(Tell me if everything you've learnt or 'copied' is from the media. I dare say, 70% of what and who we are today is based on the influence of the media. Just my own lil thought though)
And so, staying connected to the world should be at the top of our game. This is more so for the mass media, where whatever information we receive and take in, is through them. Connectivity, that's the word.
I remember when I was in secondary school, dramas such as Smallville was the rage. The girls in my class would sing the Remy Zero theme song and the teacher would shut them up. LOL. For most of my secondary school life, I alternated between one new US drama serial over another and that continued into my poly education. Local dramas, on the other hand, were getting less attention on my radar.
Simply put, they have never appealed to me. Of course, not all local productions are bad. In fact, there are some pretty good ones. In 2003, I watched a play by Kumar(sg's most famous drag queen), Emma Yong, Hossan Leong and Chua En Lai. Titled 'Cindere-LAH', it garnered a full-house seating at the Raffles Hotel and gave everyone comic relief.
Surely, like most Singaporeans, I support local movies like Money No Enough & I Not Stupid. Yes, they do provide lots of laughter, however, if you realise, for films like these, they centre around the same, old storyline, with lots of singlish. Tell me then, how do we compete with hollywood films? For local movie 'Homerun', it was actually based on an Iranian film. I watched it and found it so much better than our local adaptation. Call me skeptical, but for me, local movies and programmes lack the originality and creativity when it comes to media. Like my dad always says, 'Everything also copy...where's the catch?'
Moving on to print media, I personally prefer reading overseas magazines(fashion ones i mean). Teen Vogue, my bible for the latest trends and best buys, keeps me wanting to come back for more. I diligently buy the monthly issues, though the 8 dollars I pay pinch a little. The preference I have for them over local magazines is unexplainable-maybe I just feel they provide me with better information in the fashion sense.
It's interesting. Because here I am, at the other end of the earth, consuming a US magazine and getting the best from it. Globalisation of the mass media is just so amazing, we get linked to other parts of the world without needing to get there to consume its contents.
Yes!
ReplyDeleteIts important to stay connected not just to the news, but socially by making new contacts all the time.
Cos you may never know when you might need the strengths of the other person.
As to staying connected through information in the mass media, i feel that their information is sometimes warped through the different agendas they have. Like for instance Malaysian News and Singapore News varies greatly in its focus.
Do check it out if you dont believe me.
(And.. Comment on my post! :D )
The importance of staying connected through the mass media has its definite advantages.
ReplyDeleteStuff that's not available to us conveniently have been made easily accessible through the convenience that the internet provides.
There's a little bit about the shrinking world in this too. Certainly, we may not be able to be in places like Paris or Moscow easily from our sunny island Singapore, but we can talk to the people from those places, and even read about the place.
Propaganda is everywhere, with the mass media being such a useful tool there are always others who exploit it. It is up to the individuals, liek you and me to decide what is important and what is merely just to forward an agenda.
(Help me comment on my blog^^ ty)
there are so many advantages that being connected to the world through media can grant us. but i shall choose to talk about the disadvantages. imma negative person after all. lol.
ReplyDeleteThe media. i wouldn't say it can be completely trusted. some forms of media maybe controlled by 'gatekeepers' and this could actually distort the news that we're receiving. which makes our perception of the world a lot less accurate than what reality is. sounds scary, doesnt it?
to let someone inside the shadows control what you think about the world, and the worst part is you're unaware that he is doing that.
anyway, i have to say local productions really pale in comparison to overseas media. the titles may have changed, but the scripts are almost similar. and it's always the same few jokes about the same few issues. it gets repetitive and boring.
i'd go for comedy central an time of the day, over local tv channels. sorry im not a fan of local productions!
I agree with Gabriel, it's all up to our filters to help us decide what is important and what is bull****
ReplyDeleteHowever, this requires some thinking which i think most humans do not do habitually. It is innate in us to consume and consume, sitting there and absorb information through osmosis.
Anyhow! Don't watch local TV lah! Support local theater ! that's where all the talents go!
Being the Japanese fanatic that everyone knows I am, I have to rely totally on the internet for all things Japan. 'cuz expecting Japan media and stuff like that is like waiting for the sun to rise from the West!!
ReplyDeleteSo in a way, global connection definitely has its plus points, but we must also accept that sometimes, we are connected to things that are negative.
And like Lester, I'm not a fan of local productions as well. Too many of them are just adaptations or re-presentations of foreign media~ =S
Darling darling darling... you are absolutely right. What would one do without the media? If not for the media, we could save up on so much money. I can imagine myself living in the outskirts of fiji islands.. would it really matter if i'm carrying the latest Gucci bag? or... the kind of clothes i wear. I would probably be dressed in comfort clothes.. and design my life to suit practicality. I wouldn't have anyone to flaunt it to or anyonne to compete with. Life would be a breeze. Other stuff like food and happiness would top fashion on my hierachy of essentials. So what's the difference between my life in this city and the ideal one in fiji islands... the media of course! The magazines, the lavish posters, the plush tv advertisements, the portrayal of the suite life on MTV.... the cars, the sky scappers.. THE CELEBRITIES and the list goes on...
ReplyDeleteHence, i conclude that if u wanna rid yourself of all the media influence... save some cash... then ditch the posh city life.. where the poor and filthy rich dream big... of big bucks.. what else?!