|
Saturday, 7 February 2015
Blog Task 1
Part 1 - Lecture Reflection
During the first week of our Discovering Mass Communication lecture, we were taught the different aspects and perspectives of Mass Communication. To be sightly specific, we were taught the Communication Models, The Elements of the Communication Process, Types of Communication Settings and what Communication is. So, what is it? It is the process of sending an encoded message from a person (Also known as a Source) which is sent via a channel or medium and finally the decoded message is delivered to the receiver which in turn produces an effect (Feedback).
 |
Shannon-Weaver Model
Source: Mr. Philip's Notes, Lecture 1b, Slide 10
A person proficient in communicating will build a
strong confidence to communicate in any given situation. If done properly, Communication can successfully convey ideas, opinions or feelings to people. In addition, mass media such as television, radios, newspapers and even the Internet can be used to communicate. Furthermore, Mass communication is also about connecting people throughout the
world and making them aware of what is happening outside their own "bubble". As a practice to improve communication skills, people can use their electronic gadgets to chat and converse with friends and family through different applications. Currently, the most used devices are laptops, tablets, smartphones, etcetera. The two main key takeaways were the two sources of Mass Communication. The receiver can be one person or the public and Mass media information can be delivered in many forms, such as small brochures to huge billboards. A major element used by the media is persuasion and with this, they are able to sell of their advertisements successfully.
Part 2 - Issues in Media
Nudity
can be defined as the state of being naked or in a scene of being full-frontal
nude. With that being said, it has been one of the main cultural differences that is blatantly noticeable from different countries, primarily the Asian countries and the Western countries. Generally,
the people in Asian countries are more conservative, they do not practice being
nude in the beach or public, whereas the people in western countries are more
open-minded. As all may already
know that nudity at its minimal extent, even if only being shirtless in the
public society of Malaysian culture is an issue. Are we to say that a
crime has been committed if someone is found to be full nude in public
areas? Malaysia being a conservative country on its own has its laws and
orders and you will be apprehended immediately under the Public Order Act 1958 for
provoking a breach of peace in the country (Lawyerment, 2010). As a law created
by the UK Government to abolish the common law offenders like rioters, routers
and any unlawful assembly, a similar law in Malaysia has been used in a secondary
term of unlawful assembly to include nudity as a country of its
conservativeness and upholding to its Islamic status.
Recalling the reported news back in 2014, seven Malaysians
were arrested under
this law for participating and holding a nude
sports game back in Penang (The
Star, 2014) , causing rage and
different points of views in the country. It sparked out the cultural adaptations of the country. The conservatives
in the country has always been hooting about how the westernized culture of
public nudity is not a Malaysian or Islamic culture, comparing the more
westernized culture like the Wreck Beach in Vancouver, is to be said one of the
few places that allows nudity of a personal choice while being there (fcn.ca,
n.d.).
AsiaOne (2014) reported that actress Angeline Yap is not shy to be in nude scenes during shooting as she felt the taboo of nudity has to be
changed and it could be a form of art and not a sleazy action. As funny as it
sounds, Michael Connolly once mentioned that walking nude could be more
comfortable than walking in clothes. He mentioned that the lesser you exude,
which means you don’t get as smelly, attracting less flies (Bushwalking Blog,
2013). Not to mention that the human body is a part of nature and being nude is
just as simple as back to basics.
Mass media not only encompasses news , it may
also affect the way we make decisions. It cannot be trusted all the time but
nonetheless it depends on how we interpret and analyze the message we
receive. For instance, we cannot fully rely on the news without doing any
research. Malaysia is a country which consists of many gatekeepers and it is our
biggest obstacle. Gatekeepers act as a barrier which obstructs the mass media
from transmitting sensitive issues to the receivers.
The two TV programmes we have chosen to examine is -
1) In the current world media is being utilized as a method to
portray fictional drama or reality shows and even though it may seem like a source
of simple entertainment, it also represents a country’s cultural and a lot can
be learned. If a Western television series and an Asian television series were
to be compared side by side, vast distinction between the cultures can be
observed. For example, a blatant dissimilarity is the lifestyle of people and
how they interact with individuals
2) In this generation
where technology and media has become a huge influence in the society, TV
programmes either from America, Europe or Asia has been released to share
about cultural beliefs, values or attitudes that could make an impact on
people. TV series such as Glee and Pretty Little Liars for
instance has definitely impacted the way people think, feel and act on some
certain issues.
One of the values that both Glee
and Pretty Little Liars share similarly that has influenced society is,
it has definitely changed people’s perspectives on homosexuality or bisexuality. Both are not ashamed to open up as they are
no longer afraid of rejection. For example, Santana Lopez, who portrays a
lesbian character in Glee, is not ashamed to share her romantic feelings
towards her best friend Brittany Pierce, who in the end realized that she was a
lesbian as well. Whereas Emily Fields in Pretty Little Liars, did not
know she was bisexual until she lost her virginity to Isaac whom she had feelings for. Emily was well accepted into society and was awarded many
scholarships from various universities although she was a bisexual. Another belief that is said to have
influenced people is the belief that nothing is impossible. Rachel Berry, the
lead role in Glee, achieved her dream to be accepted in New York Academy
of Dramatic Arts (NYADA). Emily Fields however, was given an athletic
scholarship to Danby University. This has made audience to look up to them as
role models and not to give up hope.
The TV series that portrays stereotypes about dark coloured skin people are ‘bad’ is not always true.
Principle Finggin of William McKinley High School in Glee is
a reasonable administrator who ran the school smoothly and knew what was best
for the students although he was dark skinned. Spencer Hastings a white girl in Pretty
Little Liars was addicted to drugs and was arrested by the police has
proven to society that light coloured skin people can also have wrongs in their
life.
3) Messages, information or ideas can be portrayed in any perspective through media but it is solely up to an individual how everything is interpreted. However, the media plays an important role in showing a country's culture and we do somewhat let it influence our thinking and outlook on our own culture. Therefore, we allow our perception to control our daily lives and morph our reality to how it was shown through the media. In conclusion, even though people tell themselves or other individuals that TV programmes do not impact them in any way, it actually does. Why? Because reality can be quite a bore some times.
Source : http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/14600000/the-GLEE-team-glee-14652044-1280-1024.jpg
Source :https://pmchollywoodlife.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/pretty-little-liars-beautiful-cast-pic-ftr.jpg?w=600&h=375&crop=1
Researchers: Tan Shin Sheen (Jeff), Joey Hung Jia Yi & Amanda Seah Que Yi
Writers: Tan Shin Sheen (Jeff), Joey Hung Jia Yi, Amanda Seah Que Yi and Diana Momani
Editors: Iqram Azeez & Joey Hung Jia Yi
|
01:41
|
CommunicateBox
THE BATS
Tan Shin Sheen, Jeff
Joey Hung Jia Yi
Amanda Seah Que Yi
Iqram Azeez
Diana Momani
KAWAN KAWAN
Awesome Group
Grandeur
NasiLemak
4.25Yellow
Batwomen
|
