Labeling

Today ladies and gents, I would like to share with you a topic which has been surrounding us and embedded in us for centuries and for some reason we knew about it but we still do it. 
First off , I would like to show you guys a poetry by Prince Ea; entitled "I am not black".
I am not black - Prince Ea

Yes folks, today our topic is Labeling. Prince Ea's I am not black is equally sad and beautiful.  First off, Ea point out the that racial stereotype is through a process called social learning. Bandura's experiment showed clearly how children are easily influenced by and observing and imitating what other (In the experiment, adult) do or did. No one is born racist.

Labeling has been in our society for centuries; labeling in marketing helps provide information to buyer but when it comes to labeling human according to their skin colour, their religion, their ethnicity and etc., it brings more harm than good. To be fair, labeling itself, in my opinion, is fine; however, when people starts to associate a certain labels with stereotype remarks, that is where the problem came from. Ever heard of, Asians are good with maths? That is a fine example of "labeling + stereotyping", not all Asians are good with maths to be frank. Even if the stereotype seems to be a compliment, it can be emotionally damaging. For instance, people like me (an Asian) that is fairly skillful when it comes with maths; it's seems fine but for those who isn't, it can disturb their emotion. 

Labeling someone is equivalent to limiting someone's future. In the late part of the poet, Prince Ea dare people to image, who will you become if the world never given you a label. A guideline to how you should behave and the should and shouldn't. who would you be? 

To be truly free from labeling and stereotyping is hard. As much as you tried, we were programmed when we were young; who we are now is the product of label and stereotype. However, that does not mean we cannot rise above it. Labeling is like a cocoon, before we can become a magnificent buttery, we must first break free and finally spread our wings to its' fullness without cocoon holding us back. Then and only then, we can truly learn how to love one another. 

The Influence of Media on Female Body Image and Identity

Gender identity is started in early childhood stage as the clothing styles and colour of clothes are used to define child’s gender. Today, let’s focus in the context of female body image and identity. In my opinion, female’s body image is basically influenced by how people around them react to their body and how they look. They are more aware of what society’s standards are for the ideal body.

Identity is the most critical thing in an adolescent’s life as well, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to establish one without fall short of the many expectations that our American society has for this age group. Most female adolescents struggle to find an identity that is individual and unique, while at the same time conforms to the various societal pressures to which they are exposed. Developing a sense of self can be even more challenging these days, due to the changes in family, school, and work.

In this society with the development of science and technology, media plays an important role in influencing female body image and identity. Based on White & Wyn (2004), the major factor that affects female body image and identity is due to the increase of media exposure, the advertising that targets this group specifically, and all of the technological advances that increase the types of exposure. Women are the most dedicated active audience willing to spend so much time, money and energy to look pretty. Hence, women always believe and influenced by latest beauty trends and driven for beauty satisfactory goal on social media.

The media influences female body image and identity as it provides images of ideal body which women should have or ideal women should be. Many female will imitate and acts like the ideal women. They feel dissatisfaction with their body image when they look at the mirror and compare their body with those models. They try to change to become like the models. Through social media, women see thin body shape and fair body skin as ideal physical beauty. When they saw most of the models that promoting commercial products in advertisement is slim and fair, they will admire them. To have a beautiful body shape and skin colour, they will follow what have suggested in advertisements like use promoted skincare products and cosmetics. They like to compare with others. They will do anything like diet and using any products that can make them in good looking. So they can look like those models that have slimmer body and fairer skin.

Do you think that female body image and identity influence by media most of the time? For me, it is Yes. Most of the people will influence by the images on social media as they most probably exposed to social media nowadays. Lastly, you may have a look to this video from Youtube,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuoV-YGXjWI 

Relationship Proximity Online

Social Media is about SOCIOLOGY and PSYCHOLOGY more than TECHNOLOGY.

Proximity is defined as nearness in space, time and relationship. Some people believed that relationships built online is not that intimate in proximity, compared to the ones that are built offline and face to face.

Me?

I am on the side with people who believe that whether it is online or offline, relationships can be close in proximity.

Up to this date, I have built many relationships online. Some survived for years, some got destroyed over the year, and a few are still surviving.

I just want to share with everyone how having a friendship built online has led my life in a better, and not so better ways.

Among the earliest times I had a foreigner friend was when I was 7 or 8 years old. But of course that does not count as I met her face to face. I had engaged with online friend since I was 13 (2009). They usually come and go as I was engaging with them through a virtual chat room, Habbo (habbo.com). Then, I started engaging with the KPOP fandom and from there, my friend list expanded widely.

Among the earliest friends that I remember their names are Kyana and Shekinah.

I used to be close with Kyana, an American girl, but one day she just disappeared and no longer replied to my Line messages. Some told me she passed away on her way home from school, but who knows.

Shekinah, a Philippine girl, is still there in my Line, Kakao Talk and also Facebook. We rarely talk to each other now, but I usually see her updates on my feeds. I can say, she has grown up to an elegant lady.

I also have two friends from Maldives, Aishath Sajuwa and Nahthu Naseem. Nahthu is my age while Sajuwa is a 98 liner. Before meeting me, these two were already best of friends as they live nearby. I was only a good friend of Nahthu (or as I call her, Nasma). It took some years for me to be real close with Sajuwa due to our personal issues.

Other than USA, Maldives and Philippine, I also had friends from Sweden, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Spain, Singapore, Indonesia. These are the countries that I am able to remember for the moment.

Of course, some friendships built online part ways after some time due to different issues. That is not an exception for friendships (or relationships) that are built offline. We part ways due to different reasons like moving to another place and conflict.

When people say friendships built online is not as close as built offline, I dare to say no. Different people have different experience as the way we approach, we carry ourselves are different.

Out of all my international friends, I am mostly close with those from Maldives, Sajuwa and Nasma. How close, people might ask. I would gladly answer as close as any of your best friends are, might even be closer. Because what we share, is not only our interest and hobbies. We share our pain. Our psychological problems. Why? Because nobody in our in real lives would give us the attention as our online friends would. We don’t need people to keep on checking on us all the time. To have people to understand the struggle you’re in, to comfort you once in a while is enough.

I honestly don’t know how to explain why and how did we get so close to the point they really wanted me to go to their wedding (which is so unfortunate because I cannot go due to my internship).

To summarise my long (and boring) blog post, I believe that just because the relationship was built online and have no face to face communication, that does not mean that they are not close in proximity. Physical proximity, yes they are far. But mental and soul, maybe very near.

Online relationships are as real as any relationships would be.

Media and Sense of Identity

With the development of science and technology in this modern society, people rely a lot on social media. Social media affects every aspects of our lives, and changes how we perceive others’ identities and our own. We are the generation of connecting, and the generation of giving all of ourselves to internet. People always connect through various social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and etc. Through these platform, people tend to post something about themselves or their life to show the world what they do and who they are.

Social media has provided us an opportunity to build a very visible and permanent record of ourselves through digital medium. Social media as a tool in re-creating our identities. People try to create a new self by using various apps on social media. On social media, they do the things that they would not do in real life and this has become their new identities that look different from themselves.These new identities that are different from the real identities may cause distrust among people.

Nowadays, social media enable people to hide their real identities and create new identities. For example, people can have their own profile picture and edit their personal information such as name, age, date of birth and etc on Facebook. Some people may misuse the functions that provided on Facebook. They will use others’ profile picture as their own profile picture and they can create their own identities. Some people might use the created information to trick others. This is very danger for others as people can use fake profile to do anything harmful. We would not be able to know the real identity of a person that we do not know through social media by only see his/ her picture because the picture shown maybe not the real person.

Besides, some people might use social media as a platform for them to create a new identity. For example, people might create a blog or page on any social media to show their life which are different from their real life. They want to use different identities to attract people attention and make their life seem perfect. This might cause them to become distrustful of the internet. They will lost their true selves when they are too rely on recreating new identities on social media.

People who are being exposed to social media most of the time are believed to definitely affect their identities. For example, we might be influenced by the our favourite celebrities or person to change our styles based on what they buy or what they wear. We will definitely follow and become like the celebrities or person that we like. We will learn on how to change our identities so we can become like them. People who always feel unsatisfied with their lives or themselves will try to change themselves based on the person that they like， like celebrities. They start to lose their own selves when they tend to imitate other person.

What do you think of the influence of social media on identity? How exactly does the social media persona affect our personal identity and self? Do we still have a self when we change our identities through social media?

Social media and socialization

  Nowadays,  mass media has been labeled as the things that influence us the most.  As stated in the blog written by Geena Chan last week,  Listen to a broadcast on radio and even printed news and entertainment, these forms of media have in a way shaped our society.

  With the help of technology, the mass media has grown rapidly.  And also with the help of internet,  mass media has evolved into social media. Recently, everyone at some point is a product of media,  because media is everywhere . Mass media has successfully overcome our life.

  Social media at first is a tool of communication , but now It seems like changing our way of communication.  With social media and internet comes the social networks,  which is a platform that helps the user in maintaining or building relationships with people all around the world.

  As the world changes so rapidly , social media networks have evolved into a social community that mimics real world aspect like the Life2.0 game.  New technologies now affect how we converse and socialize as a culture.  If we continue to progress as a civilization,  these will preserve the basic principles of our socialization.  With this new technology use especially social media,  questioning of socialization skills arise.

  Socialization included many social skills that begins in infancy to adulthood for the purpose for functioning in society.  Social network sites allows us to find smaller groups within larger groups.  This gives an otherwise socially inept person a chance to participate in social dealings. I believe that the success behind social network sites are embedded in this concept . As socialization attempt to shape society,  social network sites attempt to dictate the way we interpret.  So, let's discuss about how does the common use of sns influence socialization?

The Extinction of Newspapers

How often do you read newspapers? Honestly speaking, not very often for me. Before I came over to Sarawak to further my studies, I still read the newspaper every single day as the daily newspaper is delivered to my home everyday. I do not have to go through the trouble of going out to purchase the newspaper. However after coming over to Sarawak, I have less accessibility to newspaper so I do not read them as often. Therefore, I moved over to online newspaper for my dose of “what is happening around the country and the world”.

It is undeniable that online newspaper is way more convenient than printed newspaper especially when you own a smartphone and also have the access to the internet, which many people do nowadays. With the advancement of technology, is it possible that the printed newspaper industry might lose it’s significance and status as the main platform for people to get information hence, go extinct? To me, I would say yes but not anytime soon.

According to Future Exploration Network, they predict that newspaper will lose it’s significance in 2017 in the United States of America (USA) which was last year, 2019 in the United Kingdom (UK). As for Malaysia, newspaper will lose it’s significance by 2029. They also predicted that by 2040+, newspaper will lose it’s significance all over the world. Looking at these data, it is obvious that the newspaper industry might lose it’s business.

Many have said that with technology, we are able to reduce on the usage of paper especially in the newspaper industry. This somehow “advocates” more of the newspaper readers to turn to online newspaper which will then reduced the sales of printed newspaper. With the sales reduced, newspaper printing companies might have trouble in sustaining their company not only due to the fact that printed newspaper are no longer significant but also because of the lack of income hence, cease the production of printed newspapers.

Although not everyone will move to online newspaper but when companies stop producing them, readers eventually need to move to online newspaper. When this does happen, that is when newspaper are truly extinct. If not then newspapers might be sold at a higher price as compared to now. However, I think that newspaper might not go extinct easily because there is still a generation- those who are 50 and above, that still relies on newspaper as they do no have access to the internet or the smartphone. In order for newspapers to be truly extinct, then this generation needs to be wiped out completely for newspapers to be extinct. 

Make use of Comparison

           With the advancement of technology, we can clearly see that more and more choices we can go for. For example, when you are using e-hailing service, there’s Uber and Grab for you to compare prices; while you are going to book flight ticket for a vacation, there’s so many websites await you to visit and so you are able to compare. From this point of view, one of the advantages from the emergence of Internet is it allows us to compare contents without putting much effort. 

Same goes to news portal today. By focusing on Malaysia, we have printed mainstream media. At the same time, they have their own digital news and website for subscription. Besides that, we have online independent media and also online news blog. Nowadays, we have so many choices for information gathering purpose. 

Regardless the “post truth era” which is resulted by social media that putting the world in chaos by sharing the fake news. Based on the credibility of news sources by the news portal, how many percent of the content would you tend to believe? How much are you willing to believe while viewing these news portals?

Malaysia Today is a Malaysian news blog owned by Raja Petra Kamarudin which is claimed for being value-neutral as it critiques both government and oppositions. (http://www.malaysia-today.net)

Malaysiakini is an independent online news portal which is launched in 1999 by Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran. It is published in four languages: English, Malays, Chinese and Tamil. (https://www.malaysiakini.com)

The Star is a Malaysia’s English-language mainstream newspaper and its major shareholder is the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) political party. It has its own online news websites as well. (https://www.thestar.com.my/)

                Of course, there’s more than these three news portals we have in Malaysia. And back to the question above: do you really compare their news contents like you compare the price rates for e-hailing services? 

               My answer is no. I do read articles from different news portals but I seldom compare their contents. But by taking Malaysia Today, it’s always objectionable to me. As I mentioned above, Malaysia Today critiques both government and opposition. However, the practice of this news blog is totally different from being claimed as value-neutral. Yes, it is neither pro-government nor pro-opposition, but it takes its own value and make judgement in the article to incite the feeling of dislike to certain people. And while viewing the comments, you are able to understand the meaning of “jump on the bandwagon”.

                Thus, I would like to strongly recommend you to Malaysia Today if you’re really a jump on the bandwagon person. But if you’re wise and willing to remain the so called value-neutral, please, compare the articles from both independent and mainstream media, this somehow trains your critical thinking.