Local and the Western images

In the 21st century, people always promote gender equality. Men and women are equally capable to do whatsoever things and develop whatever interests they want. In fact, there are still some situation in which people treat or construe men and women differently in our daily life. For example, beer advertisement.

Nowadays, it is very normal for both man and women drinking beer. Yet, according to my research, many local beer advertisements use male artists to be their spokesperson and promote their products. On the other hand, female artists normally act like a kind of sexual object to tease or seduce the audience. This is basically irrelevant to the advertising products. It just tries to induce the audience to think drinking beer will lead them to an exciting adventure with sexy ladies. The intention of producing this sort of advertisement is undoubtedly to cater male customers’ expectation of drinking beer. Also, many local beer advertisements use muscular male artists to promote beer. It is clear that they try to convince mainly male audience that drinking beer can bring them a cool image.

However, we can see the cultural difference in the western beer advertisements. Not just men can be the leading role in beer advertisements, women can also be the same. For example, “GINGEN beer” produces an image to the audience that women can also drink beer very happily and enjoying. As shown by this advertisement, western culture stresses more on gender equality in their daily life comparing with Hong Kong’s. 

Student: Lai Hoi Ying, Ada

Media images represented the external reality?

In our daily life, we are exposed to many media images, such as advertisement and news. But are you sure these advertisements are really telling the truth and showing the full picture? I don’t think so. Many of them are somehow misleading the recipients’ thinking and perception.

For example, one of the advertisements by Maxims demonstrates their newly introduced Korean food to the public. As the advertisement demonstrates, male customers are classified to be the lovers of beef with spicy rice, which is of more concentrated flavor; and female customers to be the lovers of fish with fried rice, which is of mild flavor. However, it is not always true that male and female customers to be identified as the lovers of particular dishes. This advertisement actually tries to lead the recipients to think in the way that the marketers has set when designing this advertisement, which does not represent the reality of male and female choices.

(YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2DVmJRyr1Q)

Another example is an online news talking about the architectural characteristic of Hong Kong buildings, with photos inserted to prove the article’s objective of “Architecture of Density” in Hong Kong. The followings are the photos they have used:

extracted from the online article

However, are the above photos telling the full picture of the architectural style in Hong Kong? Is the article exaggerating the situation? I believe everyone of you coming from Hong Kong or has been to Hong Kong know the truth.

The aforementioned examples show us the media images we have accessed to do not guarantee to have represented the external reality. Therefore, we should have our own judgment towards things around us.

Student: Lai Hoi Ying, Ada

Burring boundary of private and public space due to mobile technologies

Mobile technologies seriously blur our private and public space boundary in our daily life. 

Nowadays, with high-speed wireless, Internet access, many apps and free message services, we can use our smartphone anytime and anywhere. If we pay a bit attention on MTR or bus next time, we will probably find that almost everyone fiddles with their hands, some of them even fiddle with their phone and tablet at the same time. 

We always use our mobile technologies to do private things in public space such as Internet banking

and checking email. Even I have experienced a very embarrassing situation in which a person watching porn video on the bus, which should be a private interest and done in our own private space. The passengers, sitting next to or behind him, would definitely judge this man by what he watched even he is a decent man or professional in reality. I try not to do any important process through my phone at any public places and try not to go in any web which causes embarrassment. I strongly recommend them to use a mobile technology function, called “Incognito mode” in Google Chrome, which can sort of erase any browsing history and so if the user loses his phone, no previous web sites can be traced. 

I think blurring of the boundary is bad to our everyday life, because we have our private secret things, we don't want to share with other people, so we need to think carefully what things can do in public space or private space.

Student Name: Lai Hoi Ying Ada

Medium will eventually influence our society?

According to McLuhan, content of any medium is always another medium and each medium carries a message. The message can be irrelevant to the content of medium. The powerful message from different medium can change and shape human thinking and action. The message affects receivers without any resistance. Also, McLuhan explains that receivers tend to focus on the obvious content and ignore the subtle one. 

I agree with that "Medium is the message". It is because when we get the message through hot media and cold media, we largely miss some subtle contents and medium may not show a whole incident to their audience, so every medium sends the message to receiver, it will make the audience generate different feeling or attitude, and it will eventually influence our society.

Let's take umbrella revolution as an example, there were lots of negative covering about police, such

as, hitting the demonstrators, passers and reporters, throwing tear gas, even some unrelated news, like some police officers are addicted to gambling. The media seems collecting all the negative news about police and releasing to the general public at once. This will let the audience antipathy Hong Kong police. If the receivers read the information rationally and carefully, they may find out the message of the media is to make general public disgusted with policemen. Medium can be viewed as a way of brain washing the general public. Therefore, the receivers should have logical mind to analyse the meaning behind each news.

Student Name : Lai Hoi Ying, Ada

Social media is a two edged sword?

In the eyes of many people, media is an indispensable medium for different purpose. I use media in my daily life. I can easily keep up with the latest news and communicate with my friends or family. Some internet platforms like Facebook and Instagram allows me to share some interesting things or life experience with friends or other social media users.

On Instagram I have shared some photos and videos of my dog since his birth with public. For me, this front space is a useful medium to exchange health and grooming tips with dog lovers whom I don’t know in my daily life. It definitely helps me broaden my social circle. On Facebook, besides videos and photos, I also use the function of "people you may know", after filling the information such as my primary school and kindergarten name and graduate year on Facebook, I can find back my ex-classmates. Another function I use a lot is "check in", which I can share my unforgettable experience with my friends during traveling. Besides of sharing experience, those memories will be recorded on Facebook. Whenever I want to go through those memories, what I have to do is to login my Facebook.

Expose my private life and emotion to my friends, letting them know more about my happiness and hatred. I enjoy showing my real side in this back space. Although I think Instagram and Facebook both give a perfect space to present myself and improve interpersonal relationship, many critics believe social media is a two edged sword. I also think if one day everyone becomes active on social media, do people still meet their friends irregularly? It may eventually create a distance from people.  (284 words)

Student Name: Lai Hoi Ying Ada