News of the future

Yesterday, I came across this article from the Greenslade blog. It seems like journalists are now aiming for new media coverage rather than just the usual newspapers. This is easily an example of the globalisation of new media. Maybe since the internet is a great tool at allowing others to see news from overseas much easier, but personally, I still feel it is better to read it on paper rather than the computer screen. The eyes would not have that much strain from looking at the computer screen for so long. Besides, even though anyone can access news articles through the Net, if there is no known list of news websites from different countries for us to choose from, it may be hard to read about the articles posted there.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2009/oct/23/us-press-publishing-digital-media

Calling for couples?

I found this article from Strait Times Saturday Edition - Oct 17
The online version can only be read if you are a member though.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_443367.html

The matchmaking agency that cobined last year (SDU-SDS) had been given a new name as of now. It caught my eye since my latest Communication lecture had gone through the chapters on Mass Media. Though it may have been a while since we heard anything about our local matchmaking agencies, I'm sure there are some who remembered about this, and the emphasis placed on couples. Mentioned in the National Day Rally, and now news of such had made the headlines. Couples seem to be the must-be status nowadays.

The issue of encouraging more couples seem to follow the Agenda Setting Theory of mass media.
This refers to the medias ability through repeated news coverage, to raise the importance of an issue in the public's mind. It might have worked since the agency is no longer members-only, and this had let other singles previously not allowed to take part in the events organized. However, no matter how frequent such news can encourage the use of such dating services, it still depends on our own decisions. For some, we may think that it is deemed 'desperate' if we attend, while others may see it as a way to enlarge their social cirlces. There might even be some who feel that it depends on our own efforts rather than using dating agencies.

All in all, with the media bringing up such news repeatedly, it seems to be that it is normal for singles to try out and attend more gatherings and events from dating agencies, be it to find the other half or just to make friends. You never know, you might find the right one just around the corner.

Culture

Culture has always been a part of us, either the core beliefs of religion or a more general culture such as male and female cultures.

This news article on Time.com has shown how deeply culture can influence us. Not only was it the Islamic culture, it is also on the spreading culture of women having equal opportunities worldwide.

One characteristic of culture is that it is learned and passed through generations. That is apparent in Saudi Arabia, where Islamic teachings are prominent. Culture has a strong base for our own identity, and it takes a long time to change any behaviors that we have adhered to for so long.

Of course, culture can also be changed, and it is mentioned in the article as well. 'The age for women in Saudi Arabia is nearing'. Culture is definitely shaped by people, and as long as there is time, new cultures can appear provided that people accept them.

Here's the first 2 paragraphs of the article:

Like those of its competitors in New York or London, the sleek glass and steel offices of media company Rotana are filled with preening attitude and fashion-conscious staffers: assistants teeter in shoes that might have absorbed much of their monthly paycheck; executives parade the halls in power suits and pencil skirts. But Rotana isn't in New York or London; it's in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, a country in which women normally adhere to a strict dress code in public — a black cloak called an abaya, a headscarf and a veil, the niqab, which covers everything but their eyes.

There's another reason many Saudis would find Rotana shocking: men and women working side by side. The sight unnerves enough men who come looking for a job that human-resources manager Sultana al-Rowaili has developed a trick to see if a male applicant can handle working in a mixed-gender office. She arranges for a female colleague to interrupt the initial interview, and watches to see if the man loses concentration or stares too much. Sometimes even that isn't necessary. Many men are undone by the very idea of being interviewed by a woman. "They are in a state of shock to see a woman in a position of authority and to have to ask her for a job," al-Rowaili says.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1929152-1,00.html

Relationships, Who says manga or anime are useless in giving life lessons.

Hi everyone,
Recently I've came across a manga (comic if you prefer) that is based dominantly on interpersonal relationship. Friendships, love or mere acquiantances. It's Boyfriend, by Yamada Daisy. It's a story of a high school student, Hijiki, who just transfered to a new school. There, she met new friends and found a crush.
http://www.mangafox.com/manga/boyfriend_yamada_daisy/

Now, before you pass it off as a usual plot for a meaningless manga, think about it as something that brings to light seemingly overlooked moments in life. In the first chapter, it reminds us of the anxiety from going to a new school without knowing anyone. This shows that interpersonal relationship has become an important aspect of our lives. After all, when you need mental support or companionship, the other choice other than family are friends and lovers.

When it comes to choosing friends, usually one would feel more comfortable with people one shares at least a common ground with. The communication studies term for this is Similarity. It gives us a sense of familarity with each other and hence, enforce the relationship with each other as well. Of course, there are also relationship with those who may be significantly different than oneself. As in the example of the manga, the main characters, Hijiki and Hourai, have seemingly opposite personalities. Rather than saying differences cause conflicts, it is more of complementary differences. For example, one can be an optimistic and very cheerful and full of life, while the other can be very practical and down-to-earth. Such a couple can help each other understand and learn to see things from each other's perspective. They give each other support in their own way, and for romantics (like me), it just makes the relationship more loving. The 'Opposites Attract' plot is pretty common in many storylines. Another more well-known manga between manga readers that uses theories like complementary differences are 'Fruit Basket' and 'Cardcaptor Sakura', for movies, the 'Chipmunks', for books, 'Harry Potter'. Naturally, there are also a lot of other examples.

In 'Boyfriend', chapter 4 reminds us again that relationships can be brittle. There are different types of conflicts that can break a relationship. For example, jealousy as used in the manga. In order to maintain relationships with anyone, be it family, friends or couples, it is important to develop good communication skills such as talking about matters when one feels uncomfortable. This is called Self-Disclosure, which is to share information of oneself that the other party did not notice.

However, there are some concerns from reading mangas too much. For parents, considering that manga usually use high school students for romance stories often, they may say that students of secondary schools may be influenced by the stories in having boy-girl- relationships. To this matter, I feel that falling in love is not something that one can control,  but what we can control is how we deal with it. After all, the relationships are at the mercy of personal decisions, with external influences of family and friends of course.

Truthfully, I find that manga and anime are more open in using relational communication,especially those under the 'slice-of-life' genre. There can be times when one can learn some tips in handling relationships from them, especially if one does not have the experience in, let's say, a commited relationship like being a couple (dating or married).  Of course, the settings used in the stories may be a far cry from reality, and real-life situations are also better for us to learn from, but they do let us see how to behave in general in relationships. Not to mention, reading mangas and watching anime can serve as a way to relax from day-to-day life.