parody video

My dear fellow four people that read my blog. I have unfortunately come to posting my last one….I am genuinely sad because I really enjoyed voicing out my thoughts here. It was a platform I could use to freely express my views and opinions without judgement and express them in a way that best represented me. I guess I have to get to the content for today 😦

For this week’s assignment, we were tasked to come up with a parody based on the previous media theories (which you can read about in my previous blog posts) we have learnt in class. My group decided to do go with the Uses and Gratification Theory. Our parody revolves around a young man having to deal with the toxic work environment, getting scolded by his boss and being punished for his poorly done work by the boss’ assistant. He then limps home and looks to release some stress by watching the content of a Virtual YouTuber (Vtuber) called Haachama. He forms a parasocial relationship with her by dancing along with her and donating all of his money to her during a Live stream. Realizing he used up all his money, he resorts to selling his crutches to access her new OnlyFans content.

Our teammate got his inspiration from a video titled “Me at work Me at home – a melonpan story”. Now before you take a look at the video, just a disclaimer.

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MUM, DAD, SIBLINGS, AUNTY CAROL, UNCLE JOHN, PRINCIPAL, DOG, CAT, HAMSTER, PIGEON, WHOEVER’S NEAR YOU ARE AWAY FROM YOUR SCREEN. THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT. I am saving your life. Lock yourself in a cubicle even. Trust me. I watched this not knowing the severity of its explicit-y with my mum beside me…and let’s just say….Michael is not the only one with crutches now.

R21 video reference

another r21 video parody

from our parody, the uses and gratification theory can be applied as follows:

Tension Release Needs

the main character just had a rough day at work. hence when he returns home, his main motive is to escape from his harsh reality and release some stress by attending to the content of his favourite Vtuber

Social Integrative Needs

the main character doesn’t have any friends. so he is unable to fulfil his social needs by video calling them, or communicating with them through social media. hence, he tries to get the attention of the Vtuber by donating money in hopes that she would notice him.

Cognitive Needs

he watched the live stream and got some recipe ideas on how to cook the fish, and not butcher it the way she did.

Affective Needs

Mr. butt-whooped reacted emotionally to the Vtuber. whenever she was happy, he got happy and danced.

Personal Integrative Needs

this man just spent all of his savings on her. he hopes for credibility and status of him being her No.1 fan;

UGC

more freedom, can customize to your hobbies, choose what you want to put out, don necessarily have to focus on audience pov don’t need to worry about how our videos will be taken

User-Generated Content (UGC) is basically media content made by a media user. The content cannot be made by a brand, organization, etc. prod-users is another way to put it. the user is the producer of the content made. So if you just made and posted a TikTok video, you are a prod-user. made a YouTube vlog or Instagram video of you and your friends hanging out together? you are a prod-user.

Comparing this to traditional tv, UGCs have way more freedom and customizability. Traditional TV is made focusing largely on its consumers. They would focus on how the audience would take their content, because if their shows don’t do well, the ratings of the show would drop, causing them to not make money from their content or to have wasted the budget and effort put in to create the content.

UGCs on the other hand does not always revolve around the audience. I can simply post content based on my hobbies, without worrying about the benefits and drawbacks. I could post a time-lapse of a painting, not because I want to make money or because there is an audience wanting that, but because I want to. Of course, UGCs can be monetized as well. Totally up to the intention of the user generating the content! UGCs are basically more customisable to the generator because they have full creative freedom.

That being said, it has become a lot easier for us to create in this time. It makes me respect tradition TV creators because they had to put in so much effort to even become a creator for traditional media. Now, anyone could become a TikTok star or Instagram famous because it is so easy and accessible. I guess traditional TV worries more about how their content should be taken, so they make sure to put in extra effort and thought into their content, whereas with UGCs, you could put in 0.1% of effort and thought and still be satisfied, not worrying about how your content would be taken.

and that is it, folks. thank you so much to the 4 people who always take time out of your busy schedule to read what goes on in this wonky brain of mine. this was really really fun to do, never would I have thought that I would have my own blog. Maybe I will continue to post more random thoughts on here…who knows haha! well, see you guys again i guess! blonders, signing out!

References

Li, M. (2021, September 4). BCM110 Digital Story Assignment [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N1lMG1ZIs4

Melonpan. (2016, June 6). Me at work Me at home – a melonpan story [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZgUhN_sF6E

feminism in ratatouille

Are you a feminist? Read my blog. Not a feminist? Read my blog. What the heck is feminism? Read my blog! You like rats controlling you? READ MY BLOG!!!

Remy is sitting on my head as I type this out. We will be discussing feminism and what it is to me. Oh and to Remy… So… LET’S COOK!

DISCLAIMER: This blog post’s content may be disturbing to some people as there will be mentions of rats cooking, and men. Proceed at your own risk.

FEMINISM

Have you ever wondered why ghosts are always female in horror movies? Or why we say “female” president, “female” pilot? Or why “p*ssy” is associated with weakness?

This is all because of stupid old MEN. Allow my gal, Colette, to explain. Mademoiselle, please.

Colette going off as she should

Ratatouille has always been one of my favourite Disney movies. I can confidently say that I have watched it at least 433940920394 times. But before we go into Ratatouille, let’s talk about what feminism is defined as.

The main idea of feminism is to establish equal rights amongst the sexes in politics, economy, and society. That means fair job opportunities, equal pay, being able to dress however we want without fear. I need to point out that feminism is not about belittling the opposite gender and other sexes. Feminism is about equality, not promoting how the female gender is superior to male.

I feel that that is a common misunderstanding about feminism. Many people I know who stand for female rights often look down on/despise men. And I am guilty of it too. But I believe that we have our reasons for doing so. Everyone has their reasons to why they stand for female rights. I did not have the best experiences with the male species growing up, so that affects my perspective of them, and affects my attitude when it comes to certain situations. For example, I am a naturally competitive person. When I play badminton with my friends, I would be competitive but I would not be so hard on myself and focus more on having fun. BUT, when I play against my male friends, that is when the switch turns on.

I become extra competitive, with the motive “must. beat. men.” Most times I lose, but not because I am a girl and my competitors are male. It is because Edgar is a badminton God, which is completely unfair. I am still waiting for a rematch sir. You too Bryan. You guys better watch your backs (they are lovely people don’t worry).

Now, I am not saying that what I perceive is men=evil, men=suck, men=need to f*** off. NO. I mean, I do joke often with my male friends that “men suck” or for example, if they forget to bring something, we joke saying “PSH, men“. But we only joke about it because they know I am joking and they are okay with it. Or at least they think I am…

My point is, as feminists, we tend to forget what feminism really is about. There are many double-standards for males too. There was once my girl friends were talking about a male friend and his physique. He recently started working out and bulking, to which my friends responded with,

“He shouldn’t work out too much sia, I don’t like bulky guys”

“Ya, he does not have the height too so he will just look stubby and blocky”

I was extremely offended. Now kids, take note. Instead of telling them off rudely or “cancelling” them, I took a more positive approach and educated them politely. Polite Educating? Yes! Cancel culture? No!

I told them that that was not a very nice thing to say. Imagine if the roles were reversed. Your guy friends talking about your female friend’s physique. Wouldn’t people go crazy?

“How can you say that? It is her body not yours, she can do whatever she wants! Men really think they have a say in everything. We don’t owe you anything.”

Likewise for him. It is his body. If that is how he wants his body to look like, why should it bother me? If he is happy, I am happy, right?

Of course there is so much grey area to this and it would take forever to address them all. Let me know your thoughts and we can have an open discussion in the comments!

• 

• 

I know what you’re thinking. What in the heckarooni is that? What is happening? I can explain. My recent assignment in class was to make a poster out of only recycled materials. That means only magazines, newspapers, pamphletes, straws, etc.

My group went with an activity that is mostly carried out by men, which is fishing. As you an see, there are ladies of all races and ages “fishing” with pokeballs as the bait. They are fishing for everything that women have been deprived of, like education, career, liberty, etc. But, there is a male diver trying to “steal” the career aspect, and another male dumping “unequal rights” into the ocean in hoped that we would catch that instead. Feminism has been evolving for over 100 years, hence the women of all ages, and we are still struggling for equal rights. The men represent how they have played a part in obstructing equal oppurtunities for both genders. At the top of the poster, there is a line that says “and that made all the difference”. As long as we continue to stand together and support each other, we will make a difference. With Wonder Woman’s guidance, of course.

ratatouille

Back to cooking! If you have not watched Ratatouille, well, shame on you man what are you doing? But I will help you out. Linguini is the dude with the rat under his toque. His personality in the beginning of the movie is very submissive. He is very clumsy and timid when he interacts with the rest of the kitchen crew. But, as you can see from the video above, when he talks to Colette (the only female cook in the kitchen), he swaggers towards her and does not converse with the same fear when talking to his male colleagues. He almost comes off flirty. I actually only noticed this in the recent years after rewatching the film. Does he talk to her with such ease because she is a female? Would he have talked the same way if he was assigned to a male cook? This is then, when Colette takes matters into her own hands.

Colette mentions how the culinary industry is dominated by men. She talks about how hard she worked to get to where she is BECAUSE the rules of the hierarchy was written by “stupid, old men”. Lynde-Scott (2014), discusses how the other male cooks have controversial pasts, like doing time, and being gamblers, yet Colette still made it to where she is. That just shows how much more tough she is compared to them. I thought it was pretty cool that Disney Pixar mentions these issues in their films.

Many people have taken to online platforms like Reddit, social media, The Toast, to talk about what they think of the film and about Colette’s character. These platforms where we can openly discuss these kinds of societal problems are called public spheres.

There were some discussions where they talked about feminism in public spheres. Some agree with how the movie represented feminism, while did not.

So, what is feminism to you guys? Is there a specific aspect of feminism that you stand strongly for? Equal pay? Being able to head out at night without care? Do you guys agree or disagree with all genders getting equal rights? Let me know what you think in the comments! Also, watch Ratatouille. Please. Thank you for reading! See you guys next week 😀

P.S. I was totally joking about the “stupid old men” thing. I am all about equal rights for EVERYONE, no matter your gender, sexuality, race, religion, etc.

References

Colette: Ratatouille-2007. (2015, May 12). [Video]. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TawS7eTAN8&ab_channel=MsMilan

GIPHY. (2020). Angry Turn Around [Image]. Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/nickelodeon-anime-avatar-the-last-airbender-aang-IazYrqVvnaeeIi8W2Q.

Lynde-Scott, R. (2014, September 9). “You Cannot Be Mommy”: A Female Cook on Ratatouille. The Toast. Retrieved from https://the-toast.net/2014/09/15/mommy-female-cook-ratatouille/

myCast. (2019). Fan Casting Tom Holland as Alfredo Linguini in Ratatouille [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.mycast.io/stories/ratatouille-1/roles/alfredo-linguini/366185/suggestions/tom-holland/646683.

Reddit. (2017). In Ratatouille, Collette yells at Linguini that he “can’t be mommy” in the kitchen, yet cooking ratatouille like Ego’s mother is what won over the critic at the end of the film. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/7itt1s/in_ratatouille_collette_yells_at_linguini_that_he/

Reddit. (2014). You Cannot Be Mommy: A Female Cook on “Ratatouille”. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/KitchenConfidential/comments/2gh7lq/you_cannot_be_mommy_a_female_cook_on_ratatouille/

uses and gratification theory, and lobby groups

Yellow everybody! I am BACK with another blonder’s ponders. Today we are going to discuss the uses of gratification and lobby groups. In all honesty, when I first read the topic sentence, I thought it was about being grateful and lift lobbies…So let us find out why it is NOT that, shall we ?

Do you remember in a previous blog post about the media effects theory, we talked about the hypodermic needle theory? It discussed how the media is “injected” into our brains to have us respond a certain way; how it influences us easily. This theory depicts media to have “great power” over us. However, as you can see from the diagram below, Uses and Gratifications theory is the complete opposite of the Hypodermic Needle Theory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO2nRNRkRvE&ab_channel=CharlieDyring

The Uses and Gratification theory basically talks about how we are in control of the media. In contrary to the Hypodermic Needle Theory, the gratification theory discusses why and how we choose certain media forms to satisfy specific needs. There are 4 gratification categories:

Surveillance

• Using media to get information about the world; to keep up to date about what is happening
  • E.g. Newspaper, News Channels, Twitter, Sports etc.

Personal Identity

• Using media to learn from and compare ourselves with the behaviour of people we identify with
• Helps us form our own personal identity
  • E.g. Watching cooking shows, Make-up Tutorials, Reading Men’s Health magazine

Personal Relationships

• Using media to gain empathy and forming a personal relationship for characters in movies/TV shows/songs
• Bonding over these chatacters through discussions with your peers
  • E.g. Soap Operas, Reality TV shows

Diversion

• Using media as a form of entertainment and passing time
• Tuning out of reality
  • E.g. Playing video games, watching action films

When we have a need that requires satisfaction (gratification), we seek for the relevant media. If the need is gratified, we would continue to use that form of media. If it is not satisfied, we turn to different media forms until the need is gratified.

Which of the needs do you find yourself seeking the most? Recently, I was super caught up with the recent Tokyo Olympics 2020, which falls under surveillance as I had to know which country was moving to the next round and which was not. I would say it also falls under every other need. Why do you think so? Leave a comment if you think you know why! It was pretty concerning how invested I was…

gulp

Lobby Groups

Put aside any lift/elevator imagery you see when you read the word “Lobby”. I know it is tough, Aunty Carol, but there really is no relation.

Lobby groups are organizations that work to increase awareness amongst general public about key issues through the media. Their motive is to put enough pressure on the government in order to influence political decisions.

An example would be the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the United States of America. NRA is the biggest lobby group in the States. They stand in favour of Gun Rights.

This ad promotes that voting for Hillary Clinton would lead to you being “defenseless” since Hillary Clinton wanted to impose stircter gun laws. The ad influences gun advocates to vote for Trump.

NRA’s motive is to pressure the government to make amendments to their Gun laws by getting more Americans to vote for Trump.

That basiccaly sums up Uses of Gratification and Lobby groups. Feel free to drop your thoughts down in hte comments! See you 😀

References:

Association, N.R. (n.d.). A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NRA. Retrieved from https://home.nra.org/about-the-nra/

GIPHY. (2016). Simpsons Season 3 Broadcast GIF [GIF]. Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/season-3-the-simpsons-3×19-3orifc1RsEPxOEVkuQ.

Kersey, S.M. (2018). 10 Things to do Instead of Your Homework [GIF]. The Gonzaga Bulletin. Retrieved from https://www.gonzagabulletin.com/blogs/10-things-to-do-instead-of-your-homework/article_6485ff88-b151-11e8-8f9d-ebe2c33c2535.html

Metro. (2016). A Great British Bake Off- Inspired Dog Show is Coming to the BBC [GIF]. Retrieved from https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/dogs-baking-2.gif

NRA. (2016). NRA Launches 4th Trump Ad in Presidential Election Cycle [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160920/nra-launches-4th-trump-ad-in-presidential-election-cycle.

Pinterest. (n.d.). Gazelle Swallowing [GIF]. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/502503270895580364/

Sanchez, C. (2016, September 25). Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on gun control. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/clinton-and-trump-on-gun-control-2016-9

Summers, B. (n.d.). Lesson 4 What do lobbyists do? Retrieved from https://slideplayer.com/slide/12946556/

Vsgif. (2019). Lilo and Stitch [GIF]. Retrived from https://vsgif.com/gif/2113854

YouTube. (2017). Uses and Gratification Theory [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO2nRNRkRvE&ab_channel=CharlieDyring.

does it matter who owns the media?

Goooooodd Morning Singapore! Welcome back to yet another episode of “What in the world is Brindha writing about today?”

I hope you are having a great day so far. If you are not, it is totally fine. There is always tomorrow. You are doing great today nonetheless! So give yourself a pat on the back : ) Have you drunk enough water? Or looked at how beautiful the sky is today? If you have not, grab a cup and sit by a window. Today, we will be talking about the different types of media ownership. OooOooOoOooOO….

There are two types of media ownership:

Government Owned Media (GOM) and Private Owned Media (POM)

Allow my friends to briefly run through the differences. Take it away, buddies!

POM companies have more leeway to talk about taboo/sensitive topics because they are in control of what they publish. Whereas, GOM requires multiple reviewing processes to ensure safe publishing under the country’s media laws.

In Singapore, the media is owned by the Government. All of our media is regulated under the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act. Since the government has more control over what is being published, it gives us a credible source to turn to. It also helps create social and political stability, and reduces controversy, hence preventing conflict.

Having our media owned by the Government has its pros, but it also comes with cons. I personally think the biggest con is that GOM curbs our freedom of speech. Singapore does support Freedom of Speech, but many restrictions come with it, and for reasons, I agree with (however, not completely).

I believe that freedom of speech is one of the most important human rights there is. Not only do we get to voice out our opinions and listen to other perspectives, but it also gives a platform to open up other discussions with confidence. It reassures us that our thoughts and opinions can be valid and important. It reassures other people that they are not alone.

Yet, every time we try to do so, we face consequences.

private owned media in America

The United States of America has 90% of its media owned by private companies. Hence, they are able to share their opinions and feelings about certain issues openly, even on their news platforms, such as CNN and FOX news. They can openly discuss the strengths and flaws of their political parties, address LGBTQ+ rights, and even go on strikes as a form of expression. In Singapore, you could go on a strike with a TOOTHPICK, and still be doomed. bye bye. adios. it was nice knowing you, Aunty Carol. I told you not to, but you never listen. (i am just kidding. only about the toothpick though…)

In the states, this is acceptable because of their First Amendment Right:

The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.

Despite this Right, there is still unhappiness around not having freedom of speech; how they are still forced to keep to themselves.

my honest opinion

I do not think I am the best person to talk about politics in media. But here are my two cents.

When it comes to who I think should own the media between the two ownership types, I sit firmly on the fence. I agree that media should be Government-Owned because of its credibility and for the stability it brings to the social and political aspects of a country. If Singapore’s media was privately owned, I can only imagine the amount of conflict and chaos the nation would be under. Yes, I said that voicing our opinions is an important human right. But that is assuming everybody is open-minded and accepting of different points of view, and that everybody shares the same level of intellectuality and EQ.

For example, if someone’s opinion is that racism is OKAY and SHOULD exist, I personally would feel sad for that person and ignore the post because they are just stating their opinion. I can disagree, but that does not mean I MUST do something about it. We do not always have to react. Sometimes, keeping our opinions to ourselves is the better thing to do. However, not everyone is like me. There will be a majority of people who would want to argue, only to have more people support the racist post. The argument then goes out of hand, leading to conflict and hate, disrupting the countries’ social stability.

With GOM, the text would either be immediately taken down, or the author would have to face consequences. If we publicly share our thoughts on a certain political party, we will face consequences. Many people hate when this happens as it feels like we are being silenced.

Why can’t I voice my opinions? I just want to express my feelings!

My thoughts are that the government has every right to “slam” you. You cannot just criticise the government like that!? Siao ah? Do you know what is the job of the government? Do you know what it takes to run a party? Do you understand and know how to run a country? Do you think it is easy to make decisions as a member of the parliament? Do you know what a Politician can or cannot do? Cause I sure don’t, and I am sure many of us don’t either.

We are very quick to criticise and pinpoint when we are not in the shoes of the criticised (in this case, members of the parliament). I am pretty sure they have their reasons for “slamming” such opinions (not all cases though. Like I said, I am on the fence) If you answered yes to all my questions above…go crazy I guess? I am not a politician. I am not someone who is well educated in politics. I do not understand how politicians work, how a parliament is run, and what the processes are like. Hence, I do not feel entitled to criticise or favour openly due to my lack of knowledge in this field.

That being said, there could be a possibility that I think this way because of how the media in Singapore has moulded my thoughts to think that I should not criticise the Government in any way just because I do not know what goes on in the Political world. We can still have opinions. It just comes down to how and when we should express them.

On the other hand, I agree that POM is the way to go because of the freedom of speech we get. As I have mentioned earlier, Freedom of Speech is one the most precious human rights there is. I could go on and on and back and forth about my stance but I would just end up going in circles. I really do sit on the fence for this.

Before I conclude, I would like to add one last thing. Consumers of this media play a big part in deciding which media ownership should rule out the other. If we are all educated, have high EQ, and are open-minded, POM might actually work in Singapore. If we are more conserved and do not want to voice out our opinions, or do not have opinions, to begin with, then GOM could work too. Both have their strengths and weakness, but we as consumers, play a major role as well.

I hope I did not confuse you too much with my stand hahaha! I love playing out these arguments in my head. Gives me a larger perception and allows me to be more open-minded. I hope you could be more open-minded after reading this post. I Hope Aunty Carol listens to me now…oh Aunty Carol…

References

Batman and Robin First Ammendment [Image]. Retrieved from https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRNFtpAk_1lGcZalrnnoLEyXO9iPRmRcJPNK6SF5sVTVLN6Lx_NhtJW3eeVa_aZgGst3Sg&usqp=CAU.

Constitution of the Republic of Singapore. (2021). Singapore Statutes Online. Retrieved from https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/CONS1963?ProvIds=pr14-.

First Amendment. (n.d.). LII / Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law School. Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment.

Imgflip. (2021). Down with Cancel Culture! [Image]. Retrieved from https://imgflip.com/i/4xlorx.

Reddit. (2019). Specifically, freedom of speech [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/f93u5b/specifically_freedom_of_speech/.

Sherdog, J. (2018). More Memes – v25 – Do you support free speech? [Image]. Sherdog Forums | UFC, MMA & Boxing Discussion. Retrieved from https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/more-memes-v25-do-you-support-free-speech.3855513/.

Zyglis, A. (2014). If Speech is Free, Why Can’t I Afford It? [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.pulitzer.org/cms/sites/default/files/styles/image_slider/public/03zyglis2015.jpg.

media effects

Hey!

Glad to see you here again. If it is your first time here, welcome! Check out my first blog post, “olah!’ if you haven’t.

Today I’ll be discussing the ‘media effects’ model and why I think it is flawed. So, grab some food, get your dog, cat, or hamster, and let’s dive right in!

• 

‘Media Effects’ Model

The media effects model is a theory that shares how the media feeds us information and how we instantly accept it. It also goes on to elaborate how influential mass media is; how it ‘inserts’ a certain message in our brains to get a specific reaction from us. For example, during World War II, German leaders made use of cinema to portray the power they hold in the world to ‘influence’ Germans to fight for their country. Subsequently, the Americans utilized their movie industry to depict Germans as evil, and create a negative image of them.

Because media consumers are assumed to be vulnerable and passive, there was a desired outcome, which was, for the Germans, to fight for their country. As for the Americans, they were to view Germans as evil and support America. They were meant to create a public standpoint and change the behaviour of the consumer. This theory is called “Hypodermic Needle Theory”. We are ‘injected’ this piece of information for us to respond a certain way.

However, this theory is said to be highly inaccurate and outdated. It is flawed because, one, it assumes that everyone reading it is passive and vulnerable. In our current time, people tend to think more for themselves. We are more aware and educated about hoax’s, fake news, and what is credible. So, stop sending us that chain message, Aunty Carol. You will not get a get $1,000,000 tomorrow.

Secondly, we cannot conclude that the media is the sole reason for some causes. Causality is the influence of an event that leads to the production of an effect. Let’s take a boiling kettle, for instance. There is a cause and an effect.

Cause: A kettle filled with water sitting on a flame

Effect: The water in the kettle begins to boil

I can say that the main cause of the kettle boiling is because it was sitting on a flame. However, other contributing factors led to the water in the kettle boiling. Some of these factors are:

• The material of the kettle
  • I cannot place a kettle made of plastic or wood over a flame and expect it to boil?! The only thing that is going to boil is my mother’s blood…I promise I’ll clean it up
• How strong the flame was
  • If I light a matchstick and place it under the kettle…maybe in a few years, I’ll finally get that cup of Milo

Similarly, we cannot associate the main cause of certain events on media. Your children are not violent because they watched Tom and Jerry, the Port Arthur Massacre did not happen because Martin Bryant played violent video games, and Aunty Carol is not overweight because she watches TV. This is not to say that the media is never the sole cause of an effect, but there can always be other factors that contribute to the effect.

The Role of Media

Oftentimes, I question the role of media.

• Is the media overly influential, or are we overly influenced?

We always talk about how media influences us so much. But have you ever wondered if we are too easily influenced? Is our willpower too weak? Are we easily influenced BECAUSE the media influences us easily? You might want to take a moment to read that through because I had to read it a couple of times myself hahaha.

• Is it possible for Mass Media to be ‘de-revolutionized’?

I get pretty tired of the negative influence of media or how it has moulded our brains to reduce our intellectual potential. Is there any way I could control how it affects my brain? Could you perhaps not mess with my brain? It is all I have…

The media affects us that is for sure, but, as much as it is a major part of our lives now, there are other things that our lives revolve around, other contributors that affect our lifestyle. I think it is vile we remember that we are human beings, not robots. We can choose to not be too affected by what we see. Yes, it can be hard and sometimes we don’t have a choice. But, sometimes, we do. There is always a way.

Hope you enjoyed this little insight into what goes on in my little brain. Tell me what you think about this issue. See you soon, have a great week ahead!

References

GIPHY. (2019, 22 July). Odd Future Jump GIF [GIF]. Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/jasperanderrol-viceland-jasper-and-errol-errols-first-time-eJjL8RsVk0cU4PgtJJ.

olah!

my name is s brindha, i am 21 years old, and my friends come up with the weirdest nicknames; brinders, blondie, blenders, broonds, bronda, dog, anything that rolls off their tongue. but please, do not call me ‘s’, or ‘dog’ or we will have problems.

some of my little hobbies include taking photos of my friends and the sky and moon, hanging out with my friends, and painting.

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a year ago, i graduated with a Diploma in Sonic Arts from Republic Poly, studying anything and everything audio related. from composing music, to recording foley for a movie, or a band in a studio, to setting up for a live concert.

here are some of the highlights from my journey in Poly. and the sky ❤

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music has definitely been a huge part of my life, naturally leading me to apply for LaSalle’s Bachelor in Music. but boop. here i am. in SIM. taking an Australian Degree. a Science Degree.

i started to question my decision a lot especially because the Arts scene in Singapore is not the strongest field i can confidently rely on to make a living. not to mention how bad it is now with the pandemic. majority of the local artists in singapore survive on the few chances to perform at certain events or at gigs, but now even with that gone, i started to lose hope. with an extremely reluctant heart, i decided to venture into other (realistic) interests.

so, why psychology?

i definitely have always been intrigued with how our brain works. i love how every individual has their own way of expressing themselves; how they choose to do it, and what causes them to do it that way. i also crave perspective. why do we all view the same subject in different ways? what are the events in our lives that could have possibly contributed to how we perceive? with all these viewpoints, i would like to believe that we can learn from each other, understand each other, and be kinder to one another. the brain works in wonderous ways, and i am all up for it. so i thought, man, sign me up.

media psychology

let’s face it, media is a part of the human system now. we eat, sleep and breathe because of the media. i think we can all agree that the media influences us very quickly and easily.

but because the influence is so strong, us understanding, and analyzing why and how it holds that much power over people gives us a great insight on how the human brain works. what about this interaction between humans and media affects us both positively and negatively? in fact, we need the media in order for us to even carry out our research. being so reliant on media, it’s best that we be aware of what we are dealing with.

with this understanding of how media affects us, we can actually turn to it as a form of therapy. music therapy and anxiety-reducing games are already some existing forms of therapy. maybe one day one of us will invent a form of media that could possibly change the world 🙂