Globalisation and Mass Media

Hey! This is gonna be the last entry of my COM101 Blog.

Today I'm going to be discussing about something that is more familiar to everyone of us. YAHOO!, this website is almost known to all of us. however every time we go to the website, do we know that the users in Singapore are automatically directed to the Singapore yahoo web page?



As we all know, yahoo is famous for its interactive website. it could easily challenge Facebook or Friendster with the amount of applications they have on the front page. Yahoo News is one of the more famed application of yahoo.inc, and in the singapore website, the yahoo homepage pretty much displays local news. and this is similar to the UK YAHOO site and the USA yahoo site. not only that, we can see how the sidebar on the left of the screen varies from country to country.


UK Yahoo!


USA Yahoo!

AS you can see, the media caters to every country. of course there are many other examples that can be found for yahoo like Australia and China. But the important point is that yahoo marketing strategy is excellent because it makes any user around the world feel at home.

This is also the same with Google. although Google is known for its simple designs on its web page, it also allow search to view pages only from a particular country. It is pretty evident today that the media was grown drastically and has learn to cope with the Asian population. Hollywood movies are make a BIG BANG in the Asian market. however it is sad that the Asian films are far behind and have yet reached the western crowd. Many would have attributed this to the difference in culture. however we readily accept Americanization or westernization. It is a sad truth that the local cinemas are flood with blockbusters from all around the whole except ASIA!

Why is it that the American/European media has so much influence in ASIA and not the other way round?

Biennale Singapore 2008

Since it's opening in 11 September 2008, the Biennale(Bi-annual)Singapore 2008 exhibition has been a big success. Opening daily from 11am to 8pm, it is known to the largest and most provocative visual arts display by artists all around the world. This years theme of wonder invites all its viewers into a world that is thought invoking and one that is unfamiliar and pleasantly surprising. Apart from the 3 museum (Singapore Flyer, South Beach Development and City Hall) that one would have to pay for entry, most of its artworks are displayed around the central business districts in Singapore. As for the other venues such as Raffles City Shopping center and Suntec city shopping center, these places offer passers by free admission to the individual art pieces on display.



The display at raffles city for instance is as big as a billboard. Not only does it attract the attention of the people walking by, it is also a Big ADVERTISEMENT for the event itself. Unlike the more common television and internet advertising used by millions of companies around the world, the Biennale Singapore has found a more creative and effective way to not only publicize for this event but also leave people wondering (as part of their theme) Other art pieces around town like under the esplanade bridge and Suntec city shopping center will definitely catch the attention of Singaporeans passing by. More important, The organizers have taken into account of the target audience. More stereotypical Singaporean would go and take a look at the "free" exhibit. this is kind of media is one that is non exclusionary as anyone walking pass the exhibit will inevitably see it. However consumers have also a certain amount of control in this situation as. They can choose to stop and appreciate the artwork or just walk away.



In a world like today, the media plays an important role but it almost does not have as much control over its viewers as it had in the past because humans are learning that they have a choice. In today's world, the control of power between the media and humans are constantly changing with every advertisement. How have you lost your freedom of choice to the media today?

YOUtube AND MEdia

I recently caught this advertisement on the television and thought it was quite cool. its pretty amazing how nokia's advertising department came up with the concept of the world being supported by human beings. there is no denying that with people, the mass media is nothing and without the mass media, people today are nothing.

This brings me to the point
ARE WE TOO RELIANT ON THE MASS MEDIA TODAY?

Personally i feel that the media has become a part of the human race today. And we cannot deny that without tv, internet, print media. the world will be revert back to the dark days where we just mind our own business. Honestly i cannot imagine how the world was back then when the internet was not yet invented. today it is almost impossible to find anything that is not related to the mass media. Our culture, the way we think, the way we dress, even how we move has been affect by the media. From stereotypes to fashion shows. The world we live in has been placed in the palm of the media today.

It is almost hard to find something that is not related to the media.
can u think of anything that is not related to the media today?

This is one clear entertainment for all you MAMBO FANS

Expect the Unexpected!

Last night, Singapore hosted the very first Formula 1 night race. Every F1 fan in the world has been awaiting yesterdays race. Being Singapore's first race, everyone was expecting many of surprises. And surprises were what the drivers and spectators received. The predicted rain never arrived, overtaking was not as much of an issue as one by one the drivers realized that they could overtake. The inaugural Grand Prix is arguably one of the most exciting race of the 2008 season.


Fernando Alonso on making history by winning the Singapore Race.

Together with his mechanical crew, Fernando managed to clinched his first F1 GP win of the 2008 season. However, things were not looking so bright and cheery at the Ferrari garage. With Kimi crashing out and Massa whipping his fuel tube and crew member around the pit lane. It seems that the RED team did not leave Singapore with good memories of the race.



The Pit members play a very vital role in every race. each member is designated a role and he must be totally alert of what needs to be done. From the tyre changers to the lollipop man. each individual needs to be constantly aware of his surrounding. He also has to communicate with the other members of the crew during that 5-10second pit stop. In yesterdays race, we witness a major mis-communication in the Ferrari pit. When the Lollipop man signaled Massa to go, the fuel man was not ready to release the fuel tube thus, causing Massa the lead and eventually the race.
This also occurred in another garage not too far away from the Ferrari's; Renault Driver David Coulthard also faced a similar scenario, however he was able to brake to prevent one of his crew member from flying.

Similar actions like a simple thumbs up or eye contact is crucial at the pit lanes. Being Surrounded by noise from the roaring engines and screeching tyres of 20 F1 race cars, every crew member should take up comm101 and learn more about non verbal cues. Sometimes the driver just points to his helmet and a crew member knows that its his job to wipe it.
All these tiny actions may seem insignificant. But without them, i think any f1 team will end up in MASSa DESTRUCTION! What say you?

Pictures: ChannelNewsAsia.com and guardian.co.uk

Love is in the Air

A few days back, the United States of America host their 60th annual Prime time Emmy Awards. With each award came the prestige and the honor, rewarded only to the very best in the acting scene in USA.



From the television and pictures, the number of marriages and break ups in the HOLLYWOOD world is almost impossible to count. Almost everyday you hear about actors and actresses getting together, breaking up, filing divorces and dating. Such things are so common in Hollywood that make me wonder, on what grounds and reasons do these people get together for? What are the foundations for this relationships?



Unlike Singapore where love is a BIG problem. apparently big enough for the Government to set up a Social Development Unit (SDU), Hollywood stars seem to have no problem find their partner, or should i say partners. Building a Dyadic relationship is never easy. From the Initiation Stage, where the couple meet, to the Bonding stage ( marriage ). They are lucky there is no need to head down to the Termination of Relationship Stage. But being so busy with their work schedules how do stars maintain such relationships?

Time is definitely one big factor I feel is essential to build a relationship. Without it, an enormous uphill task awaits you. However these actors have proven me otherwise. they seem to have no problem building their relationship on fame and fortune. In fact, Im really puzzled on what these Stars build their marriage on. Like Beckham and Posh Spice, they seem to have a really healthy marriage going on. One of the rare few.

What do you think keeps hollywood stars from breaking up? Are they relationships as simple/complicated as ours?

All Photos: Matthew Imaging

Congratulations Singapore!

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/376199/1/.html

Yesterday Singapore paralympian made history by winning the country's first GOLD medal in the paralympic games in Beijing. Coached by former world champion Ang Peng Siong, she rised above all and went for glory. Beating her nearest opponent by 7 seconds, Pin Xiu become the first ever Gold Medalist in Singapore. Congratulations Singapore! And like all the sports people in the country, she received a sum for money for her achievements.



Which brings me to the issue I would like to bring up. "Why is there so little coverage on the paralympic games"

Shouldn't the world see how awesome this people are? As compared to the 6 extra channels that Starhub provides on top of channel 5 and Channel Us coverage, almost 20 hours a day, the paralympians receive air time summing up to 1 hour a day on Channel 5. I personally feel that we should learn to appreciate what these athletes are doing. when Singapore was playing China in the table tennis finals, there were countless advertisements to seek support from the country. Even PM Lee had to push back the National Day Rally. And yesterday i only found out about Pin Xiu's Gold medal accomplishment through the daily highlights. Just because these people are disabled does not mean that they deserve lesser than us.

I feel that Singapore should learn to be more supportive to their citizens or rather to their representatives. What Say You?

Many people, one nation, one singapore!

I just read this entry in the forum of the Straits Times regarding the "Middle Class" Permanent Residents (PR) that are working in Singapore. Ms Chan states that the difference between PR or foreign workers and expatriates is that PR does not earn a good 5 digit salary. She is unhappy about the fact that PRs are "invisible" and yet they have to do what normal citizens do like paying taxes and needing to go for National Service when the male PRs turn 18. She is truly unhappy about some of the policies that the government has brought forth and hopes to that a change for the better will occur in the near future.

http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_275631.html?vgnmr=1



However, the point of this entry is not to listen to the whining or the "shortfalls" of the government. The reason for this entry is about the diversity that Singapore is achieving through the constant inflow of foreign workers. Just walk down Clarke quay on a Friday night, u will be surprised to find foreign friends almost everywhere. With the additions of so many different races to our small and cozy country, Singapore prides herself as a multi racial country. In my opinion i feel that with so many different nationalities in Singapore, this is provides an excellent opportunity to expand our horizons. We should grasp this opportunity whenever we can. Be in school or at work or even while in public places to learn more about how different people behaves in the same situation. Also it is really interesting to see how different people interpret things differently. Already in Singapore, different races have different reactions to the same scenario what more people from other national backgrounds. We can learn about the approaches they use to organize their thoughts and how they perceive information. We can observe the reactions of others just by carefully taking note of their actions

for instances when i was travelling in Taiwan, i was really amazed by the way they abide by the "rule" that you should keep to the right on the escalators. Back in Singapore, although some of us practice this, not everybody does it. This is only one for the many differences i have observed.

Apart from that, i recently had the privilege to bring a Turkish friend on a one day tour around Singapore. apart from showing him the numerous choices he had in the food courts and hawker centers, i had the chance to learn a bit about his culture and "adventures" when he is back home. What struck me the most is when he asked, "what are the cultural NOs in Singapore?" well. I really couldn’t answer him. Could someone point that out to me? I truly believe that Singaporeans have learnt to accept different races so willingly that we gladly adapt to their actions.

Imagine if Singapore just had only one race. How ignorant will we be?