Lost in communication.

Media Schemedia...

2008-10-19T19:59:00.007+08:00

This week's blog entry will be based on the article below, featured on the Today paper on Friday, 17th October 2008:

Click on the image to get the readable pdf version

Yeeap, you've guessed it, this week we're going to discuss about the media, focusing a bit more on its traditional forms, the newspaper, television and radio, but not forgetting its upcoming and new form, the Internet, as well.

As usual, I'd appreciate it if the article above is given a good read before proceeding on,to better understand my entry this week.

So after reading the article above, the first thing that came to my mind was what was Today's purpose of having a full, three-articled page dedicated to re-inforce the statement that "traditional" media, speficially MediaCorp's "traditional" media offerings, is still the first choice? In other words, what was Today's agenda?

Agenda Setting is defined as the media's ability through repeated news coverage, to raise the importance of an issue in the public's mind.

I think this page from Today is a pretty good example of the agenda setting function of the media.
Notice how all the articles put MediaCorp's media offerings in a good light? Every MediaCorp offering is repeatedly backed by figures from the creditable Nielsen Media Index.
Furthermore, each article aligns it's core point to the same issue: That traditional media is still relevant and the most widely accepted form of media. Skeptical of my claims? Let me pick two examples from the article to prove my point:

"Despite stiff competition,the latest Nielsen Media Index found that Today’s readership grew to 621,000, up from the590,000 recorded last year.In fact, over the past five years, Today, whose editorial tagline reads “We set youthinking” has seen its readership grow by 43 per cent." - This is from the left-most article.

"This continued dominance of traditional media — despite the appeal of cyberspace and cable television— has been once again borne out by the latest Nielsen MediaIndex 2008, released yesterday.
And MediaCorp, with its extensive offerings, has done well across a range of platforms, with Today emerging as the second most widely-read newspaper here andChannel NewsAsia the top television channel watched by PMEBs(professionals, managers, executives and businessmen) and those earning $5,000 or more"- This is from the 1st article on top.

Try finding other statements from the remaining two articles that support my claims, and you'll see a recurring and similar pattern.

So let's go back to my original question..what again is Today's agenda then?

One can only speculate, but I think, what Today is trying to do is not only to "champion" all of MediaCorp's traditional media offerings, but remind its readers of the pervasiveness and relevance of traditional media in spite of the rise of the Internet. If you'd let me indulge in some cynicism, I also think it's really not unlike a desperate move to try convince and re-capture readers who have substituted a big chunk of their meida consumption with the Internet.

However, I do agree somewhat that traditional media is still relevant and still play an important role in our daily lives; a lot of people still do read newspapers, a lot of us still consume productions shown by the local tv stations, and the radio is still listened to by many especially those who drive to their workplace. It's just that I feel traditional media may not neccessarily be the automatic first choice for a lot of us, now that the Internet has become so widely and easily accessible.

What do YOU think Today's agenda is? Do YOU believe that traditional media is still the first choice of our media consumption?

Bollywood + Hollywood = Jollygood ?!

2008-10-12T09:38:00.029+08:00

For this week's entry, let me bring everyone's attention to a ChannelNewsAsia article released today:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainmentfeatures/view/382103/1/.html

Please spend some time to read it before continuing on with my entry.

In summary, the article discusses Bollywood's ever increasing presence in the global entertertainment scene and how it plans to reach out to a more global audience in the future through better scripts and technology, to be more on par with their Hollywood counterparts.

My question is then, " Is Bollywood trying to go more in the way of Hollywood? And ultimately shed its unique style as perceived by the rest of the world?"

But what is the prevailing perception/stereotype of Bollywood's movie styles and cinematography? The following clip, in my opinion, best reflects the global perception, especially that of the West, of Bollywood:

This clip is taken off a scene in a popular American comedy show off Comedy Central, whilst it really is entertaining and will probably tickle of your funny bones senseless(as it did mine!..heh), the more pertinent issue that I'm bringing forth is, "Is that all there is to Bollywood?" i.e the dance, the cheesy romantic acts,the coconut trees and the songs?

I'm sure there are many stellar and serious Bollywood movies out there but yet, what stands out most and unique to Bollywood movies in general is their lengthy integration, and sometimes unneccessary inclusion, of song and dance into the plot.

Sure, there are Western musical movie types like Moulin Rouge and the more recent Mamma Mia!, but it's just not the same when compared to Bollywood movies. The inclusion of song and dance is almost a staple for most Bollywood productions.

From that alone, we can discern the entertainment worth and tastes of the Bollywood audience and the difference in culture in Indian entertainment media when say compared to the American media where the film style is more direct; without breaks for song and dance.

So, while I am all for better scripts and technology, and Bollywood's determination of having the global audience take it more seriously, I certainly hope that Bollywood doesn't lose its unique appeal just for the sake of pandering to the Hollywood crowd.

That said, I cannot help but remember this really funny viral video circulated on youtube some time back which shows, rather negatively in my opinion, the direct consumption of Hollywood media (Michael's Jackson's short music video/film thingey..i won't spoil the surprise) into the Bollywood (or rather Kollywood, which is the term referred to the Southern Indian movie industry, a big thank you to Shankar,a personal friend, for the heads up!) context. Do note that the video is a parody of the actual clip and that none of the lyrics subtitled actually represent the actual words sang:

Author's note: No offense to any of my Indian counterparts in COM101 and all my indian friends; I thoroughly respect and appreciate popular Indian entertainment. I am just trying to bring my points across by adding some elements of entertainment with these clips. I hope to not have offended anyone; and if you do find outrageously funny Malay clips, I'm always open to ridicule and criticism =) After all, if we don't learn to laugh at ourselves, we won't ever learn to be tolerant of others. =)

Mirror mirror on the..body?..

2008-10-05T22:24:00.009+08:00

For this week's entry, as I was once again browsing the interweb for material to discuss/show on the blog, I stumbled upon this 2 week-old clip on Veoh.com on an aspect of body language or kinesics called mirroring. Take a look here:

Watch Body Language: Mirroring in How to Videos View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Apparently, this "mirroring" technique is an effective (as claimed by the expert, not me!) non verbal cue to actually make people like you just that wee bit more..

The basic idea is that when meeting other people, to make them more receptive to you, what you need to do is to try and take note of their body language and then try to mimic them ..and... more often than not the ensuing communication proccess would be an enjoyable one as the person you're communicating with would feel more at ease with you.. It's like what the expert says at 00:36 "..it's difficult to be mean to yourself.."

Most of the time, I think what you would be mirroring would be adaptors which are defined as
"behaviors that people use to adapt to stresses and to satisfy personal needs."

And yes, I think "mirroring" does make some sense if adaptors come into play. For example if you are meeting someone new, there is bound to be some sort of stress or anxiety, and people have their own adaptors which they unconciously will display because of that. By mimicking them, you're essentially and very discreetly also informing them through your body language that , "Hey, you're not the only one who's scared or anxious. I am too!", and by behaving similarly to them, it reinforces some sense of familiarity to the other person and could help to dissipate and lessen any tension or anxiety.

So the next time you want to hit it off with someone or trying to persuade your boss for a pay raise..try to look out for certain body language clues like adaptors or certain affect displays..and subtlely mimic these nonverbal cues..who knows you might actually make a new friend or get that much sought after promotion..

Gridiron Gang

2008-09-28T22:17:00.006+08:00

As i'm running out of time (and ideas!) for this week's blog entry, I guess I will succumb to a movie review/analysis-of-sorts (something which I've been trying very much to avoid the past 3 weeks..)

The movie I'm gonna talk about this week was released slightly less than a year ago in theatres but it's just been showed this week on HBO Asia for the past couple of days and I thought it pretty much has got quite a lot to do with what we covered in comms lecture this week..about group interaction and communication..

Without further ado, i present to you the trailer of : Gridiron Gang!

Here's the synopsis from IMDB.com:
"The movie is based on a true story of a juvenile detention camp probation officer Sean Porter (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson), who is frustrated by the 75% recidivism rate of the teenage felons that he is responsible for at Camp Kilpatrick. Sean Porter, a former college football star, comes up with an idea to form a football team. Porter believes that football will teach the teenage inmates what it takes to be responsible, teammates, and be winners for the first time, not losers. Porter and probation officer, Malcolm Moore (Xzibit) become the coaches, and they only have 4 weeks to get a team together before their first game. The juveniles must give up their gang rivalries on the gridiron to unite as a team."
- Douglas Young

What better way to look at group interaction than from a movie that's all about delinquents coming together, having to work as a unit, from a group of initially separate and hostile indivuals that eventually turn out to become interdependent on each other on the football field.

Even though these delinquents were from rival gangs and had difficulties at first working together, in the end they managed to form a shared and collective identity as the "Gridiron Gang".
If you're a sucker for sports and team-related movies, Gridiron Gang will not disappoint in inspiring you as you will be able to witness the transformation of these delinquents from low self-esteem and angsty individuals to an inspired cohesive unit and the story of how one man managed to turn a bunch of misfits to a team of full of confidence and ambition.

I'm fortunate enough to have obtained a copy of the dvd and watched it again. I've noticed that 4 of Tuckman's Five-Stage Model of group development is present in the movie namely forming, storming, norming and performing.

Forming Stage

This scene shows Forming Stage where the delinquents get together for the first time, and the head coach, Porter, identifies for them their nature of their task and their relationship to each other in the squad.

Storming Stage

This scene typifies the Storming Stage when 2 members in the team experienced conflict, being from different rival gangs.

Norming Stage

The Norming Stage is the stage when members, after settling initial disagreements, find ways to work with one another and this scene is a great example of that. In this scene, the whole team, even those two who earlier showed strong dislike for each other, for the first time in the movie agreed on something and decided to take action as a group; even though it was against coach Porter's orders.

Performing Stage

Finally, in the movie we have a scene that nicely depicts the Performing Stage. In this poignant scene very late in the movie, we see the team bonding together and being absolutely focused on their task at hand. After the rousing pep talk and team encouragement, the team of delinquents went on to get their work and tasks done on the field, to win their match despite being behind during the half time break.

Whilst the movie may be more about team dynamics, it also touches on some other comms concepts of prejudiced perceptions (of juvenile delinquents) as well as interpersonal communication (the interaction between the coach and individual team members and how he helped them realise their potential).

So, if you have cable or just feel like watching some sports related movie..give "Gridiron Gang" a go..you might like it. =)

Getting personal without getting close.(And a shameless self plug!)

2008-09-21T21:04:00.005+08:00

In many relationships, especially romantic ones, interpersonal communication plays a key role in maintaining a healthy and sustainable relationship.The traditional view of interpersonal communication is one that involves a face-to-face interaction of sorts.

But have you ever found yourself in a situation when a "normal" face-to-face interaction is simply not enough or rather, not exactly the ideal method of getting your message across to the other party?

Take for example the shy and meek boy who secretly has been admiring that cute girl who has been sitting in the 3rd row in class for some time. He wants to get his feelings across to her, at least tell her that he's interested and wants to get to know her better.
Or the forlorn lover who has to contend with his angry partner after a heated argument. He wants to apologize but she doesn't even want to see his face at the moment.

What can they do?

This is where non face-to-face but nonetheless still personal aspect of communication comes into the fray. Say hello to written letters, poems, emails, mobile text and voice messages guys!

Many may argue that since there is a lack of direct feedback and the physical detachment of letters and the such, messages lose their "personal" touch and may not be as effective as when it is being conveyed in person.

I would like to think otherwise. I'm not saying that face-to face interaction is not important but in some cases, these non face-to-face communication methods are just as good, if not better, than their face-to-face counterparts. Imagine stammering in front of that cute girl and ending up looking and acting like a total fool. You can say goodbye to a good first impression or even further contact with her. The poor shy boy may actually stand a better chance in getting to know her if he sat down, gathered his thoughts and presented his case in a clear and organised manner in a letter or email. Maybe a good way to calm that angry girlfriend of yours is to write her a nice romantic poem saying you're sorry.

The emotions and effort needed to string together a poem or a letter, using the appropriate words to convey intended messages, should not be discounted as "less personal" as compared to simply saying in person, "I like you" or "I'm sorry."

Writing personal letters, poems and songs may seem a tad "antique" to some but in my opinion can be just as charming a way to get to know someone. I'm sure there are some of you out there who agree with me.

As for this shy boy, when he wants to tell someone he likes her, he grabs his guitar and either start penning down his thoughts or recording that famous sappy song.. doing something like this,

Hanging By A Moment(Acoustic Cover).MP3 - Rif

and dropping it into her MSN shared folder...

That's my way of getting personal without really getting close. What's yours?

Stop blogging and start doing!

2008-09-14T21:44:00.010+08:00

Here’s something interesting which I came across today as I was browsing for new material for this week’s entry:

The full report can be found here: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/375693/1/.html

From blogging to taking action!

So, it seems that Singaporean bloggers are finally doing more than just typing out, discussing and imposing their opinions on serious issues online and are actually trying to reach out to the public by making public appearances and engaging in public debates and trying to make an actual difference! Hurrah! Good for them!

Here we can see the bloggers shifting from the typical interactive model of communication with their fellow online buddies and moving to a more face-to-face discussion of ideas like public debates which is in line (somewhat) with the transactional model of communication.

I feel that this is a good step up for these bloggers to convey their ideas and opinions more effectively as

1) Communication is not restricted to purely verbal cues and use of language only as is in an online setting

2) They are able to engage non blog/net-savvy people and convey their messages to a larger audience

3) The anonymity of the Internet is eliminated, bloggers will have to be more responsible in dissemination of information to their target audience

They’re really just here to hear what they want to hear! (Say that quickly 10 times and it’s a tongue twister!)

The bloggers were on hand to discuss several issues of Singapore’s public transport system which were brought up in their proposal to the government for improving public transport. For those interested to read on their proposal, you can find it here: http://theonlinecitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/proposal-vff.pdf

The issues discussed included:

1) Increasing motor-vehicle taxes

2) Subsidies for public transport

3) Enforcement of higher service standards by public transport operators.

4) Environmental issues concerning transport emissions

These were some of the responses from those who came to listen to the discussion of ideas (watch the youtube clip from 1:10 onwards):

“It concerns my living... because my pocket money will be getting less.”

“I think it interests everybody, right? Because transport fare is too high, so everyone is affected. Everyone.”

“Transportation should remain affordable, especially for the needy.”

Notice that no one commented on the standard of service or the environmental issues, rather all were more concerned about the fares and the issue of money. This got me thinking, “So all these people came and all they cared about was really just the fare hike announcement...” It seems to me that, whilst it may be on hindsight unfair to judge over 100 people over comments made by 3 people who were interviewed, those who came to witness the debate perceived and internalized only the monetary aspect of the discussions.

This, in my opinion, is a good example of perception theory in practice. From their responses for the interview, we can get a basic idea of how these 3 attendees have selected, organized and interpreted the ideas that were discussed by the bloggers that day. For them, all that mattered was how to cope with the fare hike and were interested particularly in ideas that would help to alleviate financial burdens in the face of the impending fare hike.

And so it was, bloggers and non-bloggers alike on the 14th of September 2008 came and gathered to the oft-empty and underutilized Hong Lim Park Speaker’s Corner and had a ball of a time discussing and debating on Singapore’s Public transport System and the October fare hike.

Wow...Public speaking AND a proposal to the government! Even the anti-blogger and cynic in me have to applaud that. Well done.

"Ad"-venturing in a car..a coupé to be exact..

2008-09-07T12:26:00.035+08:00

..And so as I was panicking and trying to come up with something to write about, I came across this full page advertisement (ad) on The Straits Times, Thursday September 4th, and it immediately caught my eye.

Besides the fact that I have always been a Mercedes-Benz automobile fan, what strikes me most about the ad is its stark simplicity, direct message and its extensive use of the color black to invoke certain emotions from its target audience.

Well then, let’s begin to analyze the ad and try to apply the concepts that we’ve learned so far in COM 101. I shall begin with the choice of color:

The color black, in my opinion, is used extensively and solely to invoke our persuasion appeal of “pathos”. Black here is used to arouse our notions of power, sophistication and luxury. It is also used to effectively contrast against the white glares and white fonts to conjure some notion of professionalism and class.

Next, let’s bring our attention to the Mercedes-Benz symbol, located at the top right corner of the ad:

The Mercedes-Benz symbol is synonymous with the concepts of power, wealth and reliability. Especially back in the late 1990’s, to own a Mercedes-Benz car is akin to flexing your financial status on the streets of Singapore. The Mercedes-Benz symbol, which has been around since the early 1900’s, also speaks volumes of its rich history in the automobile industry, further enhancing its credibility and reliability status. Thus clearly we can see that the symbol alone appeals to our “pathos” (notions of wealth and power) and “ethos” (appeals of credibility and reliability).

Then we come to the showcase of the ad, a sleek black sports car, a new model in the Mercedes-Benzs stable of sports cars, the CLC Sports Coupé.

Notice that again the choice of color for the coupé is black. Not only does it reinforce the notions of power and luxury, I personally think a black sports coupé is kind of sexy as the color black accentuates curves and overall sleekness of a car, especially a sports one. To further appeal to our “pathos”, the white glare behind the coupé adds a “shine” to the coupé and a dream-like appearance to the car. Aren’t we all attracted to shiny, glimmering things? Don’t we all dream of uncovering wonderful treasures?

It is appropriate then the main text of the ad reads:

Here we see the advertisers toying with our “logos” and “pathos”. By associating the coupé to a “dream car”, the advertisers are inadvertently telling its audience that the object of their dreams has finally arrived and that their automobile and driving fantasies can become a reality with the CLC Sports Coupé. A simple question is all it takes to invoke a sense of fantasy which is then immediately grounded to reality with the simple reason, “The new CLC Sports Coupé is here”.

Finally at the bottom right corner of the ad, we see the words “Mercedes-Benz” clearly and proudly printed as a reminder and reinforcement of its symbol, strengthening its “ethos” appeal.

So there you have it! Mercedes-Benz new print advertisement for its new line of Sports Coupé deconstructed and explained, albeit rather simply, using the concepts of “logos”, “pathos” and “ethos”. Simple yet effective in getting its intended message across to its target audience..

So what do i think of the ad?:
Now…if only I have wads of cash to burn and actually owning a driver’s license…