Is there a possibility to reshape the (new) culture today via new technology, How?

In the current new era, we still find the same thing in most of the institution. They are still using books for their teaching and learning process. Thus, in my own words, I think that we could reshape the new "e-book" culture using the new technology. Using paper is consuming a lot of trees. The world is getting into the concern about recycling. Deforestation is getting serious nowadays and in order to save the condition of the earth we need to try avoiding from cutting down the tree. In this case, since text books used in school are consuming a lot of trees, it will be more practical to use "e-book" in school. It saves more in using paper. Besides, we could reuse the particular device. Besides, students could store all the text books in just one device so that they could search for their previous course works easily. Remember when you wanted to look for books for the previous session, what came in mind was "duh!!". You will need to search the whole book shelf in the study room for the particular book. It is time consuming. But, by using the "e-book" device, with just a few click within a few minutes perhaps, you could find the particular content. How easy it will be. Perhaps in future, the paper using culture might be reshaped. It might be improved to using a certain device as an improvement and also replacement of the culture.

What kind of culture influences through technology can you see from today’s world?

Nowadays, culture often get influenced through technology. Such as TV culture that had been mentioned in class. People seldom watch TV nowadays. Like those days, we watch when it is shown on TV. But now we can watch whatever and whenever we want. It's TV culture.

What else? Here's a question, are you still writing a letter to a pal? Are you still getting to know a pen pal through a magazine or newspaper? I'm pretty sure non of you still doing either of this. Right, people now mail to each other instead of writing a letter. People get to know each other via networks on the Net such as Facebook, Friendster and MySpace. In such networks, there's always a similar tool that you can easily find anyone that you could loose contact with. With just a click, you could do almost anything. Internet brings conveniences and you could simply stay connected with each other. However, there's no privacy considering once you've entered the Internet. Whether you use it wisely or other way. Internet is such a huge world that no one owns it. The culture nowadays among teenagers through those technology is telling us being convenient, being updated, being fast, this is what accepted in the present and coming generation. Just like what I'm doing now, instead of writing my point on a paper and pass it to the lecturer, I was told to write it in my blog. You won't have the concern of losing it and can always be done anytime, anywhere. Besides, we can share our points around. 

Personal reflection on this week lecture.

Er... honestly, the lecture for this week was quite interesting as it is so related to me, us, the teenagers in current generation and also relating the next generation. The topic was 'Technology and Media'. Technology, emmm... sort of in thing. The lecturer bring the topic out clearly. Plus, there were few video clips being shown on screen that I found were cool. Imagine that you were given a brand new 'iPhone' once entering particular university. It's so cool man. The whole routine in university is navigated by a phone. Convenient, cool stuff, and even the lecturers are using it. However, definitely there will be less interaction between us. Though, this is how the culture of the generation being. I just wish I were one of the student in that university. 

The Power of Nightmares (Part 3 - Shadow in the Cave), theory of Media Imperialism.

The Power of Nightmares assesses whether the threat from a hidden and organized terrorist network is an illusion. In the concluding part of the series, the video clip explains how the illusion was created and who benefits from it. How do we relate the video clip with the theory of media imperialism? The media imperialism is about the idea that powerful and wealthy countries can exercise economic, cultural and social control over others through control of media industries. Sometimes, it is about controlling or influencing the thinking of the world wide. The video clip has taken the 911 incident that had happened in the year 2001 in USA. Who was actually behind the bomb? No one knows. But the USA seems to insist it was by the leader of Islamic terrorist. There's no actual proof showing that this guy was the planner of the whole incident. Since one of the powerful country insists it, the whole world wide seem to believe it. And now, in the mind of most American, Islamic has been stereotyped as terrorist. USA is a powerful country and as w all know it could brings a huge affects and influences to the world wide through media. Due to this, the 'real' truth doesn't really matter. What matters is that what has shown out and what was believed as the truth. This is how powerful the country is in controlling the situation.

This given topic was tough i would say. And that's all I can say. Hope I'm not mistaken.

Medium or media application or tool and its media effects according to the tetrad of media in McLuhan's theory.

According to the theory of McLuhan that had been brought out in class, media is a massage. I've found some research from the Internet (which also does bring a huge effect to the society nowadays) saying that in Laws of Media (1988) has written the summarized McLuhan's idea about the media in a concise tetrad of media effects. The tetrad is a means of examining the effects on society of any technology (any medium) by dividing its effects into four categories and displaying them simultaneously. McLuhan designed the tetrad as a pedagogical tool, phrasing his laws as questions with which to consider any medium:

-what does the medium enhance?

-what does the medium make obsolete?

-what does the medium retrieve that had been obsolesced earlier?

-what does the medium flip into when pushed to extremes?

The example that i want to bring out according to the theory is blogging, which what I am doing now. Blogging since few years ago start to be so popular in society. It's free for any user to create their own blog and provides unlimited space for users to write their journal and insert anything they want including video clip and music on net. It considers no privacy at all which means anyone on earth can stop by and have a look at each other's blogs. 

Let's me 'tetrad' it:

-Enhancement: as I've mentioned above, it provides unlimited space for users to write their journal and insert anything they want including video clip and music on net. It provides a space for the people from the world wide to share their life. Unlike a 'paper' like diary, it contains no other thing but words and some picture (sometimes...) It's dull!!

-Obsolescence: blogging reduces the using of paper. At the same time, it reduces the importance of protecting one's privacy as it consider no privacy once you've posted something on blog. Everyone can view it.

-Retrieval: Blogging continue the habit of writing journal. Nowadays, everyone is so busy to make both ends meet. There is no way for them to continue their habit of writing a journal. Thus, blogging replaces it. It is free and easy to use. While you are having a tough day in working, try to express it in blog. Plus, you will get a positive comments that make your mood gets better. It's about sharing of one's feeling and communication.

-Reversal: Since blogging is being used widely and anyone of us can view it anytime and anywhere, blogging is not only about writing a journal, sometime it could have been included in any learning process. For example, as what I am doing now, students could assess their assignment via blog. It requires no paper and it can be done in anytime, anywhere. Other than that, some of them even sell their product in their blog. Thus, blogging flips into commercial use. They do business and earn money via blogging as it is free.

Personal reflection.

Erm... This week En. Radzi Berdu had given a 'long' lecture on the topic  McLuhan's theory of media as a message or "massage-mass age". I find it quite interesting as the topic require a lot of thinking and understanding. And again, as usual, a lecture with a long and boring-looking presentation slide show. I had a question in my mind... in the first semester we had already touched the topics as given by lecturer again in the third semester. Why are we keep learning the same syllabus? And I've got an answer... we, as FCM students, will be touching the same theories by the same theorists but considering the level of understanding. It will be tougher and tougher. Wow. Theory... not my type, and never be my type of learning. Anyway, this is still something that you've got to face no matter like it or not. Theory doesn't sound cool...

Obscenity, pornography and indecency: What are the differences between these terms?

After reading the definition and the information of these terms, i think i had some thought of the topic.

-Obscenity is more like a body language that express the sexual culture, for an example, a women wearing a sexy-looking outfit. It's considered as a sexual attraction. But, in my opinion, why women always the "victim"? It's already a kind of stereotype, and the status of women can be seen clearly. Though, it will never be the same in future. 

-Pornography is more in graphic, visual form which a picture of women wearing little clothes in which can be seen in many media ways especially on the Internet. Even we could find magazine that shows such pornography, such as Playboy Magazine. Other than that, even the magazine with the content of sport news covered with a pornography. Though with just a picture, it shows the body language of sexiness. How shameful...

-last but not least, indecency involves criminal that contains sexual behaviour in some circumstances. Though, in some circumstances, certain sex theatre shows are not illegal as they are advertised. 

-the society nowadays is getting "polluted" with many "dirty" things. People gets a lot of different information in many ways. In some countries, action is taken on those who involves in those "dirty" information. Media really does play an important role in human's living. It's can be both goods and bads. It brings a lot of impact to the society either in the positive ways or the negative ways.