COM101 Blog Entry #7 : How the media treat murder

How the Media Treat Murder

http://www.newsweek.com/id/218911?GT1=43002

This article came across to me as rather disturbing and I have decided to blog about this for my next entry. (Sorry I'm getting back to more serious articles to analyze, guys) The article basically speaks about how the media chooses to disseminate certain information whilst keeping certain details away from the general public. The issue at hand in this article by Newsweek is that the murders of black women in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina are being ignored by the media, despite the probability of a serial killer on the loose. Instead, the media chooses to disseminate information pertaining murders of white women. Here we do not know the real issue of why the media has omitted such information from their articles, however, to the general public, this may come across as some sort of prejudice.

My main basis of analysis here would mostly pertain to the fact that the media filters certain information they choose to disseminate. As we have learned in Unit 4, Mass Media is the medium in which the general public receives information. Mass media, however, does more than just provide information. It educates, entertains, and most importantly, influences the lives of those who receive this information. The linear transaction model shows the one-way transaction of information. However, in real life, most media, be it the newspaper, television, or radio, are based on the interactive model, which shows that feedback from the receiver occurs. Based on this article, we can see that, due to the feedback received from viewers (receivers), the media is being put in a bad light because (according to my view) they are being accused of prejudice against the black minority in America.

Why the media choses to filter such information is a mystery (they too, have their politics). According to the article, some have said that some of these black women who were murdered were involved in drug abuse and prostitution. As such, the media chooses not to take this situation seriously because no loss is done to society as they are the malcontents of society (Pardon the words I use, this is just based on my perception and understanding). Nevertheless, this has caused much alarm from the general public, especially the black community, because they feel like they are being fringed from society. The media probably has a reason for doing this, however, they should still appeal to the receivers and not show any form of bias or prejudice.

*check out the url if you'd like to see the full article =))

COM101 Blog Entry #6 - Fire Burning

Sean Kingston's Fire Burning

First things first, I chose this video to give my readers some eye candy away from the boring (though undeniably hilarious) videos. This would probably give kicks to music fans. Yes, I know this song is getting pretty old, but I still totally dig it, and I know a lot of you do too! In this entry I will analyze the ways in which the director makes this music video an uncontrollably addictive one. And you guys probably would have never even thought about a music video in this way. Till now, at least.

1) Stereotypes

This video is definitely a clear example of the portrayal of stereotypes. The portrayal of women skimpily dressed in short dresses, skirts and shorts are "defined" as the people of the "underground". Well, I say underground because the setting that this video is being taken does look like an unknown place where people (as shown in the video) congregate. But that's just my perception. Back to the stereotypes, women are being portrayed as sexy and, arguably, sleezy- the exact kind women that men love to ogle at. That was probably why the director chose to have such a setting; so as to attract the male audience who would end up salivating (exaggeration, or not) in front of their TV screens or computer monitors. Either way, though women are stereotyped as such, their physical appearance plays and important role in fitting in to the song and setting. Imagine innocent schoolgirls in the scene. Err.... (crickets)

2) Non-verbal Communcation : Kinesics

Alright, it's definitely impossible for me to make this analysis without criticizing on the non-verbal cues (since its all about dance and movement anyway). Let's first start with emblems. Ok I know this isn't exactly the orthodox emblem, but, have an open mind, will ya? Ok well the dance which they do for the part "Fire Burning, Fire Burning, on the dance floor" is sort of like an emblem because we can see that all the people in that underground club know about it as they are doing it as the song plays. In addition, emblems are culture-specific and this emblem-cum-dance-movement is probably a gesture that only the people in this "culture" are aware of. In addition, affect displays play a crucial role in this video because the facial expressions and body language of the dancers and surrounding people matter in making the whole scene seem believable to the audience. We can see how Sean Kingston projects a very enthusiastic expression as well as energetic body movements. The dancers, too, are very much in their zone as they are full of energy and hootspa and this is shown through their movements as well as facial expressions. Imagine a whole group of people with glum faces and sluggish posture. (Totally unglam!)

Other than that, hope you all enjoyed the video because I think after reading my analysis you guys would probably have the tendency to criticize music videos whenever you see one.

Video's addictive, ain't it?

COM101 Blog Entry #5 - Mind Your Language

Mind Your Language

I reckon I'd be blogging about videos for most of my subsequent entries because I can't seem to get enough it. There just seems to be so many amusing videos to analyse (from a communications perspective, of course). The best part is, at least I know I'm not just wasting my time watching videos when I should be studying, hah.

I totally love "Mind Your Language" and I think I'm addicted to it. I think this show is most relevant with communications because its about a bunch of people from different countries who are constantly misunderstood. The show's not just good entertainment but also a good source of analysis. In this analysis I'll touch on non-verbal cues and group communication. However, much of my analysis will hover around why language plays such an important role in effective communication.

1) Non-verbal Communication

Due to the lack of understanding between the individuals in the video, many resort to non-verbal cues as a means to repeat (by using illustrators). For instance, Ms Courtney uses hand gestures to illustrate directions so that Ali would understand it clearly. Mr Brown also had to use illustrators to get his students to sit down.

2) Group Communication

It is very apparent that there is communication breakdown within the classroom. Due to people coming from different cultures and backgrounds, all the people are unable to understand one another and thus this leads to a lot of miscommunication. This would be an example where group communication is inefficient because all members are not able to understand one another. Group socialisation (a situation where individuals and the group seek to influence each other to best meet their needs) is not evident as they are constantly arguing with one another. The chaos created in the classroom shows lack of regulation and thus the lack of group management.

3) Culture and Perception

Culture plays a major role here because all the characters are made up of people from different cultures and thus they learn different languages and they also have different ways of doing things. Thus their perception about certain things would differ. Specifically, the students of the class would perceive what the teacher is saying differently from what he really is trying to say. For instance, one of the students misunderstood the teacher when he introduced himself as "Brown". Mr Brown, too, misunderstood his student when he said he was "Sikh". Here we can see that our cultural background plays a crucial role in determining how we perceive others because we are accustomed to certain beliefs and lifestyles.

COM101 Blog Entry #4 - Miss Singapore World Interview

Miss Singapore World 2009 Interview

First things first, yes I know this is so "last season", but all we do when we watch this video is laugh uncontrollably at BOOMS and... you know...? Yah! Ok, jokes aside. My analysis on this interview would definitely not include any personal judgements about her being chosen as Miss Singapore or what she says, but more on the way she communicates. Besides, that's what all the fuss is about, right?

My analysis will focus on Non-verbal Communication and so I wouldn't be analysing so much of what she says, but more of how it is being communicated.

1) Physical Appearance

She is rather well-kempt and presents herself well. Her hair is neatly pulled back with natural make-up to enhance her features. From this we can interpret her as someone who is able to carry herself well, maybe a model, or someone in a profession that requires her to present herself well (maybe the media).

2) Oculesics (Eye Behaviour)

At the start of the interview, she looks directly at the camera, thus projecting confidence. Subsequently, she alternates between looking at the camera and at the interviewer.She tries to keep eye contact with either the interviewer or with the camera (audience), and this can be interpreted as her having a very friendly personality. Occasionally she will look either upwards or away, especially just after being given a question. This may indicate nervousness.

3) Paralinguistics (Vocal Behaviour)

Vocal quality : Her tone and pitch is more on the higher side and it tends to fluctuate often. There are certain words that tend to be higher in volume and thus it is emphasized (such as "red" and "loud"). This emphasis is known as accenting. The sudden increase in pitch and volume shows her excitement and enthusiasm about the topic.

Vocalizations : There are occasional giggles that, I would say, are supressed, and thus might indicate nervousness.

Vocal segregates : There are a few occasions where there are pauses, for instance at the start, when she pauses in between "Currently I'm majoring in my" and "Diploma in Health Science..." This short pause is accompanied by a retraction in eye contact and thus indicates some form of uncertainty or anxiety. In addition, she uses fillers such as "you know" and "yah." The use of fillers allow any speaker more time to think and formulate his or her thoughts. In this case, she is being interviewed and the fillers allow her to have a tad more thinking time whilst sorting out her thoughts. Fillers are very useful when it comes to speaking to an audience or during an interview. However, usage of the same fillers constantly might hamper the overall quality of the speech as it may be interpreted as uncertainty.

4) Kinesic (Body Movement and Gestures)

Throughout the whole interview, the interviewee has used two gestures that come alongside what she is saying. The first would be when she says "BOOMS" which is being accompanied by hand gestures that illustrate an explosion. The second would be when she says "strut down Orchard Road" and makes a hand gesture that illustrates a walk forward. In both cases, the use of hand gestures act as illustrators, which are gestures that accompany speech and add to the meaning of utterances. In addition, illustrators describe an object/event and indicate its size, shape or movement. These illustrators repeat what the communicator is saying.

The above analysis on the interviewee's use of Non-verbal Communication may have deeper implications however that will be up to the interpretation of my readers who are so kind so as to leave comments. =)