audrey’s Weblog

The modernizing wave of the previous century has brought about unprecedented changes in many parts of the world. With such rapid advancements in technology, there is growing concern whether certain fields of technology has made our society less moral or transformed us into cold unfeeling individuals living in a separate world of our own. This is in the context of societies where the lives of individuals largely revolve around technology.

The ‘Speech Revolution’ involved the development of speech and language. At present, we are in the midst of another revolution in communication known as the ‘information revolution’ (Jones, 2003) Recent advancements most prevalent are those in telecommunications, wireless communications and the internet. It has revolutionized the way we interact, reducing the amount of face-to-face communication between people. Sending messages via the mobile phone, instant messengers such as msn or electronic mail are slowly replacing the good old telephone. Technology has enabled the communication of our ideas and commands to machines, instead. Technology has sped up the pace of life, making time increasingly scarce. We are less likely to strike conversations with the people living next door, compared to the past. In schools, we are able to attend ‘e-tutorials’, allowing us to communicate and learn without even having to go to the classroom, with NTU just one such example. Hence, it could be said that technology is reducing our communication to mere words or emoticons, making our society less human.

Other than areas of communication, we see a heavy reliance on technology to think, with some arguing that it might be replacing human brains in some instances. We no longer have to remember telephone numbers or appointments, being able to record them in our mobile phones for instance. In factories, bottling and assembling are now done by machines. This has brought about large amounts of convenience and efficiency. However, we lose the human touch, and over reliance on technology may in some sense make us less ‘human’.

Moving on to a larger context, technology in the area of warfare is said to make man less feeling. Gone are the days where man use stones and axes as weapons to engage in war. Biological and nuclear weapons, along with sophisticated machinery are able to cause widespread destruction, making it much easier to take a life than ever before. A bomb can be dropped in another country with just the press of a button, even without soldiers going on the battlefield. As a result, people may become desensitized to the atrocities and killings, with the ease and availability of technology for causing destruction.

Technology may also distract us from what is really important in life. With technology, there are many forms of entertainment that are easily accessible. As a result, priorities change. Social circles no longer need to revolve around the local community as the global community becomes increasingly easy to access. In some societies, the place of worship may no longer be the hub of the community as it once was. This may result in a decline in people practicing religion in those places. (Hughes, 2007) Many of our moral codes stem from religion, and it is a large part of being ‘human’.

In this essay, I am only looking at a small scope of the negative effects that technology can have on the society. There are in fact many other negative effects, such as greater social gaps within nations, to list an example. Despite these negative effects, we also cannot discount the fact that technology has brought about numerous benefits. These include greater efficiency, convenience and a raised standard of living in the more developed nations.

In conclusion, there are areas of technology that raised the issue that technology has made us unfeeling and isolated beings, bringing in the point that it has made us less ‘human’. I believe the blame should not be put entirely on technology, but it is the people behind and using these technologies that have resulted in these effects.

References:

Jones, Douglas (2003) Information Technology and Human Development, http://www.ifp.uiuc.edu/~jones/infotech.html

Huges, Ben (2007) Our Lack of Morals: Technology and the Modern World, http://religiousintolerance.suite101.com/article.cfm/our_lack_of_morals

I quote David Rosen, clinical associate professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the U-M Health System. “I think that in the public’s view of mental health conditions, many people think depression kills more people because they commit suicide, or that schizophrenia kills people because people who are psychotic sometimes do very dangerous things.”The reality is that eating disorders kill more people than all of the other mental health conditions combined.” (Murray, 2008)

Eating disorders are health problems that affect the population. The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. People suffering from anorexia nervosa have the desire to be thin, leading to voluntary starvation. Bulimia on the other hand, is a disorder in which the person eats a lot and then eliminates the food by self induced vomiting, laxatives, fasting or excessive exercise. (Murray, 2008) Anorexia and Bulimia can be seen to be largely social diseases of affluence. Hence in this essay, I will examine eating disorders as a result of social influences.

The rise in the number of people suffering from eating disorders is largely a result of the mass media and globalization. Television advertisements and popular shows portray thin people as the ideal form of beauty. To some the pursuit of the ideal beauty becomes an obsession and results in eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, with binging and purging becoming daily habits. These people do not realize that if these disorders remain untreated, they may become fatal.

I relate this to socialization and the concept of the ‘looking- glass self’. Young people, especially students, feel the need to belong, and are conscious of what other people think of their physical appearances. This is where the ‘looking-glass self’ comes into play, which is the imagination of how one appears in a particular mind, and the kind of self feeling one has, determined by the attitude. They see themselves reflected in other people’s behaviour towards them. (Cooley, 2001: 293) With the portrayal of popular beauty in the mass media, along with socialization further emphasizing the idea, people feel the need to be thin, which could lead to eating disorders. Young people are easily influenced and are especially susceptible to suffering from eating disorders. However, it is not just limited to middle class or affluent teenage girls as popularly perceived, who appear obsessed with grades, relationships and having the perfect body. Although much fewer in number, males do suffer from eating disorders too. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, today researchers find that for every four females with anorexia, there is one male, and for every 8-11 females with bulimia, there is one male.

Another reason for eating disorders, for women, is the great pressure to make others pleased by controlling their physical appearances. Women today have to meet the requirements of both professional and traditional roles. Such eating disorders can be seen to be the extreme point of reaction towards such role conflicts. (Moorey, 1991:57)

In more affluent countries, as a result of globalization, there is a large range of food available for choice from all parts of the world. Increased choice, exposure to healthy living and the increased importance apportioned to aesthetics has resulted in dietary choices, which could be fraught with anxiety. Some people may end up being obsessed with eating less fat, or the healthier choice, which might eventually lead to eating disorders.

Eating disorders can arise as a result of multiple reasons, such as when people encounter major life transitions and fear change, feeling a loss of control. Failure at school, work or a traumatic event could also result in eating disorders, which might appear to be an escape from these feelings. They may appear to be largely reasons as a result of the individual. However, I believe these are also a result of social factors that affect the individual, as individuals fear how they appear to society.

As can be seen, eating disorders are largely a result of social influences. Society influences how we think, act and behave. As a result, sometimes people feel a loss of control or the need to be included as a result of societal pressures. This might lead to health problems such as eating disorders.

References:

Cooley, Charles Horton (2001), ‘Looking-Glass Self’ in The Production of Reality, Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Moorey, James. (1991). Anorexia and Bulimia, Manchester : Manchester Uni. Press

Murray, Bob (2008) Recent News and Research into Sociology and Social Issues. http://www.upliftprogram.com/h_social_01.html

With the advent of globalization, the movement of people has become much easier. The increase in mobility of the people has led to movement of different groups of people, as a consequence of urbanization. The groups of people that will be touched on in this essay are immigrants, people moving from rural to urban areas and city users. Many city dwellers feel that much of the original population of the neighbourhood has been filtered out. Hence, does this movement of people benefit the city?

Immigration has become easier and much more common in parts of the world. Immigrants migrate for several reasons, for example, to escape poverty or to earn a higher income. The underlying cause for immigration is to seek a better life and a higher standard of living, largely in the cities. The trend is moving from a less developed to a more developed country that will have better prospects than their home country.

In fact, a substantial number of present day immigrants are highly skilled in specialized jobs, sought after by the countries they migrate to. This group of immigrants adds to the city’s and country’s technical expertise. This in turn increases the country’s rate of technological and scientific advancement which will further benefit the country in terms of trade.  This might also solve population problems, as countries and cities facing the advent of an aging or declining population have taken advantage of immigration to counterbalance the falling birth rates.

There are problems associated with immigration that cannot be ignored, however. These include racial cultural tensions as a result of differences in culture between the locals and immigrants. The local people might also see immigrants as taking over jobs that were originally theirs.

An increasing number of people move from farms and villages move to live in cities, a phenomenon known as rural urban migration. Many of these people are attracted by the idea of urbanism in the city. In addition, living in cities permits people to take advantage of the opportunities of proximity, diversity and competition. Rural dwellers hence largely move to the cities in search of a better life. This results in an increased pool of cheap labour, which is necessary in cities suffering from a lack of labour in primary and secondary industries. This would help sustain these industries, which would face closure as native city dwellers are encouraged to take up jobs in the tertiary sector. However, there is a high possibility that these rural migrants enter the bottom rungs of the urban occupational structure and suffer inequality in status attainment in the city, creating social problems. [1]

Private cars, fast transportation and a developed aviation industry have resulted in an increased mobility of the people. This, combined with greater availability of income and leisure, has led to the movement of a new group of people, known as ‘city users’. This is a group of people who move to the city to make use of its services, for example shopping, movies, museums and restaurants, to name a few. One example is London’s Heathrow Airport. The London airport system handles a transient population numerically equivalent to entire nations like Italy or the UK, and this population is expected to double in the next few years.[2] A large number is composed of ‘city users’. This group of people contributes to the economy of the cities, by leaving a sizable amount of money in shopping, hotel and restaurant bills.

In conclusion, as a whole, movement of people does benefit cities. The benefits are largely economic, as cities are forced to improve to compete on the global stage. The social problems arising as a result cannot be denied; hence these benefits are largely dependent on the profile of people moving. I believe that economic benefits exceed the drawbacks, coming to the conclusion that movement of people into the cities is largely beneficial.

Singapore is still considered a newly independent state, having obtained independence in 1965. Being a migrant society, the Singaporean identity is unclear, compared to other nations with thick cultural memories. Since then, much has been done with the creation of a Singaporean national identity. Is it the government or the people that has been creating the national identity of Singapore? It can be said that it was the people of Singapore that was multiethnic to begin with, and the government played on this fact to create a national identity for Singapore. In all, however, I believe that the creation of Singapore’s national identity is largely a top down approach, artificially created by the government to bring the Singapore population together.

National identity involves a collective identity unique to the country. When Singapore first gained independence, the problem the government faced was how to forge a national identity based on a common set of norms, beliefs and value, giving the people a shared destiny and sense of belonging.

A year after the Republic was born; they penned the pledge and the promise to build ‘one united people regardless of race, language and religion’. This has been recited by every school child since. The pillars of national constitution were thus created, and along with the pledge, there was the national anthem and state flag. There was a strong focus on the fact that Singapore was multiethnic, with four dominant ethnic groups: Chinese, Malay, Indian and ‘Others. There was denial of internal variety but instead their contrasts were highlighted to create a national identity. This was largely top down, rather than developing citizen’s sensitivity towards cultural diversity. National Day was also emphasized, as a conscious construction of representation. It is a day everyone celebrates being Singaporean, sings national day songs to feel an exceptional sense of belonging and identity.

One of the government’s significant efforts was the introduction of National Service (NS) for all Singaporean males. This is a social institution which involves camaraderie and bonding as they undergo training, and discover commonality among men of different background and race. According to Mindef, NS was to develop into an important Singapore cultural icon, social glue and lifestyle, affecting the way men work, live and play. These were part of the government’s aims to create a common experience and identity for all. Government efforts do not end there. They also include education, with national education for the younger generation to learn the trials and tribulations of this nation state. There is also the bilingual policy which requires students to learn English and their mother tongue, to enable Singaporeans to have a common language of communication, yet uphold Asian values. This is in a bid to create a sense of identity.

However, Singapore’s national identity can be said to be significantly played by the people as well. The people were multiethnic to begin with, a fact which the government played on to achieve a national identity. With social interaction among the people, identities were created. Singlish is one good example which borrows the many languages spoken in Singapore. There is mixing of languages, yet the people still understand each other, creating an identity. Food is also another example, with ‘borrowing’ across ethnic boundaries creating dishes unique to Singapore. There is also the love of chilli among most Singaporeans, creating a sort of identity.

In conclusion, there are identities shaped by both social interaction and policies of the government. However, I believe that Singapore’s national identity is still largely shaped by the government. Identities created by the people are largely cultural and not entirely spontaneous and bottom up.

Chua Beng Huat and Eddie Kuo (1995) ‘The Making of a New Nation: Cultural Construction and National Identity’ pp 101-103
George, Cherian (2000) ‘Beyond the Sapping Debate on Language and Culture’, in Singapore, an Air conditioned nation. pp176-182
Lepoer, Barbara (1989) Singaporean identity,http://countrystudies.us/singapore/19.htm
Mindef, 35 years of national service, http://www.mindef.gov.sg/ns35/pdf/main/35yearsofNS.pdf
Chua Beng Huat and Rajah, Ananda (2003) ‘Food, Ethnicity and Nation’ pp93-117