The Global Networks, The Internet.

I remember when I was still a kid, the rising usage of computer and internet has just started to be familiarized by computer users and it is also very ordinary for every house hold to own a computer and internet. When I first familiarized to practice the use of computer, the internet was pretty slow as I will need to depend on my land line and modem to connect to the internet. Today, the technology has rocketed our everyday usage of the internet with the invention of Wi-Fi ubiquitously and there are no surprise to use an ultimate fast speed of internet.

It is miraculous to realise how the internet and communication technologies are fetching to become wealthier as time to come. Unseeingly, our phase of communications originally begun with the smart invention of telegraph by using Morse codes, cables and wires, telephone, radio, television, satellites, computer and then internet. The present greatest invention is the internet and cyberspace where anything and everything is now connected as similar to a global nervous system that controls our daily life. According to Lessig (2006), the global networks primarily consists of the Internet and the cyberspace.

Revolution of Communications

The internet now has played a dominant role in our life as we are very dependent on it. On one hand, we perceived the internet has benefited in many aspects and paces to us however, on the other hand, it has unexpectedly give undesirable consequences to us, the humans are as we are too dependable on it. Sterling (1993), mentioned that the computer network became steadily more valuable as it embraced larger and larger territories of people and resources.

Nevertheless, the internet now has flooded with various information hence the availability of search engines has enable us to obtain any information. Also, now our primary mode of communications have swift to the internet.

Promptly, everything and anything now has develop and shift to the world of internet and so do we?

References:

Lessig, L 2006, Code 2.0: Four puzzles from cyber space, Basic Books, New York, accessed 17/8/2014, https://www.socialtext.net/codev2/four_puzzles_from_cyberspace.

Sterling, B 1993, A Short History of the Internet, The Magazine Of Fantasy And Science Fiction, Cornwall, accessed 17/08/2014, http://www.library.yale.edu/div/instruct/internet/history.htm

Reflective Report on Digital Story Project; Nomophobia

Upon our assignment, we were required to create a Digital Story Project (DSP) video relating to our subject of Media, Audience and Place. Then, after I acquire to know about the assignment’s question,  the first thing that came into my mind and able to relate to the our course’s topic which is by the title of Nomophobia. By using ‘Nomophobia’ as the theme of my DSP, it can definitely relates to the course subject where the context elements of media, audience and place takes in this framework. Therefore, by selecting the refrain topic of Nomophobia, I felt that this video will be capable and influential that it can foster the attentive awareness of this rising deceiving contemporary ‘Nomophobia’ problem.

According to Cobe (2013), Nomophobia it an official of the fear of being without your mobile phone is now an irrational fear along with the fear of spiders, heights and flying. The bulk of us feel anxious or even stressed when we leave home without our mobiles but Nomophobes can suffer from panic attacks, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, sweating, accelerated heart rate, chest pain or even nausea. Symptoms range from an inability to turn off your phone, obsessively checking for missed calls, texts or updates and even feeling the ‘wedding day jitters’ when your mobile is out of battery or misplaced. Understanding that Nomophobia can quite to be a serious phobia, I intended to creatively portray my whole DSP into an emotional yet fear appeal to attract audience’s attention by shooting video of a young man who consequently infected by this disorder of having uncertainties and unwillingness to leave his phone in his daily activities. Henceforth, by his unwillingness to decline his phone just for awhile, at the end of this DSP he will involve into an accident where he played his phone while driving. Also, through out the whole DST, there will be a narration of the voice of the young man where he voices out his own regrets of devoting too much time on his phone where points him into an accident.

Furthermore, through out the whole DSP there will be ‘fun facts’ about the statistic of Nomophobia and in the mean time the narrator will explain about the symptoms of having Nomophobia. By expending both the captions and narrations I think it will be impactful to deliver my main message of this whole DSP to the audience. Henceforth, this video will be upload to social websites like Youtube, Facebook, blogs and other possible websites that are able to reach my target audience. Now, I assume that my  target audience will be mainly Generation Y and other individuals that strongly attached to their mobile phones and I believe this DSP will definitely be a wake up call for these affected audiences. Nonetheless, by uploading my DSP to these social websites as my platform to engage with my audience, it will certainly and nevertheless go viral whereby my circle of friends will ‘share’ and interact with this video among their friends hence this circle of people are exactly my target audience and also as me myself is from the Generation Y.

While, through out the whole process of this DSP I certainly faced challenges like skills of shooting and capture the right angle, writing a fitting script, produce my own story and other particular skills to produce a decent yet creative DSP. Other than that, understanding that copyright and other ethical issues that must take into consideration, mainly the songs. It is difficult to quest for a suitable yet fitting song that can flatter with your video scenes and of course we are not allow to use commercial songs that we usually listen from the radio or television. These commercial songs are difficult and I suppose it is impossible for us to get copyright to use their song whereby monetary and process duration is the toughest thing to deal with. Anyhow, I thank my lecturer Mr. Faizal for sharing and advised us on few licensed websites that designed to allowed us download for free and free on copyright and licensing.

When I decided to choose on this topic, Nomophobia I have  faced uncertainties and having doubt on this topic because I felt that it is too common to pick this topic. Having to know that many of my classmates pick the same topic as me too but at last I did not want to change my decision on choosing this as my DSP topic. It is because I wanted to take this challenge and try to stand out myself and believe that I am capable to be creative and different on this topic.

In a nutshell, I have learnt a lot through out the process of this DSP and it allow me to learn and acquire a lot of new skills and knowledge to produce a short video for instance videography, video editing skills and copyrighting knowledge. I appreciate and enjoy the times while processing this video and I hope that my video can significantly able to send out my main intended message to the audiences.

References:

Cobe. 2013. New term of the day. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cobe.com.au/2013/trends/nomophobia. [Accessed 16 November 13]Just Slow Down. 2012. Just Slow Down. [ONLINE] Available at: http://justslowdown.ca/collision-stats/. [Accessed 15 November 13].

Gretchen . 2001. TEXTING WHILE DRIVING INFOGRAPHICS. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gretchenchern.com/2011/06/texting-while-driving/. [Accessed 19 November 13].

Origo. 2013. Consumer Statistics and Studies. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.driveorigo.com/consumer/distracted-driving-statistics. [Accessed 15 November 13].

Scott Webster. 2012. Lookout finds a nomophobia epidemic in Mobile Mindset study. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.androidguys.com/2012/06/21/lookout-finds-a-nomophobia-epidemic-in-mobile-mindset-study/. [Accessed 16 November 13].

http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com. 2013. Because Texting and Driving Kills. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/. [Accessed 19 November 13].

Song References:

On The Tree Line (Dogmix) by OldDog (feat. Panu Moon) – by ccmixter.org.com

The Rising by Prashant Pandey

Reflective of the En Route BCM240

Indeed, having my first most experience to comprise blogging as my assignment during my second year of degree course. In this semester I enrolled myself to two media subjects which is Media, Audiences and Place (BCM 240) and International Media and Communication (BCM 111) which both necessitates us to submit our assignments as blog to WordPress. Frankly, it is my first time blogging to WordPress as last time I only had experience blogging by Blogspot and Tumblr only. WordPress have given me a whole new setting and to be frank it is far more innovative and advance rival to my earlier blogging proficiency in both different blogging platform.

Apart from submitting assignments online, people can publicly and casually read on my blog hence every time before I write on my blog, research to read on other blogs will partaken beforehand for me to get diverse ideas and views hereafter also inspiration for me to write. Understand that we share the similar consistent subject syllabus with the Australia’s University of Wollongong (UOW) but only different is the time frame whereby Australia were ahead of us for approximately two weeks time. So, being a local student here in Malaysia we can always read blogs written earlier before us from the Australian classmates whereby I personally think that we are very lucky to initially get those blogs as references.

Throughout blogging, we required to compromise few of the social media to links up to our blog to increase greater number readerships. For instance, we are recommend to share our blog link in twitter and also learn to hash tag our subject code (#BCM240) for better communication and sharing experience amongst students and classmates who enrolled to this subject. Also, we are encourage to bestow comments on each other’s blogs to aim for improved on interaction and sharing familiarity and I personally thinks that comments can actually boost up your motivation on blogging also improve your works.

Henceforth, through blogging I have learnt to write proficiently understanding that my works are not going to be an ordinary assignment that we usually submit personally and read by lecturers and me myself only. So, blogging assignments publicly must be very careful and references for credits were needed to be done correctly to ensure from avoiding any conflicting issues.

At first, I always thought that no one will actually give comments on my blog but I was hoping for comments anyhow. Then, during the week ninth I actually received comments to my articles from the Australian student and hence there are three different comments on different blog posts. After receiving the comments, I am very much motivated to devote on write my blog post still and nevertheless eagerly longing for more comments and yes, indeed I have received few more comments after that. Furthermore, expectation were beyond my thought that actually besides visitors from Malaysia and Australia there actually visitors from United Kingdom too. While, the numbers of visitors through out my blogging experience have been hitting up to seventy visitors where it actually meets my certainties satisfactory.

Finally, being a media student I am very glad that I learnt how to fully utilize the certain medium as assignment for instance the internet and blogging. Hence, our class have just receive another assignment of working on Digital Story Telling which require us to exploit further in medias which it will definitely enhance and improve our capabilities and skills in media studies. Hereby, I thank University of Wollongong that given me the chance to exploit plus enhance to a whole new interesting and fun blogging experience and seemingly unbarring us from the typical traditional mode of doing assignment.

 

 

The Contemporary Mobile Phone to Us

 

The contemporary moral panics of mobile phone addiction have taken into the human daily living planetary to the whole new level. Do you often face the scenario of panicking of an anxiety finding high and low for your mobile phone while actually it is in your hand literally all the time? Do you ever feel unusual or nervous for not sophisticatedly checking on your phone for the past half an hour? Do you ever false alarm anxiety to yourself when you heard somebody else’s phone ringing thinking that it is your own phone? And concurrently wired your mobile to you to anywhere you go even to the bathroom, having yourself sacrificing a hand to hold on your both cutleries at a time instead having to hold your phone or first thing to do when as soon as you wake up in the morning is to check on your phone? No doubt, I practice all of the above whereby sometimes I have uncertainties for myself to plunge myself our from this anxiety and worse to let into the discourse that I am actually suffer from a phobia called ‘Nomophobia’. Nomophobia actually a definite means according to  Ledder (2012), nomophobia is the fear of being without your cell phone.

 

Hereby, Atchley and Warden (2012) propose the use of standard addiction definitions in the case of mobile phone use:

●  tolerance (the need to use more in order to get the same effect);

●  withdrawal (symptoms associated with lack of access to the subject of addiction);

●  increased usage;

●  inability to reduce usage;

●  maintaining the behavior in spite of the risks and negative consequences.

 

In this mean time, people now simply starts conversation in anyways either in public or private spaces habitually for instance, Facebook comments have been contemplated as a chat box or even Twitter replies can similarly become a type of openly conversation to the public. In this case, Whatsapp is a platform for mobile instant message application where it innovatively developed a ‘Voice Note’ service for conveniences competence. Discerning that this ‘Voice Note’ is precisely useful but it somehow ambiguously concern for using it privately or publicly, it is thoughtful that Voice Note will actually projects sounds in loud automatically after pressing the ‘Play’ button. I personally avoid to prefer to the use of Voice Note in public spaces whereby it will actually projects my intended message out loud to be overhear openly by the public, I choose to take the message personally than openly.

 

While, Wi-Fi services were provided in everywhere and anywhere in public spaces, people are used to practice to this technological convenience. Sharing the same Wi-Fi  in a public space meaning you literally consider doing your own personal things in a public space without realizing. Take an example, when I use my phone, I am certainly a complete ignorance to the surrounding, I live in my own world, I shut myself from the world by living in the unconsciousness of I am actually in a public space.

 

However, mobile phone was essentially created for the use of technological convenience but it somehow created a negative impact to a lot of people and Nomophobians especially. Walsh, White, Cox & Young (2011) describes that many of the users define it as being part of themselves, meaning that they always keep it close by, they willingly disturb their activities in order to answer the phone, they feel uneasy when they don’t have the phone close by and cannot reduce the usage. In this discussion context, being so addicted to mobile phone will actually affect large impact on students especially where concentration from class have loss due to mobile phone addiction indeed to the adults too where it can be interrupting, for instance using your phone unnecessarily in the midst of meeting and the worse case scenario is that adults are too used to use mobile phone while driving.

In my own opinion, I think we human ourselves should practice sense of ability to distinguish the importance of mobile phone in terms of time and space. Mobile phone was created to cater us but somehow we have been overly misusing the use of it without having a distinctive of our own morality. After all, I am trying to anticipate the withdrawal of addiction to mobile phone and quitting to be a Nomophobia.

References:

Atchley, P., & Warden, A. C. (2012). The need of young adults to text now: Using delay discounting to assess informational choice. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 1 (4), 229-234.

Ledder. 2012. A melting pot information on a multitude of topics. [ONLINE] Available at: http://lederr.wordpress.com. [Accessed 31 October 13].

Walsh, S. P., White, K. M., Cox, S., & Ross, McD. Y. (2011).Keeping in constant touch: The predictors of young Australians’ mobile phone involvement. Computers in Human Behavior, 27 (1), 333-342.

 

 

Public Screens

The emergence of screens in public spaces haven been increasingly in places everywhere for instance in a video shop, restaurant, lifts, toilets and also beyond driving roads. In the marketing point of view, by using screens in public spaces are factually making a useful responses and awareness by advertising their brands, products and services and many research have turn out to believe that this screens (Out of Home Media) are more visible and reachable. While, trailers and movies  played in screens in public screens can definitely draw vast magnetism for people to watch and yet high curiosity and interest will be lure people to buy the intended promotional movie.

People drawing full attention and standing in the middle of the road to the screen

Speedy Video Shop

From my own observation of people watching screens in public were commonly were mostly for time killing purposes while waiting for something and for this reason neither me myself will actually watch on this screens only while I am waiting for something or someone. Then, foremost motive of people to watch this screen were mainly because the screens have literally attractive enough to draw people to watch on it for instance essentially because new ‘free’ movie on the play or a new launching of a fancy product. Or people seemingly joining the crowd or of curiosity to watch it since a group of people have gather informally in front of the screen. What I can observe from the people who watch on this screens have literally pays full attention to it and nearly forget that they are actually concentrating of watching a movie in an openly public space even though some public places turns out to be very noisy. Another one thing that I puzzle about my observation is that this people have been treating that sphere as completely private whereby still they are able to watch a movie without realizing that there aren’t any sound from the screen, except subtitles.

Screen on driving roads

Screens on the street, beside the road

TV Screens in mamak stalls

Mini screen in lift lobby

Televisions in restaurant

While, for me I seldom want to put myself to stop and watch this public screens unless it really attracts my attention or I need to kill my time while waiting for someone or to avoid any awkwardness during the alone time. It feel quite weird for me to watch a television in a public space like standing out of nowhere, in the middle of the road or for instance, in front of the video shop. Screens that only will draw my attention is advertorial screens that place outside the waiting lobby of lifts, toilets, LED signage on the roads while driving and promotional mini television on the product’s rack. I feel that it only appropriate for me to watch on this screens rather than standing in front of the video shop to watch a new movie releases. Hence, another public screen that I feel appropriate to watch is the television provided by restaurant, bar and campus or even mamak stalls. For at least, I feel it is not awkward to watch a television sitting in a restaurant while eating your meal than standing in middle of nowhere watching on a screen with no purposes but fully drawing your whole possessed attention on that screen only.

Media Piracy

In today’s contemporary practices of flagging media piracy have become a regular norm to people whereby song and movie downloading were engaged as easy as a click. The internet technology have intensify the contemporary media piracy where conveniences to download files from the internet were tranquil, unrestricted and free or charge. In human natural phenomena, everybody likes free stuff and in the case of media piracy, people always have the notion that although the exploitation of media piracy is illegal but it is still uncontrollable and since there are still many overwhelming illegitimate software, for instance, Torrent, Limewire, Peer-to-Peer(P2P) and etc. to download files and thoughtful that everyone is undertaking it. Also, from many perceptions that downloading copyrighted files were still adequate plus in the condition that the explicit material does not use as an expenditure to aimed at self profitable purposes. Lessig (2004) has specified that a person may use the copy by playing it, but he has no right to rob the author of the profit, by multiplying copies and disposing of them for his own use. However, having this conception is merely immoral whereby the existence of ‘Copyright’ were in the law suit to circumvent and diminish the act of media piracy.

 

As mentioned that the modern internet have increase the proliferation of media piracy whereas before the existence of internet the implication function of ‘Copyright’ is still well-regulated amongst the impropriety of illegal media piracy. Lessig, (2004) have emphasized that today we are in the middle of another “war” against “piracy and the Internet has provoked this war. The confound of the controversy internet have taken its toll where it have become a threatening tool for destruction of producing revenues for several industries have fallen in to the hole. In Malaysia, VCD and DVD illegal businesses have been virtuously good industry whereby copies and copies of VCD and DVD were produced by just disbursing an amount of an original copy of VCD/DVD or by just a click in the internet. It is believable that billions of dollars worth of movies, song music and software have burnt into these profitable and inexpensive VCD and DVDs.

 

Many downloaders are in the practices of downloading songs and movies privately at home instead of buying tickets to visits the cinema or hitting to a video shop to purchase a new release album. In their thought, it is free, shareable, reusable and convenient or somehow profitable to download copyrighted files and why devoting and committing to the traditional modes to enjoy the pleasures. By having this idea is indefinitely wrong ask yourself how do you feel when someone steal/uses your hard copyrighted work without any credits given to you instead claiming that it belongs to theirs? Thus, everyone should have the notion of, “Creative work has value; whenever I use, or take, or build upon the creative work of others, I am taking from them something of value. Whenever I take something of value from someone else, I should have their permission. The taking of something of value from someone else without permission is wrong. It is a form of piracy.”(Lessig, 2004)

 

References:

Lessig, L, 2004. Piracy. Free Culture, [Online]. 1, 11-12. Available at: http://eprints.rclis.org/5823/1/freecult.pdf [Accessed 29 October 2013].

 

 

Fandom

It is highly beyond my believe of denial uncertainties that, everyone is a fan of something afore perhaps not a stout fandom but just a slight fan or in an alternative expression, somewhat you have interest about a particular something. I define fandom as a type of strong admiration and extreme crazily hype interest on certain sort of things where the fan themselves sees it a completely a normal and loyal activities than any other thing to do and they consider themselves living in a distinctive community with other fans that share the mutual interest.  Hellekson (2006) stated that the notion intersects with the intertextuality of fannish discourse, with the ultimate erasure of a single author as it combines to create a shared, space, fandom, that we might also refer to as a community.

 

Twilight fanatic and her favourite fanatic assets

A fans with her overly Hello Kitty decorated kitchen

 

However, fandom can not only be categorized by celebrities/idols but also other fictional characters and blockbuster movie for instance, Harry Potter, Twilight and Lord of the Rings, fictional cartoons like The Simpsons, Spongebob Squarepants and Hello Kitty, anime fandom, football club fandom or the most uptrend K-Pop culture and also various wonders of things in the world can be a type of fandom to be acknowledge in fandom classification.

 

A picture of the young Westlife during my fanatic years

I understand fans  much because I am a fan too of Westlife when I was at the younger years about 9 years old. During the years, I had an overly obsession to them whereby I had various types of their posters sticking at the wall of my room. Remembering that I spent a part of my pocket money to buy monthly copies of the local celebrity and Hollywood fanatic magazine called Galaxy. The most exciting part of buying the magazine was opening to the centerfold limelight part whereby the magazine gives out free newest song lyrics. At that instance, Westlife was one of the most popular boy band came after Backstreet Boys whereby new songs releases will be in a regularly basis, perhaps releases of one new song once per month. Also, being a fan whenever I saw pictures of them in the magazine or newspapers, the first I think I will do is cut that particular picture and kept for myself.

 

My dad have been a very supportive father that he agreed on buying me new original Westlife albums from the video shop. So by that time, putting the CD in my CD Player while dancing and singing to their song is one of my favorite leisure pass time during my young age. In fact, cannot deny that I am not a fans of them when I can sing to all of their songs accurately without reading any of their lyrics.

 

During my days of fanatic, mobile phones were not as technological as of today whereby songs can be simply keep in song player and picture can be constantly change as wallpaper. Henceforth, at that time Facebook, Twitter and Instagram does not happen to be exist yet and as of now fans can simply share their fanatic interest with their fanatic community and others easily just by easy as a click of button. Fan page in social media and as well as fanatic forum have tremendously became the social fanatic media platform for easy interactions comparing to the older days where fans can only be interacted physically and verbally in fans meeting. The existence of the new media have created more extreme hype in fandom to the extend where actually Beliebers, One Directioners have been recognize as a type of fanatic community. Fiske to Henry Jenkin’s (1992) canonical Texual Poachers stated that fandom was automatically more than the mere act of being a fan of something: it was a collective strategy, a communal effort to form interpretative  communities that in their subcultural cohesion evaded the preference and intended meanings of the “power bloc” (Fiske, 1989) represented by popular media.

 

Justin Bieber’s Belieber die hard fan’s #baldforbieber

 

Bieliber fans crying for Justin Bieber in a concert

An extreme loyal One Directioner fans and her bedroom

 

Nevertheless, the new media have been playing a major big part for entertainment industries for profit for instance. Fans can be a type of promotional object whereby their interest and love for their fandom can be an indirect type of free promotional message and awareness, for example, an update status from a fan saying on behalf that an upcoming concert will be held soon. Henceforth, fans are the major purchaser for all the new releases and promotional items and concert tickets.

 

Still, until today, although I am not a strong fans for Westlife but when I listen to their songs, I can still flawlessly sing to all of their songs like UpTown Girl, I Lay My Love for You, My Love, If I Let You Go and other songs by them! And being a fan is actually a fun type of activity whereby you lost yourselves all out for your favorite idol.

 

References:

Hellekson, K and Busse, K , 2006. Fan fiction and fan communities in the age of Internet. New essays, [Online]. 1, 6. Available at: http://books.google.com.my/books?hl=en&lr=&id=UgZsi_DOKoQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=fandom+fan+definition&ots=DC0B_bPhS_&sig=zJ9xoF4B1WCOrKxsWbyW1MOI_z0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=fandom%20fan%20definition&f=false [Accessed 28 October 2013].

Jenkins, H, 2007. Identities and Communities in a Mediated World. Fandom, [Online]. 1, 5. Available at: http://books.google.com.my/books?hl=en&lr=&id=K–bJVZ2QlIC&oi=fnd&pg=PT2&dq=fandom+definition&ots=lZNsfj4vAl&sig=asLodTXGnycFFmp4ROY8ubtKadU&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=fandom%20definition&f=false [Accessed 28 October 2013].

 

 

Space and place affect our assumptions on media effects

“We can no longer imagine living daily lives- at leisure or at work, with family or friends- without media and communication technologies. Nor would we want to.” ( Livingstone S, 2002)

I strongly believe that in this technological age have literally conquer us the people by their mass media content powers whereby it is very ordinary to see people holding their cellphone in anytime and everywhere. People live in their own world while spending their media addiction on their personal favorite media and gadgets without realizing the level of their ignorance to the world. Honestly, I live in my own world while using my own personal gadget like cellphone and laptop in a public space without paying any attention to the surrounding world. For instance, people make the habit of essentially checking their own phones as a necessity and setting it as priority when they have free time regardless the time and space.

The habits of addictive consumption on phone have given various affections of negative impacts whereby people cannot distinguish the right time and space on media usage. Occasionally, the media addiction have affect them using checking on their cellphone while driving which have effectively indicates to the exploration of moral panics. As Livingstone (2002) said that, interactive media are seen to herald the rise of individualized and privatized lifestyles increasingly dependent on the economic of global consumerism, often iniquitous in their effects, tending to undermine national culture and national media and regulation. However, people nowadays have altered their perception and attitudes of consuming media in anywhere and anytime do not have the difference and do not see the importance and consequences of it.

On top of that, in this context of the excessive use of interaction media and gadgets will affect a huge impact on one’s daily life in terms of time space, communication and characteristic. Moreover, this has become a natural phenomenon to regardless on media, space and users themselves.

References:

Livingstone, S, 2002. Childhood, Youth and the Changing Media Environment . Young People and New Media , [Online]. 1, 1-2. Available at: http://books.google.com.my/books?hl=en&lr=&id=e4AHeRPLs0oC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=media+effects+media+space+of+moral+panics&ots=myjJrI-uNx&sig=c_LVh7neORw26Zxqr2kkB4-n49Q&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=media%20effects%20media%20space%20of%20moral%20panics&f=false[Accessed 27 September 2013].

Television

Televisions were once of the primary electronic medium that gives us the biggest entertainment and also obtain sources of information to the audience. When television first came out, it was costly to be owned by every home so people would go to public spaces and homes to watch the television as well people back then enjoy watching television together in a space that they can share laughter and opinions. Leichter et. al (1985) as discussed that, television viewing most often takes place in homes, where the direct or indirect education of family members is a continuing process, where activities are organized in time and space, and where the interactions of individuals with other form a continuous screen of influence through which the world is experienced. Once, television were a medium that most families would bond to spend their time together watching it, thus back then setting of television in home was only in the living room. As agree by Leichter et al. (1985), television and the family present particularly significant cases because they are so closely interwoven.’

By then, watching a television in a public space weren’t a big matter as compare to now where people prefer to be more personalized and individualized in a private space but not practicing watching television with group of people anymore. The setting of a television bit by bit reformed from a public sphere to a private sphere where numerous of television is found setting in a house, placing not only in the living simply but rooms, kitchen and even the toilets itself. Sharing a television is not common anymore as compare to then, people now adapt to the new habit of watching television alone and privately in their own room. However, a family might be watching a program at the same time but technically in a different space.

Hence, the proliferation of private space has increase overtime essentially for the reason that of the influences of urbanization and youth culture. Those who prefer more on watching the television on a private space typically were the younger generation youths. In fact, most of the teenagers will go through the rebellious and need the ‘alone time’ meaning the private space, where they lock and withdraw themselves communicating with the family. Therefore, creating a private space is easier now because the power of owning a television is no more difficult as the affordability price of a television is more reasonable as compare to then. Indeed, television were no more the primary source to watch programs and obtain news because the advancement of internet have make we people more conveniently using the internet to roam a program using YouTube and other social websites.

Moreover, the attention and concentration of watching on a television is no more to be a simple thing to do as the growing existence of the new gadgets like mobile phones, laptops and tablets. The multitasking job is taking over where people do so many at a time while watching the television, one maybe holding on a phone texting, surfing on a site using the laptop or doing reading a book.

Somehow, the trends of updating status on Facebook and Twitter have been one of the mainstream trends at the moment. No doubt, all of us have been affected by the clutter of the internet and social network while watching the television. The media are smart enough to associate their television program and show to the internet social media. For instance, people nowadays having habits of ‘tweeting’ of their opinions and comment of the program that they are watching on the television. The media have to keep in track of the trend so that they can gain more viewership to their program and for example, American Idol has encouraged the audience to use their mobile phones to gain votes for their favorite idol.

As time pace have changed, television was once an important medium for us to delight our entertainment and obtain source of news information whereby we pay full attention on the television without any technology noise. While, people now treats television were not as important anymore because of the advancement of technologies gadgets. Hence, sometimes we turn on the television is not mainly intend to watch it nevertheless just a background sound during doing other things.

Reference

Leichter, H.J, Ahmed, D, Barrios, L, Bryce, J, Larsen, E & Moe ,L, 1985. Family Contexts of Television.Educational Technology Research & Development, [Online]. Volume.33, No.1, 26-40. Available at:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02769340 [Accessed 08 September 2013].

A Story About Cinema

Picture courtesy from : Why Stop Time

“Hurry up! We only have an hour left! Quickly get into the car!”

“Yes! I do not want to miss out the opening part of the movie! “

“Ma! Can I have groundnuts and ice-cream later?”

Sudden glimpses of a lovable scene have come into a play in my mind of my father and his siblings screaming around at home before visiting to the cinema as promised by my grandparents. My granny have storied to me that they only watch the latest midnight shows where mostly held at 12 a.m and they usually purchase the entire role of the middle-class seats for the family in addition of my grandpa’s employees.  She told me that my father and his sibling were consider as lucky and fortunate children that could enjoy the middle class seats movie as in the 1950’s economy where not all Malaysians can afford to enjoy the privilege of watching a movie.

Back then, going to a cinema is not as spontaneous as today where essentially only the well-to-do class of family and adults can only enjoy the treat of going for movies. There are specifically different classes of seats prices from the first-class (RM 1.80), middle-class (RM1.20) and third-class (RM 0.60) mainly located at different obvious zones.  Thus, today’s cinemas were casually visits by all where you can normally experience full house on a weekday if there were a new release of movies. If today we were to watch a movie, the prices are all standardized to either normal price of RM 9 to 11 except for weekends the price will be slightly expensive of RM 13 to 16 where the dissimilarities of price only depends on different cinemas and also for the couple seat and Gold Class screening.

Then, I was told that they usually visits cinemas like Coliseum set in Jalan Tunku Abdual Rahman, where it located near to my family’s house back then. In the 1950- 1960’s, there are only several counts of cinemas in Malaysia however in the revolution of 20 to 30 years of time, we can find voluminous of cinemas located everywhere in the country. For instance, cinemas now can be found in mostly all big shopping malls in in all places conveniently and also mostly at all decent timing. Back formerly, show times were limited because of the countable cinema halls where in contrast you can easily attend to a movie where movie show times were frequently play constantly a day in a hall.

Wooden chairs, concrete floor, stand fans and the kind of blurry resolution of pixelates motion projects on the wall were consider a place for a luxury life back then in a cinema. While today’s cinema space have improved so much to provide such soft cozy cushioned chairs with cooling air conditioned, carpeted flooring and walls that can gives a better and incredible sound effects during the movie and probably will give you a heart attack when the dinosaurs was about to jump out from the screen because you’re watching a 3-D movie. Thus, last year TGV Cinema also has launched the first bean bag seated cinema where it called as ‘Beanieplex’, where it is a concept where it delivers the best comfortable and relax place to indulge a movie. Plus, cinemas now are much cleaner compare to the cinemas back then where people said that people litter and spit anywhere in the cinema and worst that smoking were permissible back then.

Nevertheless, I believe in today’s speedy technology, cinemas are able to deliver unexpected wonders as we could imagine now. The revolutionary of cinemas have changed radically compare to cinemas back then and as me, I am definitely looking forward for more unbelievable technologies to be set in cinemas.

Here are some online blogs and links referred to the old cinemas in Malaysia:

The Chinese Cinema, Malaysia

Cinemas of Old Had Their Own Identity & Architectural Design

One Day Like This, The Ipoh Cinema 

(P/S: As noticed that the architectural of a cinema has changed in time too, back then a cinema were located in a independent shop lot while cinemas nowadays is set in the shopping mall itself where we can  hardly find a cinema place in a shop lot anymore. )