kidnapped simply by fixing a smashed-beyond-hope telephone. Telecommunication is used throughout the show and I thought that "Wow! I didn't know communication can do such wonders!"


Since we covered intercultural communication in class this week, I am going to highlight one of the most awesome scene in this movie. A low-rank policeman realized the victim was in trouble when he visited her house and was greeted by a foreigner. He then dialled the house number and realized there was a difference in accent between the foreign woman and the phone recorded voice. The distinction between culture shows that those are two different people and that one of them is a fake. Accents of slangs are good examples of high context cultures in my opinion. It gets the receiver thinking before coming up with his or her own conclusion about a situation.

Also, this movie is produced in a different context compared to the original one. The people working behind the scenes tried their very best to make it fit into the Hong Kong culture since filming will take place in Hong Kong. It is logical to do so since the setting are cast of actors and actresses are from Asia, namely Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. This shows that there is still vast difference between Asian and Western culture even though globalization has allowed us to exchange and share our cultures with other regions.

Well, that is all I have to share about the movie, hope you guys will try to catch it over the weekends since mid-terms are OVER!!! Anyway, this is something extra for everyone, a scenario which I witnessed myself in the cinema right after the movie ended. A girl who was sitting behind my row of seats was insulting a couple of Chinese nationales badly and using rude phrases like "~!@#$%^&*", "Go back to your own country!", "*&^%$#@!~", etc. Clearly, she is displaying her displeasure for the strong accent in their mandarin even though those people was not disturbing her in the first place. Her intolerant attitude is exactly what we refer as attitudinal barriers to intercultural communication:

• She holds prejudices against those Chinese and finds fault with them. Every little thing that they do highly irritates her. (I was there throughout the show and they only talked a minimal amount.)
  
• She is ethnocentrism, believing that her mandarin accent/culture (Singaporean, I reckon) is better than the Chinese, even though she does not have anything to proof for that.
  

Communication is everywhere...

I have just realized that principles of communication is abundant in the world we live in. This also applies to japanese animations, or anime. Please enjoy a short clip from first episode of the series titled "Ouran High School Host Club" before you continue reading.



If you asked me, I would say the producers of this video cleverly uses communication techniques to draw the attention of the audience. First of all, the qualities of selections are applied appropriately. The line which informs the viewers about Ouran Academy and its host club is being repeated at the start of every subsequent episode. The high frequency of replaying that line shows that emphasis is placed on the host club which is made up of hosts and clients (both being students of the high school) from wealthy and prestigeous families. At 4:24, the character dressed in plain clothing (Fujioka Haruhi) is illustrated in grayscale, in contrast to the six hosts around her to show how stunned and shocked she was. Figure and ground also exists as Haruhi's casual home clothings is not appropriate for attending school, especially for such a high-end academy. She must have been easily spotted among other students who wore school uniform.

The six hosts of the club are victims of the Idols of the cave. Since Haruhi came from a poor family and depended on a scholarship to get into the academy, they downgraded her as their "dog" in order to pay off her debts. This proves that they are prejudiced against commoners and readily treat them as their slaves just because they are poor. Besides, being rich and gorgeous-looking has become personal contructs of the hosts who manipulates their good looks and earn profits from their clients. One gets accepted into the club as a host if only he fulfills those criteria. Contrary to the assumption of the hosts, Haruhi is actually a girl, which will be soon revealed in the following parts of the episode. The hosts simply assumed her for being a boy because she violates their prototypes of an average girl, normally seen in dresses and long hair. Meanwhile, honey-senpai who is supposed to be a high school senior appears to be petite in size and speaks in a high-pitched voice. Such unexpected twists in the storyline greatly entertains the audience, not forgetting the sense of humour of it.

The instant coffee scene implies that miscommunication occurs when people have different cultural backgrounds, in this case, the commoners and the high-status class. Those rich brats did not know what instant coffee powder is and even regarded it as novelty, fortunately, not despising it. Misunderstandings and misinterpretation could be avoided if the sender has the receiver in mind while passing on a message. Among the non-verbal cues found in this video, the most repeatedly used is the objectics. The elegant decor of the whole academy implies that students should behave with proper etiquette in that place. Antique furnishing of the club room mirrors their luxurious lifestyles and the profit they have made from club activities. Lastly the most important of all, the roses are seen to have appeared many times throughout the episode signifies the worship for beauty and grace.

Although so much have been said, there are many other non-verbal cues and whatnots which have not yet been pointed out. Most people would have watched through the whole series but not give much thought to the nitty-gritty principles applied in the making. It seems like the principles of communication exists everywhere, even where we least expected it to be. So, try to take note of your surroundings and explore more new and interesting forms of stimuli!

Teen Sex = Love?!

"Part of the joy of being in a close relationship is the knowledge that we are free to break everyday rules."

Sarah Trenholm,
Thinking through Communication, 2008

There was a great four pages of the risk of teen sex being published in The Straits Times of September 18. The article was mainly highlighting that more and more teens are having sexual relationships but not many know the dangers of not using protection and sexually transmitted diseases or infections (STDs/STIs). Shocking statistics show that there were 820 cases of STIs, 833 pregnancies and 1,363 abortions among teenagers reported in Singapore.

Contrary to traditional societies, people or youngsters especially are engaging in pre-marital sex, many of which their parents are unaware of it. They learned about sex from almost anywhere -- their peers, the internet, school, but sadly, mainly the INTERNET. Unfortunately, sex has become the basis of some boy-girl relationships and not only between married couples. Or worse still, two people of the opposite (or even same) sex can simply get involved with each other sexually even if they are not attached to each other. The point that I wish to bring up is that sexual intercourse or physical intimacy is a form of nonverbal communication, known as haptics. It is also greatly related to the contemporary interpersonal relationships and this may occur in different stages of the Knapp's Model of Relational Development.

Consider this phenomenon, based on my own imagination (please note that IT IS NOT MY PERSONAL STORY!!!):
Coming together
Stage 1: Initiating -- Girl meets boy in school and thought she has found the guy of her dreams.
Stage 2: Experimenting -- They meet up outside the classrooms occasionally for some casual conversations.
Stage 3: Intensifying -- They began spending more time with each other, during recess, study time, they even joined the same CCA.
Stage 4: Integrating -- Boy proposes to girl for them to officially become an item.
Stage 5: Bonding -- Girl goes over to boy's home and was asked to have sex. Girl gives in, not wanting to turn him down.
Coming apart
Stage 6: Differentiating -- Girl is tired of always having to fulfill boy's desires.
Stage 7: Circumscribing -- Boy ignores her and continues their usual "routines" at his house.
Stage 8: Stagnation -- They meet up less than before but refuses to break up in fear of the pain.
Stage 9: Avoiding -- They try to avoid not seeing each other in school.
Stage 10: Terminating -- Boy dumps girl and moves on to his next target (Or the other way around).

According to Knapp, the stages may not be linear and may regress to a previous stage or skip a stage. Whatever the stages are, teens or even adults who are sexually active should know the consequences and dangers of unprotected sex. Unwanted pregnancies and STDs greatly jeopardizes a relationship so young people should act wisely and not impulsively or emotionally. Also, it is important to know that sex is not everything or a necessity in a healthy and stable relationship. Do not give into peer pressure to lose something so precious if you feel you are not ready. Lastly after terminating a relationship, move on, do not linger over the past, and have fun in looking for the RIGHT person!

Love is Actually All in the Mind...

I came across this article in The Straits Times, published on 13th Sep where it says that the brain is a human's largest sex organ. It caught my attention after I saw the phrase, "When people say love is blind, they aren't kidding".

People often go on and on about their ideal life partner would be like, or come up with a long list of criteria their partner has to meet up with. Physical appearance is the first thing one would notice in a person and that strongly affects the first impression he or she forms. It is true that physical appearance is important in a relationship but only to a certain extent for its impact decreases over time. It is also possible to fall for someone who is in close proximity with us because it allows more contact and communication with that person. Some people look for rewards in a relationships, whether or not their spouse is able to give them a good life. It could be a big no-no if the effort and time they put into the relationship is not reciprocated.

Contrary to what I have mentioned about what people may look for in their partner, very often people end up with someone who is far from their expectations or the so-called ideal other half. Even if a person managed to find someone who fulfills the whole list of requirements, he or she does not necessary fall in love with that particular person. This article just proves my claim right because one cannot really decide for themselves who to fall in love with. From the article, the frontal cortex is deactivated when a person falls in love with someone, thus, impairing character judgement, etc.

There is no such thing as "why?" in love. No one can really explain in words why they are in love with someone. So have you experienced love for a person whom you consider to be "sub-standard"? Or else, are you sure you will be happy with the person you consider to be your ideal half? Remember to search your mind if your answer is 'no'!

Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Alongside

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

Seiler & Beall,

Communication Making Connection, 1999:31

In the world we live in, one of the best examples which fit the above statement perfectly is the use of printed-advertisements. As I passed by the MRT station on my way home, I saw these ads along the pathways.

These print-ads (as attached) which serve educational purposes easily catch the attention of the people walking pass by applying a few of the organisational principles. One of them is figure and ground, in which the figure refers to the comic-based drawings and ground would be the station. The vast contrast between the real world and cartoon increases the chances of passers-by selecting this particular stimuli.

This is a rather brilliant way to convey a message because as we know, most people walk in and out of stations quickly. By using large-sized graphics instead of lengthy words, it would take only a mere few seconds to fully understand what these ads are trying to tell us.


Another organisational principle used is closure. Just like most comics, it is impossible to sketch out every movement of the characters. This allows people to use their tendency to fill in the gaps by using their own imagination so as to make sense of it. Since the ads use clear-cut illustrations, one could easily conclude that they are about safety precautions people should practice at the boarding platforms without misinterpretation or encounter language-based barriers.



These ads, just like most print-ads, involve the usage of verbal and non-verbal communication alongside with each other, as parts of a whole. We often hear the saying, "A picture speaks a thousand words.", moreover, there is more than one picture in each poster. In this case, non-verbal communication beats verbal communication hands down! People are able to get the message even without reading the description of the pictures, not mentioning young children or foreigners who can't read at all. This is a good way to show how important non-verbal cues can be in our lives as it makes up 60 to 70% of our daily communication.


Here are a few other examples of print-ads which I found on newspaper, The Straits Times, 9 Sep:









As you can see, words (verbal communication) is unnecessary for such ads for the graphics (non-verbal communication) are sufficient to bring out the whole meaning of it. Sadly saying, non-verbal communication is neglected most of the times or miscommunication occurs frequently with the use of it. People should be more aware of the different ways of communicating and not just favour the use of words and speech.

Celebrities and the Principles of Communication

I am sure that everyone is aware of the two concerts that will take place in Singapore on 6th and 13th Sep separately. The celebrities which I have mentioned are as such in the images, Avril Lavigne, the canadian rock sensation, and MISIA, the japanese songbird.

There are a few reasons to why I chose to link celebrities with what we have learnt so far in COM 101. I realized celebrities make use of the few kinds of existing communication models, such as the linear model. As we know, linear models include a one-way communication route from the sender to the receiver. Celebrities and artistes use this model through the music they produce. The lyrics written in their songs will be the message they wish to convey to their fans or as an alternative to express their feelings and opinions. When people listen to their songs, the responsibility of decoding the message (lyrics) lies on them, the receiver. Besides lyrics, promotional posters also play a role to inform people of the upcoming concerts or new music releases.

Next will be the interactive model. Fans are able to communicate with the celebrities they support by visiting their blogs (if they have one) or by simply supporting them. By posting comments (feedback) at their blogs, fans are free to give their opinions and pass their message to their idols. By buying their albums and concert tickets is another interactive model between fans and celebs. If many are willing to spend money to show their support, singers in turn get the idea that their music is popular, and yet another form of an interactive model.

Then, the transactional model is seen in the concerts held in various locations. Being at the same place (same psysical state), fans and celebrities are able to communicate simultaneously even when on stage. It is therefore important to have a good surrounding sound system in order to minimize unwanted noise as a good environment is essential to avoid miscommunication.

Lastly, celebrities use several ways of persuasion to attract their audience too. They often use the appeal to emotions (pathos) and their credibility (ethos). Pathos can be seen in the songs they publish, whether a lively rock song or a sad one. Whereas ethos refers to their character or personality and influence they bring to the society, very often their lifestyles and reputation. Thus, the principles of communication can be used in a way that most of us have never expected.