Influences of Internet on Society.

When we encounter problems, need answers, or are simply looking for entertainment or amusement, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Don't know the meaing of a word? Search for it online.

Can't decide which handphone to get? Search for reviews online.

Don't know how to get somewhere? Find bus, mrt, or even driving instructions online.

Need to buy a dress but too busy to go shopping? Buy it online.

Everything we do is centred around the world wide web, and without it, most people tend to feel a sense of loss or helplessness. This reliance on the internet has led to many societal problems in our society, and these problems are set to escalate as technology advances further and people become more dependent on the net.

In this day and age, whatever we are looking for, the first thing most would do is find a computer or laptop, and go on the internet. Information, games, shopping, friendship, and even love can be found online. Yes, the internet has brought us techonological advancements, convenience and lots of advantages. But are we getting too dependent on it?

I found a very disturbing news report which was published on the 3rd of June this year. In Phoenix, Arizona, a 15 year old boy murdered his father. And the reason for this shocking act? The teen's father had banned him from using the internet.

Hughstan Schlicker got so angry and upset that his father forbided him from using the internet that he even contemplated suicide, deciding to kill himself with his father's 12 gauge shotgun. However, he later changed his mind and decided to instead kill his father first, and then commit suicide. So when his father got home, the teenager calmly waited till his father got into the kitchen, walked up behind him, and shot him in the back of the head, killing him instantly.

However, the Hughstan called a female friend to confess what he had done, and to tell her he was going to commit suicide. The girl managed to talk him out of it and convinced him to call the police instead.

Hughstan Schlicker wasa charged with first degree murder and will be tried as an adult.

Oh, and this is his reason for killing his own father: Hughstan told detectives that he used the Internet to communicate with his friends and since his father took the Internet away, he was "just so depressed all the time," the report said. He often spent entire days on MySpace and couldn't cope when his father cut off his access to the site. "It felt like I was stabbed with a knife and it went straight through and … no matter how hard I pulled, I couldn't pull out the knife,"

Collectivist Cultures

This is the flag of Christiania.

(And no, it is not a design of a rectangle and three circles that i came up with on whim.)

The 'Freetown' Christiania is located just outside Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a community of roughly 850 residents, where artists, musicians, and even drug dealers seem to have free reign.

Yes, you read right, free reign. The reason for this interesting situation is that in 1971, abandoned military barracks were taken over by a bunch of hippies, and was declared open by Jacob Ludvigsen, a popular Danish newspaper publisher. With this Christiania was born, with their misson statement:

"The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the wellbeing of the entire community. Our society is to be economically self-sustaining and, as such, our aspiration is to be steadfast in our conviction that psychological and physical destitution can be averted."

The spirit of Christiania quickly developed into one of hippie culture, collectivism and anarchism. People living in this freetown are part of a unique independent society, having sucessfully thwarted government action and violent police raids for years.

Each inhabitant of Christiania has to pay a monthly rent of approximately 1,600 Danish crowns for electricity, heating, road maintenance, land tax, child-care center, kindergarten, leisure and other public costs. However, residents have also developed their own set of rules, independently of the Danish government. The rules forbid stealing, violence, guns, knives, bulletproof vests and hard drugs. (notice the rules forbid HARD drugs, not drugs in general. hmm.)

But yes, the most interesting point about Christiania is probably it's infamous Pusher Street, where drugs like Cannabis were sold openly from permanent stands on the street till 2004. This 'officially' open drug trade was clamped down on by the authorities, but quiet trading of cannabis and hard drugs is still rampant.

Personally, i think it's amazing that a town such as Christiania is able to survive today. This alternative and unorthodox lifestyle that the residents live by is really unlike anything i've read or heard about.

But maybe it's because of the alternative living culture that artists and creative people are attracted to Christiania in the first place. Check out some of the graffitti found around the town!

credits to http://quietcolor.com/qc/

Groupthink.

"A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when members' strivings for unanimity override ther motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action." -Irving Janis

Above is the definition of the concept of Groupthink, coined by Irving Janis, a forefather in the study of group dynamics. Groupthink is a situation in which people in a team or group have absolute loyalty to each other, think that they have no weaknesses or bad points, have cookie-cutter mentalities and ultimately, are oblivious to what is real, with an illusion of unanimity. It is a 'disease' that spreads when the norms for conforming in a group become so strong, and members are highly concerned about maintaining unity, that they fail to evaluate and their options and make wise decisions.

Cults are a very good example of Groupthink. They suck people into joining them, and alter their beliefs and perceptions to fit that of their group.

The above are pictures of The Ku Klux Klan, a racist, anti-Semitic movement with a commitment to extreme violence to achieve its goals of racial segregation and white supremacy.

Here are three reasons why cults such as the KKK are the perfect example of Groupthink.

1. Illusion of Invulnerability. A majority of people consider, or even join cults for one main reason, and that is to have a sense of belonging; to feel safe and accepted in the group. Because the members are so desperate to belong and be a part of the cult, it an unstoppable force, and nothing can get in it's way. Group members are dillusioned into thinking that whatever they do is right, and they have faith in the group, never doubting or faltering in their beliefs of the group's supremacy.

2. Belief in Inherent Morality. Cult members never doubt what their leaders tell them. They completely trust and believe whatever their cult leader says. They think that everything their leaders to or say is correct, so in trusting them, everything they themselves do is moral and just. They believe strongly that they know what is wrong or right, and never doubt their thoughts or actions.

3. Collective Rationalization. The entire cult worships the leader, and thus will follow exactly what their leader said, never doubting his words or actions. This will in turn lead to the belief that their leaders are always right. Everything they do, the group will try to explain and rationalise their actions as a group, so whatever is thought to be incorrect or wrong will be dismissed, as the group refuses to see things from different perspectives.

Communication Platforms

these are a few postcards i've lifted off Postsecret.com

for the uninitiated, postsecret is an ongoing online comunity project in which people mail their secrets anonymously on homemade postcards. People from all over the world decorate postcards, either storebought or handmade and scribble their secrets on it, mailing it to be published on the postsecret website.

i think using this as an communication outlet to express their feelings and emotions is a very novel and refreshing idea. people embrace the anonimity they get, and feel less inhibited and free to share their secrets with the world.

i think part of the charm of postsecret is how unorthodox and refreshing the concept is. it's not a typical communication platform, but it works to give people a place to share their thoughts and feelings.

Interpersonal Communication

It can be described as a "Two person, face to face interaction" - Trenholm Or as "Communication that takes place between persons who have an established relationship; the people are in some way connected." - DeVito

But with increasing exposure to the world wide web, comes the creation of global socialising networks that enable people from all parts of the globe to connect to each other. People who have never met each other in real life can claim to be in love, be best friends or even sworn enemies. This 'connection' we forge with virtual strangers, can it really be considered true friendship?

Hiding behind a computer screen, anyone can claim to be someone they are not. And sometimes, this deception is taken too far.

This is 13 year old Megan Meier. Megan that commited suicide after getting depressed over a MySpace hoax. She got to know a 16 year old teen called Josh Evans over MySpace, and over the course of their chatting and correspondence, their relationship bloomed. However, things took a very different turn when Josh suddenly changed his attitude towards Megan.

On October 15, 2006, Josh sent Megan a message saying, 'I don't want to be friends with you anymore because you're not nice to your friends'.
That post triggered hate posts from many other MySpace users.
"All of Josh's friends and all of Megan's friends were calling Megan a whore, a fat ass. Calling her all kinds of god awful names," Megan's mother,Tina, told the ABC network in an interview last year.

Meier hanged herself on October 16, 2006 after receiving the cruel messages, including the last message sent from Josh which read: "The world would be a better place without you."

However, the tragedy took an even worse turn when it was revealed that this Josh Evans did not even exist. Lori Drew, a 48 year old mother was passing herself off as a 16 year old guy, just to monitor anything negative that Megan was saying about her daugther.

The childishness and insensitivity of her actions led to the tragic suicide of a young girl. Her actions and intentions were extremely cruel, even more so because she knew the Meier family personally, and Megan and her daughter were friends. How can anyone (especially an adult, a MOTHER, for that matter) stoop to such levels to bully and harm a young teenage girl? (FYI, the authorities were unable to charge Lori Drew for Megan's death as they could not find a law she had broken. Instead, all the woman got for her deliberate and evil actions were one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorisation to obtain information to inflict emotional distress. Each of the counts carries only a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.)

This is why I feel interpersonal communication is only valid and real if it's truly a face to face interaction between 2 people. Your virtual 'friends' can make themselves out to whoever they want to be to you, but you'll never really know who's the real person hiding behind a computer screen.

T-Shirts, Socks and Sex.

many

Provocative? Vulgar? Creative? Pornographic? Brilliant?

Which word comes to mind when you first saw the above pictures?

First, let me give you guys a little background information. These pictures are a few of the many American Apparel ads, and yes, as the name suggests, they are just selling clothes

American Apparel is the largest clothings manufacturer in the US. Selling affordable, basic cotton knitwear items, they have expanded to have around 185 stores worldwide. The company is known for a number of policies including promoting immigrant rights and labor policies the company dubs 'sweatshop' free.

However, their provocative and sexual advertisements have also been subjected to harsh criticism and disapproval from the public. Many find that the sexual tone of American Apparels' advertising campaign is offensive and explicit, some even going on accuse the ads of bordering on pornography.

But despite the detractors, American Apparel has also been lauded for their creativity and honesty, especially since they insist that all the photos taken are not digitally enhanced or airbrushed, and their models are often staff working in American Apparel, photographed with all their blemishes and imperfections.

But like all other things, this is subjective, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions. The poster does not need to literally exclaim 'YES I"M SELLING SEX!" We as humans can use our perception and see the innuendoes or symbolisms behind each picture and either take these nonverbal cues as tasteless display of sexual imagery, or an ingenius marketing strategy.

Personally, I feel that although the ads are very sexually charged and provocative, I can't help but admire them for their creativity and uniqueness. The ads served their purpose, which was to make people sit up, take notice, and ultimately, look at the clothes they were advertising. Controversial as it might be, it worked.

What do you think?

Yeouch.

all picture credits to http://modblog.bmezine.com/category/scarification/

The picture above is an example of scarification. As the word suggests, scarification is, well, the act of scarifying. It involved making a cut or incision onto the skin to make a permanent scar on your body, much akin to tattoos.

When i told some friends about this 'new' type of body modification technique i found out about ('new' because scarification has been around for a long time, hasn't it? Tribes have long used scarification as a rite of passage for adolescents to be considered real men, and the youths proudly display their scars as proof of their manhood), reations differed greatly. Some were morbidly fascinated with the idea, even seriously contemplating getting it done, while others grimaced in revulsion just looking at pictures of the scarification process.

Alright, the picture i showed above is quite tame, so maybe many people won't understand why anyone would feel queasy looking at pictures of scarification. Let me help you out.

Looks fun huh?

I was actually thinking the above sentence would be a rhetorical question, but then again, perceptions differ right? I would never want anyone slicing into my skin with a scapel, making deep, purposeful cuts that would definately hurt and bleed like hell, and afterwards scab and leave me with keloid scars. I'm sure a whole lot of people would agree with me, but i'm also sure some would be thinking otherwise. A search for scarification pictures online will give you hundreds, if not thousands of images, all of which come from different people, from different countries and backgrounds. (In case youre wondering, yes i found some photos of scarification done here in singapore as well, the cutting process pictures above, the one with pieces of skin being sliced off was taken from a body mod shop in singapore!)

To end this off, i'll leave you with the completed (and healed )product of my opening picture.


It really is quite pretty, don't you think?

What's in a name?

Right. So the article I'll be discussing is one titled: Threat of violence over use of name 'Bombay' It was featured in a copy of The Straits Times dated Friday, May 16 2008.

The title pretty much says it all. Apparently in Mumbai, there's a big hoo haa regarding the use of the name Bombay, and it's all the doing of a certain Mr. Bal Thackeray; an 82 year old eccentric (although I feel this word is an understatement, a more appropriate choice of word would be in my opinion, psycho) regional politician. 13 years ago, he led the charge to change the name of India's financial capital from Bombay to Mumbai.

Not content with that, Mr. Thackeray is now demanding that the city drop the word 'Bombay' from prominent institutions where the name still lingers, such as the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Bombay High Court, the elite Bombay Scottish school and dozens of other shops and offices - or else.

Police are taking his threats seriously because Mr. Thackeray has been linked to mob violence in the past, and his followers have already taken to demonstrating for his cause, and vandalizing buildings with the word 'Bombay'.

However, Mr. Thackeray has his reasons for his objections to the use of the word 'Bombay'. He's leading this nationalist campaign as he calls the word 'colonially tainted'; being a Portuguese derivation of 'Beautiful Bay'. He feels that Mumbai, the local name of a Hindu goddess should be used instead.


Personally, I feel the whole situation is quite ridiculous. What's the big deal over the issue of a name? Since Bombay has already renamed Mumbai, I don't see the fuss over certain institutions in the city using the name Bombay. Hasn't Mr. Thackeray already got what he wanted? A whole city has already been renamed because of him! Even more so for established, long standing insitutions like the Bombay Stock Exchange and Bombay High Court. For them to change their names because of a party boss's opinion that the word is colonially tainted would cause confusion, hassle and unnessary work. Also, how can the police and government be relied on for safety and protection if the people are subjected to violence and threats just because they have chosen to use the name Bombay?

I feel that the police should be doing all that they can to quell the issue. If they let Mr. Thackeray bully the people into doing what he wants, then what's stopping any other Tom, Dick and Harry from demanding that people name their shops and citys something else?