Technology and Culture

Technology and culture have both influenced each other equally. Technology has been directed as an improvement in our lives, but on the other hand, culture has been present in every invention, noticeable or not, and advancement in our evolving society. Technology is becoming focused upon more and more everyday, but culture is the determining factor that decides if there is a necessity for an improvement. There are endless views and perspectives that this situation can be viewed from, but without a doubt, technology and culture shape one another. Culture has been a part of our society, and way of life, forever. It is almost impossible to come up with an idea that isn’t influenced by culture. Picture our lives without cars, television, and computers. This would be an example of everyday life without technology. People could function happily in that type of atmosphere, but technology has changed our lives forever. Technology has definitely become the authoritative factor in our lives, but culture has shaped technology. Technology is made and used in such a variety of ways because many people who use the technology of today come from all walks of life and have different necessities, so to compensate for that technology must adapt to all different cultures.

In ‘Breaking Down Boarders’, Robert Samuels analyzes the intense use of today’s technology that are changing the culture and the society that we live in today. The public place are turning into private place where people get so used to the new technology that they start to discuss their own personal agenda openly. This also shows the behavior of people in public and how they socialize among one another. The cyber world is getting so advance and addicting that people are creating their own culture that is called “personal culture”. As Samuel states that “Personal culture derives much of its power from the fact that many of the new media devices are highly immersive: people on cell phones and laptops can become so involved in their own mediated worlds that they forget where they actually are and what they are supposed to be doing” (CC p361). This technology also allows us to function at a very high level where people constantly switch form on function to another and become more superficial. The science of technology has created an environment that it has influenced our culture in a way that we are stuck in the new technology era that it is very difficult to live a life without it and as new technology and devises are invented, the culture around us is also changing.

In today’s society people are so addicted to the cyberspace that they start to lose focus on their family and friends. This addicting has not only affected the health of the people but has also affected the family values and relationship as stated in Culture Jam “the family matriarch dies in front of the television, rigor mortis set in and her thumb is fixed on the remote” (CJ p46-47). Also in a recent survey (technology-timesonline), it showed how many teens in China have addiction problems to technology where they would sit the whole day long on their computers and add number of health problems. These health problems range from obesity to psychological issues and investigations are being done to resolve this and hope that the cyber world can be utilized in a more efficient way then producing addicts and psychological disorders. Technology has shaped and brought changes to many conservative cultures and this change may be a good thing and a bad thing as well. The use of technology between the Western and the Eastern culture is a great tool because many foreigners see and talk to each via computer, television and phones. A great tool is the introduction of skype via computers, which is free and everyone can communicate to each across many miles, yet enjoy and learn the culture of other countries. It may also bring people of many countries closer to civilization, which allows for a change due to the convenience of having such technology.

According to Neil Postman (CC), new technology brings about the winners and losers. Technology’s intrusion into a culture may bring a gain or lose, which at times doesn’t leave much for the preservation of the old culture. However, the new technology and the new culture associated with the technology bring new directions. An example would be going green, which will benefit the environment and its people as a whole. However, new technologies such as iPhone will bring about great profits to the corporate America but at the same time changes the lifestyle of many people. They get addicted to technology so much that it doesn’t leave any room for communication in person because everything is done via technology.

It can be further stated that at times people lose touch with reality and lose their social skills and also the etiquettes communication when socializing in real life, as Postman states, “technological change is neither additive nor subtractive (CC p373).” New technology does allow for change and in a huge way, which threatens many institutions. An example would whether taking an online class would be productive for a student or not. There is two of looking at it. Firstly it allows for the working students to earn a living and gain an education at the same time thus it may not allow much time to do interactive learning in classroom where teacher and student could learn and focus on things not understood at the same time. Secondly, the technology allows for one person to learn on their own pace but at the same time it does not allow the pleasure of instant feedback therefore, one has to wait for a reply from their professor. It can be gathered “new technologies compete with old ones—for time, for attention, for money, for prestige, but mostly for dominance of their world-view” (CC p372).

The perseverance of culture and the changing technology not only acts as a catalyst, but also allows by being neither additive nor subtractive. In the process there are loses and gains, which at times maybe good or bad. These changes can add to more psychosocial problems as discussed, or bring people closer to civilization by learning and understanding their culture and how globally we are interconnected through technology such as television, phone, camera, and computer. Technology allows easy access to things, which brings a bigger profit margin for corporate America. Technology also allows for addiction and more is demanded as many institution thrive and compete against once another to come with a better product which can allow one to dominate in the world such as iPhone and use of Skype across the globe.


Reflection
By doing this essay, I have learned how technology is associated to culture and how today’s technology is changing culture. Technology has definitely become the authoritative factor in our lives, but culture has shaped technology. The technology has addicted people in its own culture that they are so stuck in it and it is very hard to get out. This technological world has taken the peoples mind by storm and the more they get the more they want.

Since technology has made our lives easier, there are many disadvantages of technology. This technological world is there to stay and is getting more and more diverse as we go along and as new technology and devises are invented, the culture around us is also changing.

Advertisement and Culture

Calvin Klein

Pop culture is what we see, hear, speak, and are otherwise exposed to on a daily basis. The infomercials we see late on television, the billboards we see on the side of the road, the junk mail we receive, the links on the web pages we visit, and the radio commercials we hear all tie together to form this idea of pop culture. These, plus many other aspects, form our minds and teach us how to be culturally smart. Advertising is present in almost all forms of communication; the Internet, the telephone, the print media, the postal system, television, radio. The need for attention is one of the fifteen basic appeals that Calvin Klein has used to gain the attention of its male consumers. According to Jib Flowers, “the desire to exhibit ourselves in such a way as to make others look at us is a primitive, insuppressible instinct. The clothing and cosmetic industries exist just to serve this need, and this is way they pitch their waves.” Flowers also state that the advertisements such as Jockey underclothes and Calvin Klein jockey are aimed at males, “but the greater bulk of such appeals is targeted singlemindedly at women”. Advertisements such as Calvin Klein make the consumers be an object of fascination.

Advertisements also focus on brand recognition of its product and the unspoken words of the advertisement give the product that recognition in the market. Brand recognition is the extent to which a brand is recognized for stated brand attributes or communications. The appeal of colors and sexy bodies make one feel and be like it, when in reality all that is not true. The appeal of the pop culture today is very much embedded into our society then our original culture. Every advertisement employs an appeal that tries to find a way into our mind as it is discussed in Jib Flowers fifteen basic appeals.

In this advertisement, Calvin Klein uses young models to get the attention of the younger generation who are more into the fashion world. The advertisement uses both male and female models to get the attention of opposite sex audience. The colors used are black and grey appear on the underwear and bra with tan body with white background. The use of grey color with “Calvin Kevin” stands out. Five young white male and female models are wearing bra and underwear holding onto to each other tightly where their faces appear relaxed but shiny with good makeup. They are looking straight at the camera, where their main focus is to target the audience. The models are place in the juxtaposition, which is side by side and opposite each other. The environment itself is a photo shoot studio with white background in which the models are set as such that they fit like a glove and they are lying down side by side with heads down and feet up and vice versa. The logo on the advertisement shows Calvin Klein, which is place on the waist part of the men’s underwear and repeated on two more male models. The words are spaced out by having a female model in between each logo where the face is down toward the hip and the black bra creates a space in between, which shows the logo clearly and less busy.

Furthermore, the use of colors may indicate that it is geared to a certain population, which in this case is White young adulthood. The use of the black underwear, and bra with the logo of Calvin Klein in grey makes the logo standout based on the body color. Using the female and male models together is to attract the consumers attention where dark black hair allows the focus on the body and the curviness of the female body and how these products advertisement fit like a glove. The mood represented is comforting and relaxed which illustrates that wearing Calvin Klein underwear relaxes your body and it is very comforting wearing them. The position of model allows for the Calvin Klein logo to get the attention it needs. The promise this advertisement is trying to put across to consumers in real life is not true for everyone because everyone who buys Calvin Klein does have a six-pack or will have a woman with a thin, and curvy body. The advertisement seeks to persuade the consumers to buy a certain product, which is very useful indeed. In this Calvin Kelvin advertisement, it can be stated that the attention went to the way the advertisement was presented rather then the product or it’s name “Calvin Klein.” The use of the male models with the incorporation of the female modes makes the advertisement more appealing to the audience.

The Calvin Klein advertisement is focused of great male and female body, which in real life these models maybe even having an eating disorder just to get this body image. The image created by Calvin Klein allows for young adulthood minds to focus on their body and the product that supports that body image. The focus on the body image shows shiny, beautiful thin bodies to the bones where one can see the ribs allows the future generation to be like them in order to be able to fit into the society. This is the kind of image that Calvin Klein advertisement represents. The Vanity Fair statement states that “the recognition had to have been hard for a man who is so obsessed with perfection—in the clothes he designed, in bodies, in colors, in photographs, in houses, in the suits he now wears (made by Caraceni, once Gianni Agnelli’s tailor)—that he has spent much of his life in pursuit of it; the rigor of that pursuit is one of the things that define him as a designer.” This statement indicates his obsession and his vision of things he wanted to create for himself and how he used on these models to be a perfectionist when it comes to a perfect society. This imagines can also show a struggling population with weight issues cannot wear this brand.

Analyzing further, this advertisement also uses Jib Flowers need for sex appeal. The use of healthy, fit men may indeed attract their attention and create desire, but their willingness to engage in intercourse is rarely aroused strictly because of a man's body. The male models physical appearance plays a role in the advertisement, suggesting health and strength. The female models and male model holding them indicates domination in some way, which indicates that one can wear the Calvin Klein underwear and still be dominant in their own special way. The appeal of this advertisement use soft pornography by using female models and holding them in a certain way by being putting them in a passive and submissive role. The male models could represent being a homosexual or metrosexual at the same time, by appealing to both worlds of men, which is straight and gay population. The role of female model in this advertisement is there for sex appeal, which can grab the attention of the male consumers. When it comes to need for aesthetic sensations the photography is near perfect, the type style is well chosen, the layout could scarcely improved upon. Because the advertisers know there is little chance of good communication occurring if an advertisement is not visually pleasing.

The unique advertising campaigns and tons of celebrity backing, Calvin Klein underwear changed the public’s opinion of undergarments in pop culture and style. To keep their fashions at the cutting edge of men’s underwear, Calvin Klein underwear continually introduces new fabrics and new lines, geared toward the full spectrum of use, from everyday to athletic to special occasion. It would seem that while Calvin Klein certainly employs the notion of "sex sells" in its underwear advertisements; it is somewhat paradoxical to think that such ads will appeal to their target consumer. Pop culture shapes our lifestyle beyond our cultural boarders. Pop culture is embedded and delivered via means television, magazines, music, fashion and comic books. The need to wear a brand represents, the imagine of oneself and the society that one lives in and we must still try to realize that advertising is an aspect of our society and our lives, and it isn't going to go away. Pop culture is also embedded in our everyday life and will continue to grow as the advertising industry grows. As Jim Flowers says “In effect, advertisers over the years have blindly felt their way around the underside of the American psyche, and by trial and error, have discovered the soft point of entrée, the place where their messages have the greatest likelihood of getting by consumers’ defenses”.


Reflection
By writing this essay, I learned the importance of the advertising world and its effects on culture. Advertisements are part of pop culture that is present in almost all forms of communication; the Internet, the telephone, the print media, the postal system, television, radio. Every advertisement employs an appeal that tries to find a way into our mind and this appeal of the pop culture today is very much embedded into our society then our original culture.

I also learned that how advertisements uses the human body to get the attention of the audience and the use of color that is incorporated in the advertisements. Advertisements deliver that unspoken words to convince the public of the product that creates a pop culture. The appeal of colors and sexy bodies make one feel and be like it, when in reality all that is not true. After doing this essay, I will also be more focused in analyzing the advertisements that I will see on the TV or in public and the pop culture associated with it.

Fijian Firewalking

Fijian Firewalkers

Fiji Firewalkers explores Fiji's people, land and culture, with a special emphasis on the legendary firewalkers of Beqa Island. They perform the ancient rituals of the firewalking ceremony in the Fijian culture. This ancient religious ceremony often requires great strength and discipline of the mind, body and spirit. Followed by firewalking there is the meke, and a must have yaqona (national beverage – kava) ceremony which signifies sharing a bowl creates an invisible bond between the participants. Meke is a communal dance/theater combing singing, chanting and drumming. These three subcultures are interlaced by one another and woven tightly into the fabric of the Fijian culture.

The Island of Beqa is the home of the firewalkers, which is located off the Pacific Harbour Bay of Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji islands. Members of the Sawau Tribe of Beqa have for over 300 years been passed the uncanny ability to walk on scorching rocks from their forefathers. The firewalkers consist of several male chosen from each village. Before the firewalking ceremony they are to observe for two weeks two strict rules, which are there must be no contact with women and eating coconuts is forbidden, so that they do not have severe burns to their feet. The preparation requires digging a pit a meter or more in depth in which a huge bonfire is build and after the stones in the pit are heated, the firewalking takes place. The placement of a long fern tree is laid across the pit, which contains the spirit of god. Nowadays the firewalking ceremony is performed occasionally for Fijians, but most often for the benefit of tourist at various resorts. The performance for the visitors is generally less traditional although the demonstration of firewalking is just genuine.

In addition, Hindus in Fiji as part of religious ceremonies also practice firewalking. The firewalking involves a lot of physiologically and psychologically preparation between the two cultures. However, Indo-Fijian firewalkers abstain from sex and meat that medicate till midnight and wear loose yellow and red robed like clothing because these colors signify spiritual cleansing and the use of turmeric signifies prosperity and power over diseases. On the day of the fireworking ceremony, the firewalkers bath in the river or sea before pundits pierce their tongues, cheeks, and bodies with three-pronged skewers. Again the ceremony has the components of dancing, street chanting and dance. According to Singh, “During the dance and the actual fire walking, the devotees appear to be in a deep trance. Their bodies are whipped before and during the ceremony and they do not appear to register any pain. It is believed that if they focus on the Goddess then they will be free of all harms.” These two events performed by two different populations represent the same components of mind, body, and spirit.

However, the meke ceremony is unique to the native Fijians as it allows expression and transmission of important historical events, stories, legends and culture to be handed down from one generation to another. Since men, women and children all participate in the meke, there are a combination of dance and repetitive rhythmic chanting, telling the stories of everyday life, or of ancient gods or of battles won. Different types of meke include the war dance, men's club dance, men's spear dance, as well as the men or women's fan dance, women's standing dance and the sitting dance performed by men or women. As, all these meke are group dancers in which the overall appearance and group co-ordination are important, it links with the spiritual world, which allows for chanting to begin and swaying of the dancers in the meke group. In meke every motion and act has its significance while the position of the dancers is equally important since, villagers of high birth have special positions in the ceremony, whom to place them in a subordinate spot would insult them. The dancers wear the traditional outfit such as clothes made of bark leaves and coconut shells with intricate designs, which signify stories of the war times and connect with spirituality. Mekes are performed at various occasions such as birth of a child, wedding ceremonies, funeral and festivities of spirituality. The use of war clubs during meke indicates the cannibalism in the historic times, which represents the great warrior gods who were cannibals and required human sacrifice. These stories are well integrated into the meke when done by the meke dances.

Another unique ritual to be observed during the Fijian firewalking ceremony is the drinking of yaqona, the national beverage also known as kava. The significance of the yaqona is also done ritually when welcoming visitors, sending village members on a journey, christening boats, casting magical spells, making deals and settling arguments. Though, men and women can both drink yaqona given the rank among the couples if they are to join an all male group, segregation of men and women is still practiced in the villages and also during the ceremonies. Yaqona ceremony allows one to explore and get to know the Fijian culture and it’s people and their friendly hospitality. It is that invisible bond that has no boundaries and everyone is treated as one as if everybody belongs to the same culture.

The firewalkers of Fiji perform the ancient rituals of the firewalking ceremony. Those rituals of firewalking, meke, and yaqona drinking are indeed unique to the Fijian culture since they are interwoven into the fabric of the Fijian society. Without each component one ceremony would be less ritual to another because they signify and carry a lot of meaning within each one as described above. What make this subculture unique are the traditions, the spiritual beliefs, physiological, and the psychological factors involved in the preparation of each ceremony and the importance it hold to the Fijian society as a whole. When comparing both the firewalking ceremonies between the Fijians and the Indo-Fijians it allows for same goals to occur that is allowing the mind, body and spirit to come together although preformed in two very different styles. As though, they both represent dance, chanting, calling of the spirits, it allows the performers not able to feel the pain associated with the firewalking ceremony, which is unique to audience watching it.

Reflection

The Fijian firewalkers remained me the cultures in the Fiji Islands where I have being born and raised. The fire walking ceremony and the meke dance was usual ceremony that I used to attend and learned a lot about the Fijian culture. After migrating to USA, I did not have a chance to see the fire waking ceremony and the meke dance. Writing this essay remained me of the subculture of the Fijian culture and it’s people and their friendly hospitality. It is that invisible bond that has no boundaries and everyone is treated as one as if everybody belongs to the same culture.

Perhaps nothing is reflects the Fijian reverence for tradition like agony (kava) drinking. Every home in the weekend will probably come upon the spectacle of a family sitting and drinking muddy colored liquid called agony. Kava drinking is also done in US but it is done only on certain occasions.