technology has infiltrated our lives for quite some time and we've been using it extensively for various aspects. In comms class, i learnt of the relationship between communication and technology. with the presence of technology, communication has been made limitless. no boundaries. or at least, thats how it has been perceived to be.
but today,we'll talk about CMC. Computer Mediated Communications. it is simply defined as " any form of communication using computers and computer networks that allows access and interaction between people and databases all over the world."
so this would include your e-mails, msn, facebook, friendster, virtual games and basically most of the things that teenagers nowadays LIVE FOR. oh wait..even this BLOG is a product of CMC. so yes. we're all pro- CMC.
CMC can bring us soo much joy and happiness..BUT WAIT. lets look at how CMC has further invaded our lives, or made stalking easier.
In Singapore, according to Straits Time dated 14th of march, "School attendance checks go digital". wow. just wow. and Cedar Girls' is one of the three secondary schools to participate, along with Presbyterian High and Anglo-Chinese. The reason to incorporate such technological advancement in the school system is so as to derease admin work and manage disciplinary problems such as absenteeism and truancy. Students are to tap/scan their ez-link cards/ fingerprints upon entering and leaving school. For Cedar, parents can check through an online portal to find out what time the child came to school or what time they left school after activities. parents will also be instantly notified if the child fails to attend school via sms. scaryyyyy. its like being watched all the time! stalker parentals!
when i was in cedar, i never skipped school. or at least, i never played truant. BUT that does not mean i'm such an innocent angel either. see, i have STRICT parents. then and now. my mother never really gave me freedom to hang out with my friends. i had to go home IMMEDIATELY after school. hence, the devil's workshop in my brain, produced great lies to make things possible. I would always tell my mum that i have extra lessons, remedials (which is very much believe-able since my grades were bad), CCA, CCA meetings and all sorts of excuses just to be back home late. and in that time,i would actually be out in Toa Payoh or Tampines with my friends having a good time. Imagine if during my time, this system was administered! i would be trapped in a smaller cage! goodness. i am so relieved that they decided to do this after i graduated.
my worst fear would be if SIM decides to participate in such nonsense as well. i'll be fuming mad if they did. as many of my friends know, i STILL have strict parents, and i STILL have a curfew. drum rollll...10 pm! and that is only IF i am allowed to go out...then my curfew is 10. other than that, its HOME straight after school. goshhh. i will be so dead if my mum gets a hold of the time table of my classes! hahah. but i am pretty sure (hopes and prays) that SIM gives their student more freedom than that.
in any case, i feel that some times, CMC is not at all good. when it falls onto the wrong hands, it may invade people's personal space or create tension and conflict. sometimes...its just good to NOT know everything. cheers.
writer's block is indeed apparent. sigh.
joke of the day!
A lawyer named Strange died, and his friend asked a tombstone maker to inscribe on his tombstone,
"Here lies Strange, an honest man and a lawyer". The inscriber insisted that such inscriptions would be confusing, for passersby would tend to think that three men were buried under the stone.However, he suggested an alternative:
He would inscribe, "Here lies a man who was both honest and a lawyer." That way, whenever anyone walked by the tombstone and read it, they would be certain to remark, "That's Strange!"
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Hi Kamaliah! Look who's here on your final post :)
ReplyDeleteI share your sentiments. The high and mighty technology might eventually do more harm than good if pushed too far...
Have you watched Wall E? On the surface, its just any other animated cartoon. But dig deeper and you'll find the true meaning behind it... Allow me.
Wall E is a representation of human nature; love, compassion, spontaneity, and was the last of his kind on Earth.
Evaaa comes from a mother ship filled with technologically brainwashed humans who had been removed from all sense of emotions - the future of humans when technology evolved out of hand.
Wall E fell in love with Evaaa, whom at the beginning, was devoid of all emotions. As the duo goes through thick and thin through the plot, Evaa gradually softens and reciprocates. It was not until the robots were defeated by the captain, did Wall E, Evaa and the citizens of the mother ship return to Earth. The plant (symbolic of life) can only thrive with love and compassion.
There is a fine line in which advancements in technology will develop into a barrier to human nature. Unless we stop to admire mother nature and realise that technology is slowly killing Earth and our humanity, we are doomed to end up as automated beings aboard Evaaa's ship.
I've always been a proponent of interpersonal, human interactions.
ReplyDeleteThat meet-up over a cuppa, the bitchy exchanges, spreading the love and friendship over dinner - these are the things one cant really establish behind a screen. i still dont relish in the commodities such as Facebook and Friendster and whathaveyous despite being constantly egged on by virtue of the fact that my friends fear my expulsion from the virtual world.
Also, i've never really felt much sincerity in online networks. To a certain extent, i'm able to contend with MSN.
Despite all the above, I do acknowledge the value-addedness that technology has added to the state's bureaucracy. Just two random examples - the PDRM (Polis Diraja Malaysia) still highly value their carton-box PCs and the Indonesian Police are more sentimental - typewriters! Just maybe, half a hectare of oil palm profits could contribute to a dozen flat screens eh? (Yes, this is indeed a response for your across the border peer who happened to express unhappiness with our ruling apparatus. This is what DPM Wong Kan Seng talked about - relative arrogance and a sense of unappreciation)
I second your sentiments about Cedar's current technological developments. Thank God we have graduated. Til then, I wish our juniors all the best in trying to beat the system! :)
Ah I have attended schools that TRIED to adopt such methods of registration. It was fun playing with system really. Scanners, pretty much like those on buses can often detect cards on both sides. Hence, without entering the class, we could tap out attendance outside and head to the canteen for some drinks and cocktalk. Markings on the precise spot to tap were then drawn to aid the newbies. And of course, there's the traditional 'eh help me sign' now called the 'eh help me tap'. Good times.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is sometimes redundant and really fails to meet any purpose. I won't be too worried about this new system until they start implementing GPRS on us, allowing our parents to google earth us to find out our exact locations.
Ok right back on CMC or communication tainted by technology.. It has served us well in terms of convenience above all else. However, while keeping us connected, it has drifted us apart, as some would say, impersonal. On the other hand however, it has allowed the invasion of personal space. Quite a paradox huh.
Well like you said, its really subjective. Depends on whose hands it lies on. Mmhm, sometimes ignorance is stupidity, but it is often no less blissful.
using technology to check up on attendance n stuff mayb a bad news for kids who wanna skip school. but,the mind can be very creative in beating the system. well..i donno bout ur mind, but my mind for sure is creative enough to beat the system. several polytechnics hav implement this system for yrs. but still kids do skip class. it's juz how much do u wanna beat the system. kinda easy actuali.. haha
ReplyDeletebut..technologies or cmc as u said above, it has benefited us much more is many ways. before internet, emails, telephones. ppl communicate by post mail, or meet up for a cup of tea to catch up bout things. dont tell me nowadays with the technology advancement u dont go out and hang out wit ur frens..?? wit cmc we hav lots of ways to chat wit a fren. u can hav fren for faraway. but do we depend on such technology..?? we do not depend on it entirely. but we hav been brought up in a world where using technology is a norm.
spoilt..!!
ppl can buy groceries in the comfort of ur home..click click away..and it will be delivered it to u in no time..
heck..u can buy everything and anything u want thru the webby..endless opportunities..
that's why u hav fat and lazy kids who sit in front of the computer for hours..
but wit any kind of things, ppl can misuse it..
that's why we have internet cops..
u donno..?? yes we do hav..well i'm not sure bout stoopid singapore thou..but yes..the internet hav cops..we cant say anything that may trigger any suspicions. so it's quite save..haha
there's always a pros and cons to everything. its juz how u use it. i know u like to shop online u lazy bum..so yeah..
sori if my engrish is veri rojak..engrish is my 2nd language..so i donno any superpower words like paradox..peace out..
Echoing your sentiments, I find it rather disturbing that parents are on a constant watch on their offsprings, akin to 'Big Brother'. The advancement of science and technology has made this close supervision become even more unadulterated.
ReplyDeleteWithout question, certain outcomes would be predictable. A common person's privacy and freedom would be invaded. Although it may seem innocuous that a superior being is monitoring one's school attendance, I think it would be highly chilling when the day comes where people's every more is being recorded.
One should also consider the social implications that such technologies will propagate. Apart from spawning highly crafty youths (with reference to the ones who seek the help of their peers to 'tap' their cards), these youths now would concern themselves with attempts to 'beat' the system. In addition, I find it sad that now an automatic text message replaces the more humanly touch of a personal, or at least telephone correspondence between the parents and teachers. In the end, we are the ones responsible for slowly isolating ourselves from people surrounding us.
Certainly technology has given us many reasons to celebrate, for it allows communication to take place almost seamlessly. When we look around us, there is simply no reason for anyone to lose contact with our friends and family.
In 2007, there were an estimated 5.6 million mobile phone subscribers in Singapore, mirroring the importance of mobile phone in everyday commuunication.
While this may seem that the local population enjoys better, stronger relationships through the ballooning of telecommunications as of late, I feel that we have become a more backward society where we disregard the more respected conditions of life.
Technology.Simply.
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!
It has benefited us in so many ways. OK. Maybe its just me. But then again. So does everyone else. How many of your friends have never ever used the internet before. I can even bet you most of them access the internet regularly. Its a habit. A lifestyle. A way of life. And many do not even realize that they are somehow addicted to the internet. The degree of addiction may vary but it is a form of addiction nonetheless.
Its a matter of how one utilizes it. The latest phones are equipped with technology to enable users to browse the internet, check their mails or even locate the nearest automated teller machine through Gps triangulation. The only requirement for technology is the knowledge to use it for ones own benefit.
Sadly. Technology is still somewhat exclusive to those who know how to use em and to those who can afford a piece of it. One can own the latest gadget such as the Iphone. BUT. Without the knowledge of how to use it, one cannot unleash its fullest potential. Jailbreak it. We offer jailbreaking services below standard market prizes @ chicko_ex_mech@hotmail.com