The Media In Singapore

Let us look back at the China milk scandal. Is the Singapore media still covering the news as much as when it was first published? What sort of effect has it on the general public in Singapore?

Taken from: http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/45f711ce-15a3-4c83-a99b-8f22ad9399d7/china-milk0919.jpg?size=l

 

At the very beginning of the China milk scandal, the repeated coverage of the milk scandal is a clear indication of the Agenda Setting Function Theory. 

By repeating the news coverage, the audiences are primed to believe that this issue warrants more attention and importance.  According to the theory, audiences who are affected by the issue addressed would have limited effects.

 

Taken from: http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/09/17/china_milk_wideweb__470x306,0.jpg

 

However, in this particular case of the China milk scandal, audiences who are affected by the issue discussed would have experienced a greater effect because they consumed those products and are worried about their health. On the other hand, people who did not consume the tainted products would just avoid the products.

 

Taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/limon-art/546485135/

 

The use of many mediums such as the newspapers, the television, the internet and the radio gives the impression to the public that the news reported is so important that it is required to be on all mediums available. This underlying message due to the use of different mediums is a good example of the Media Determinism Theory.

 

From their coverage of the news, the media is warning the general public of the tainted food product. This of course prevents further consumption of the tainted dairy products and save the general public from further harm.

 

At the same time, they are also boosting the image of the press. Their immediate coverage and dissemination of the news shows the efficiency of the press and that they report for the best interest of the public. By doing so, they are creating an influence gradually which can be seen in the Cultivation Theory.

Taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adforce1/2080289575/

 

Since we only have one press in Singapore and the government owns it, our perspective of the real world is very much shaped by them, a testament to the Media Hegemony Theory. Adding on to that, we are inclined to think that the government is always right and act in the best interest of Singapore. Thus, bulk of the Singapore population has a homogenous overview of the world. This homogenous view increases people acceptance of messages presented in the media.

All these theories ultimately convey a very strong message to the public and also to the benefit of the media. The media in Singapore is doing a fantastic job in covering news that is directly related to us, but should we be totally reliant on the local news? Or should we subscribe to other channels to broaden our perspectives?

School suspends 12-year-old for having Rayhawk fever

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/School-suspends-12-year-old-for-having-Rayhawk-f?urn=mlb,113776

Yahoo! Sports

29 October 2008

 

This is an article written by an American. Notice how the writer wrote about the boy and his situation. Though reporters are supposed to write in an objective manner, they never fail to reflect their societies’ take on the issue or situation.

 

Taken from: http://l.yimg.com/a/i/ww/news/2008/10/10/raysfan.jpg

“… but you have to admire a kid who's willing to stand up for what he believes in.” – Kevin Kaduk

“… school that won't allow their students to experience a little playoff fun.” – Kevin Kaduk

“Long live the Rayhawk, indeed.” – Kevin Kaduk

 

From the above statements, we can see the author’s take on the issue. Perhaps this is due to the culture of the Americans, which falls at the individualist side of the spectrum. They favor acts that show individualism. By being resolute about keeping his Mohawk, he is seen as someone who stands up for his beliefs. The principal of the school is shown in a less favorable light as someone who is inflexible. The school is portrayed as dull and authoritarian.

If the same thing happens in the Singaporean context, it would be vastly different.  Singapore, leaning more to the collectivist side, will have a different take on the situation. They would view the boy to be rebelling against the system and disrupting the harmony of the system. People would feel that the boy is in the wrong and side the principal decision. This article would not even be published because it would be seen as trivial.

Taken from: http://f3.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_mlb_experts__13/ept_sports_mlb_experts-416182125-1223558205.jpg?ym.g5IAD.XD9lxJO

The great difference is attribute to the difference in culture. What culture we come from determines the type of interpretation we make towards everything as shown above. Our culture shapes our schemas and creates certain attitudinal barriers when we view things. Just like Singaporeans cannot look beyond the fact that the boy is rebellious and Americans cannot look beyond the fact that he is resolute.

We can see a plethora of viewpoints in the comments section. Different individuals have different outlooks on this case. We can see how different people of different cultures place different emphasis on their views regarding the matter. Their arguments reflect the values and principles that they live by. 

Gamers Are Weird Lonely Shut-ins? Think Again

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/playback/playback-15/1250202

Yahoo! Games

Playback 15 Part 1

World of Warcraft

Taken from: http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/67682/world%20of%20warcraft_qjpreviewth.jpg

        

Guild Wars/Defense of the Ancients

Taken from: 

bp2.blogger.com/.../ s400/guild+wars.jpg

http://www.d3scene.com/forum/downloads/__dota_allstars___by_kunkka_lx6.jpg     

The common misconception about gamers is that they are socially inactive. Such stereotypes usually arise from people who are non-gamers. But as we can see from these video, that is not the case. Gamers are just as socially active as their non-gamer counterparts, perhaps even more sociable in certain cases. 

             People tend to think of gamers as people who shut themselves up in there own rooms and spend bulk of their time playing games alone. What people don’t realize is that gamers usually play with someone they know. It might be their classmates, friends or even people they know through the Internet. Their social circle can be as vast as non-gamers. Sometimes, they even have friends that non-gamers would not possibly have. They could easily have gamer friends from other parts of the world who the game with. Skeptics would say that such relationships are weak and superficial. However, I feel that is not the case. Gamers go through thick and thin together in the virtual world.

Need for Speed Underground/Maple Story

Taken from: 

http://baixaki.ig.com.br/imagens/wpapers/TheNeedForSpeedUnderground800.jpg

www.fantom-xp.com/ wallpapers/18/Maple_Story.jpg

             On the individual level, we can use the DeFleur’s Role of Communication in Relationships, albeit in a slightly different context.

 

Engagement                         Gamers get together for the first time.

Management                        Gamers playing games together.

Disengagement                   Gamers break off relationship.

             Gaming is another platform for people to socialize. Be it cooperative or competitive game play, gamers form relationships through gaming. Gaming is also good for team bonding. Certain gamers form guilds, clans etc, to have a shared identity. Though there might be possibilities of groupthink, it is usually very minimal as such groups are usually form by recruiting elite gamers rather than people who have the same mindsets.

 

Gamers get together for a variety of reasons. 

 

Similarity                              How similar they are

Complementarities            How well they complement each other

Exchange                              Benefits of being together

Proximity                              Frequency of interaction

Competency                          How competent they are

Fifa 2009

Taken from: http://www.f-team.ru/images/fifa2009/fifa09_3.jpg

             As we can see, gamers have a rich social circle in the cyber world. We cannot say that they are socially inactive. However, old stereotypes die hard. Perhaps as we progress into the future, there will be less of such notions.

China Milk Scandal

China: 'Out Of Control' Dairy system Led To Abuse

http://www.macon.com/267/story/471279.html

23 September 2008

China Tries To Reassure Public Over Milk Scare

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080924/tts-china-food-safety-child-a73cdd6.html

Yahoo! News

27 September 2008

All of us would have known about the China Milk Scandal by now. Currently, we are still affected by its repercussions. What exactly constitutes to the scandal?

One of the major factors is the failure and flaw of group communications. Different bodies failed to communicate with one another effectively.

“Chinese state television reported that the company at the center of the scandal, Sanlu Group Co., received complaints about tainted formula beginning last December and waited eight months to tell the local government, which then waited another month before informing higher authorities."

This went on for 9 months! Imagine the number of people who would be affected in these 9 months?  

A baby suffering from kidney stones after drinking tainted milk.

From: China Photos/Getty Images

Looking at the Sanlu Group Co., why did it withhold the information for eight months? It is probably due to the fact that the Olympics is going to be hosted and they want to wait till it is over before disclosing the scandal.  It might be that they were afraid to report it to the upper authorities. Many possibilities exist.

Let us focus on the Chinese government itself. They have received the news during the period of Olympics but chose not to disclose the news so as not to affect the Olympics. Their selfish choice of action is a good example of groupthink. They are a group of like-minded individuals governing the country. When they were faced with the problem, even if someone who opposed to the idea of not disclosing the scandal would not do so as he/she will not want to face dissension. Thus, it leads to even more problems for the Chinese government. People lose faith in milk and the honesty of the government. Moreover, so many lives were at stake. 53,000 children were sickened. Is this what a government would do for its people?

People wait for their children to be tested for kidney stones.

From: China Photos/Getty Images

I feel that a huge body like the government should adopt better policies. Even though certain news should be censored, it should not be something that affects the lives of the people, especially when it can be prevented. Had the Chinese government disclose it earlier, the number of sickened children would have been drastically less. 

Republic of Singapore Navy Commercial

               Below is an advertisement by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). This advertisement is one that uses a lot of non-verbal cues to show the prowess of the Singapore Navy. They use objectics to convey meaning across to the audience.

Taken from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWQDqWDp0k

Some representations that the commercial utilizes

Object                                    Representation

Buildings                                 Naval Battleships

Xerox Copiers                        Canons

Office Chairs                          Helicopters

Pots of Plants                        Projectiles

Office Cubicles                      Assault Boats

Water Bottle                          Missiles

White Clouds                        RSN

Dark Clouds                          Enemy Navy

               There are even deeper meanings to these representations. Take the buildings, which represent naval battleships for example. The size of the building signifies the enormity of the battleship. The Xerox copiers, pots of plants and water bottles show the vast arsenal of the Singapore Navy. Office chairs that represent helicopters show that the Singapore Navy has support from the Singapore Air Force. The white and black clouds clearly show which side the buildings were from. Darkness and dark clouds shroud the enemy naval force and show their ill intentions towards Singapore. On the other hand, the buildings that represent the Singapore Navy are revealed clearly and have white clouds behind them. It symbolizes the good and the honor of the Singapore navy.

The enemy naval force and the Republic of Singapore Navy

The speed in which the buildings enter the battle implied that the Singapore Navy is ever ready to defend her motherland. When they are moving into battle, the people of Singapore are not panicking as they are not in chaos. This implies that the Singapore citizens have faith in the Singapore Navy.

In the part of the advertisement where the two navies met, the enemy navy is the first to launch its attack. The Singapore Navy retaliates only after that. This chronological sequence of events also shows the stand that the Singapore Navy takes. The subtle point is that Singapore will not attack unless the enemy does so. Singapore will only launch an attack for defense.

The above two non-verbal cues are a form of chronemics. The sequence of the events unfolding have its own implied meaning. 

Naval Officer at the end of the advertisement

Near the end of the advertisement, we are shown a naval officer looking seriously out at sea. From his eyes we can also interpret messages. This is a form of oculesics. I believe that context is very important when we infer non-verbal meaning through eye movements. In the advertisement the naval officer would look stern if we were not shown his uniform. After receiving the information that he is a naval officer, we reevaluate his emotion with our perceptual sets. Thus, we would link his emotions to more positive ones. The next information that we will receive is the fact that he is in a naval ship. Now that we have even more information, our evaluation of him becomes even more favorable and we interpret his look to be dignified and serious. Thus, it is evident that the use of oculesics alone can be ambiguous and subjective. It should be interpreted with other types of non-verbal cues in order to achieve a fairer form of judgment.

All these implied meanings communicate relational information and complement the final part whereby the viewer is prompted to join the Singapore Navy. The non-verbal cues up till then was present to support the final verbal message, much like bringing the ambience to a climax before the final message. Even the music's climax is at the end of the commercial. The combination of all these non-verbal cues has created a powerful impact in the minds of the viewers.

The commercial has done well to promote the Republic of Singapore Navy even though there was minimal use of verbal cues. Many implied meanings come from the non-verbal cues in the trailer and we can draw from this advertisement that non-verbal play a bigger role in communication than verbal cues.

Famous Art Paintings

             Art is a good example of non-verbal communication albeit in a linear form. A person would evaluate the painting and then attach meanings to what the artist of the piece of art is trying to convey to the viewer. Because each person interpret the drawings differently, they also at the same time attach different value to it. Which is why we can see some people who are willing to pay a fortune to get these pieces of art.

"Mona Lisa" 

by Leonardo da Vinci

Taken from: http://iransam.persiangig.com/image/davinchi/Mona_Lisa.jpg    

         

             In the case of the work of Leonardo da Vinci, the “Mona Lisa” is a piece of drawing of a woman. To the eyes of layman, this famous piece of painting seemed to be not as spectacular as what they would have expected it to be. This is probably due to the fact that we are unable to discern certain non-verbal cues employed by da Vinci in this particular painting. Of course we may never know whether or not this painting is hailed as famous just because everyone is following everyone in claiming that the painting was magnificent. It may be Idols of the Theatre at work where everyone just conforms to a false belief.

"The Persistence of Memory"

by Salvador Dali

Taken from: http://www.icode6.net/Benia/bio/images/like/persistence_of_memory.jpg

             This is another painting, “The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali. This painting is different because of they way the painting is drawn. It is surrealistic. This painting has even more non-verbal cues expressing the ideas of the artist. Dali uses surrealism to portray abstract ideas across to the audience.

             Non-verbal cues present in paintings are subjected to different interpretations by different people. The way we are brought up will influence the way we view things. Thus, we might not be able to fully understand what the artists are trying to convey. These artists might have multiple meanings hidden in the painting, which results in many differing opinions.  For all we know, they might not even have any message that they want to convey to the viewers and it is just us who are trying hard to look into the painting for hidden meanings.

             Although non-verbal cues play a major role in communication, we should not be over obsessed with it as we might create delusions of some sort by interpreting meaning from nothing.

Musical taste "defines personality"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080905/lf_nm_life/britain_music_dc

Yahoo! News 

5 September 2008

 

This article serves to show us that our stereotypes about music listeners.  We have many assumptions of people who listen to certain genre of music.

Some of the stereotypes are soul music listeners are pessimistic people. People who listen to classical music are boring people. People who love jazz are people who are very laid back in life. Heavy metal music lovers are violent.  People who enjoy pop music are wild.

These misconceptions affect the way we communicate. Music is very much integral with out lives. Just take a look at the number of people with their earphones in public.  Because it is so omnipresent, we form different groups. People tend to feel closer with those who have certain qualities are common with them and music preference is one of those.

Very often, one would ask about the music preference of a person to see if they have anything in common. Once we found someone with similar favorite genre of music, we tend to be more intimate with him or her. Since we have similar taste with them, we also assume that their thinking will be very much in sync with ours. Hence, we hold the belief that they will be less likely to misinterpret our messages. For the same reason, we will also treat people who have different preference to music less favorably.

This article also debunks urban myths about music lovers. We can see that our stereotypes of certain music lovers are totally contrary to reality. Thus, we should do our best not to judge a person hastily and succumb to fallacies as described by Francis Bacon. It also serves to teach us that our beliefs are not necessarily the truth and we should constantly evaluate it so that we can communicate with everyone as fairly as we can.