CLT110 - Culture, Image and Text : Week 1

What is Cultural Studies?

Cultural Studies helps us understand ourselves as humans and how we relate to each other. There are many definitions of Cultural Studies, however we are focussing on two cultural studies traditions:

1. Birmingham School of the 1960s
2. Frankfurt School from the 30s-40s-50s

Stuart Hall from the Birmingham School states the central goal of cultural studies is to enable people to understand what is going on, and especially provide ways of thinking, strategies for survival and resources for resistance (Hall, 1990).

Key categories to which we will apply theories:

• Nation and national identities
• Personal and local identities
• Gender and sexuality

Anderson and Schlunke state representation means that things like the arts (painting, photography, television, film etc) function to depict, portray and symbolise aspects of the 'real' world. In Cultural Studies this use of the term representation has been contested, and in fact there are theories (such as postmodern or poststructuralist, or textual theories) which argue that to represent someone, something, the world, we are simultaneously creating or shaping that reality, or the world we are attempting to present (Anderson & Schlunke, 2010). 

What is culture?

Is culture:

• another word for art
• for traditions or practices
• for nationalities and their customs?

Is it all of those things, or more or less? Some people say culture is tied to money and status. These people tend to use terms like 'high' and 'low' culture which tends to be tied to concepts of money, elitism, value and class. It is important to note there is a connection between written materials and 'high culture' (or the culture of people with money). This was in the days before Internet, radio and television.

Culture is also found within the workplace and the ways we interact with others (dating, family, community cultures) and sporting culture (football clubs, artists, etc).

Williams says the making of society is the finding of common meanings and directions and its growth is an active debate and amendment, under the pressures of experience, contact and discovery, writing themselves into the land. The growing society is there, yet it is also made and remade in every individual mind (Williams, 2001). Culture is born into us, AND learned and amended due to life experiences. He goes on to say a culture has two aspects: the known meanings and directions, which its members are trained to; and the new observations and meanings, which are offered and tested. The nature of culture is both traditional and creative. Culture is ordinary, in every society and in every mind (Williams, 2001).

What is an image?

An image is a representation of something, a painting, photograph, drawing, moving image, sculpture etc. Images are markers which help us make sense of the world and are a fundamental part of culture. They are constructions of reality, not reality itself. Visual signs and images, even when they bare a close resemblance to the things to which they refer, are still signs that need to be interpreted (Hall, 1997: 19).

What is text?

We can send text messages (which are written communication on a mobile phone), but think about the text of an artwork, i.e. the written component of a play or film script. A text, from a cultural point of view, is a communication (an artwork, legislation, gesture, performance, recording, activity, event etc) that we examine in a given theoretical context. Consider the artwork of Mona Lisa - the text is different to the art. The text is an activity that we experience in a particular way. Why do people travel around the world to view the Mona Lisa when it can be viewed in a photograph or digital image online? The text gives it a more complex understanding of the 'meaning' of Mona Lisa.

Food for thought

1. Consider the practice of showering. In Australia where our continent is enormous, largely barren and dry - why is it culturally acceptable for us to shower daily? Should we feel guilty for having a long, hot shower each day when there are people in other countries who do not, or can not?
2. Why is everything other than Western culture considered barbaric, cowards, effeminate, untrustworthy, lazy, immoral or evil?

References:

Anderson, Nicole & Schlunke Katrina, "Cultural Theory in Everyday Practice", 2010.

Hall, "The Emergence of Cultural Studies and the Crisis of the Humanities" October, v53, 1990, p22.

Williams, "Culture is Ordinary" GIA Reader Vol 12, No 1.

Web207: Web Media: The Digitisation of Music

The Digitisation of Music

The impact that digitisation and convergence has had on music has been phenomenal. Digitisation has made music easy to find, easy to produce, easy to distribute and easy to consume. Convergence has enabled music to cross mediums, cross platforms, resulting in multiple ways of consumption. This paper will discuss how digitisation and convergence has affected the production, distribution and consumption of music and how this has altered the relationship between artists and consumers.

Henry Jenkins defines convergence as more than a simple technological shift, that it alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences (Jenkins, 2004). But what does this mean? The term digitisation describes the process of making an electronic version of a real object or event which enables the object to be stored, displayed and manipulated on a computer and shared over networks and/or the Internet (Eadie, 2005). So how do we relate digitisation to convergence? And how are both related to music?

Reflecting back on the seventies and eighties, when music was analogue, makes me wonder how we managed without digital music and iTunes. I recall buying my first record and playing it over and over on the turntable, worried it would wear out. So I, along with millions of other music lovers, thought it best to record that album onto a cassette tape so I could preserve the vinyl. This was a time-consuming job – especially if you wanted the songs on the album to fit precisely onto one side of a cassette without having to turn the cassette over. It took skill, determination and forward planning to get it right.

Times have changed immensely. Now it is as simple as logging into iTunes, plugging in your iPod and downloading whichever tracks you want. Within a matter of seconds you have a song and you don't even need to buy the whole album!

Has this been a good thing for the music industry though? Yes and no! With the introduction of digital music during the early nineties, music lovers began sharing music across the Internet illegally. When record companies discovered this, they began threatening legal action, citing copyright infringement. The record companies never understood if you let listeners have a taste of new music - they would go out and buy the CD or concert ticket. They didn't understand that the Internet was a good thing (Kot, 2009).

The record industry executives had a history of feeling threatened however. When phonographs appeared at the turn of the century, they were afraid music lovers would no longer attend concerts. When radio began broadcasting the threat was if music lovers heard their favourite tunes on the radio – they would no longer buy records. The same situation with the invention of cassettes and then CD's (Kot, 2009). So it was only natural they would initially feel threatened with digital music. Being the money hungry executives that they are – they had reason to panic - they could no longer stop music lovers sharing music on a large scale using peer to peer networks.

Peer to peer isn't a new concept – its been around since the sixties with UseNet (Wikstrom, 2010), however nowadays because computers have large memory capacity and access to high speed broadband it is easy for the average home user to share content across the Internet.

One very effective way of sharing content via the Internet is by using social media. The rise of social media has been extraordinary. People rely on social networks to share information and digital property with friends and strangers. Social media platforms give users unlimited space for storage and plenty of tools to organise, promote, and broadcast their thoughts, opinions, behaviour, and media (Manovich, 2009). In relation to music, new music is being discovered by music lovers faster than ever before. Utliising websites like LastFM, MySpace and YouTube enables up and coming artists to get their music heard and videos seen at a surprisingly fast rate.

The Internet is not only used for sharing music, but also for producing it. During the days of analogue music – recording high quality music and videos was restricted to those few with expensive facilities and audio/visual equipment. Nowadays anybody with a laptop can create their own music and/or video (Wikstrom, 2010). Now many wannabe musicians are producing music and videos on their home computers, manipulating them with free software and uploading them to sites like YouTube and MySpace. Some artists, including Lily Allen and Justin Bieber have made successful careers using these resources (Leaver, 2012).

Convergence relates to the flow of content across multiple media platforms (Jenkins, 2006). He goes on to say:

“Convergence is the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want”.

TV fans and movie lovers are known for downloading their favourite series and films from the Internet before they are available in their country. It's the same with music lovers. Music lovers who are discovering new music via social networks, and friends on the other side of the world, will not wait for CD's to be released in their country. If they can't download tracks from iTunes legally – they will acquire them from peer to peer networks or bit torrent sites (Leaver, 2012).

Digitisation and convergence go hand in hand. It is faster and easier to share digital content across multiple platforms than it was analogue. Look at the current-day mobile phone and modern technology like tablets and touch screen devices. As technology changes it allow more content to be distributed and consumed using these devices. They allow us to watch previews of new films, download instalments of serialised novels, or attend concerts from remote locations (Jenkins, 2006).

How many ways can we consume music now? Jenkins elaborates that we can listen to music through our DVD player, our car radio, our walkman, our iPod, a Web radio station, or a music cable channel (Jenkins, 2006). We don't have to wait for our media content any longer. We can get it immediately. Media is now instant, global, multi-sensory, transmissible, networked, interoperable and editable (Sinnreich, 2010). Therefore media is transmitted at light speed to anybody with Internet access. The number of people with Internet access is greater than it has ever been in the past.

Therefore the digitisation of music has had a profound effect on the production, distribution and consumption of music. However, even though it is simpler to get digital music out there, the question is – is it easier to get recognised? There's never been more music available. There's never been more places to find music (Baym, 2010). Because it is so effortless for up and coming artists to create a video clip or record themselves playing it also means they are competing with so many more who are doing the same thing, hence the competition is greater.

Many artists have a Facebook page, MySpace account, Twitter account or a website which enables fans to communicate with them. The communication barriers between stars and their fans have been broken.

What does the future hold for digital music and convergence? Think about it. How many of us had access to the Internet when we were young? How many of our parents did? Now think about our children. Because more people across the world are connected now more than ever – how many more will be online in say five, ten or twenty years? According to the Pew/Internet Report dated April 10, 2009, mobile phone ownership is increasing every year. In 2009 71% of teens aged 12-17 owned a mobile phone. 81% of teens went to websites for music groups and 63% used social networking sites (Lenhart, 2009).

What does this mean for musicians? It means social networking is an avenue for advertising which should not be ignored. It means fans talk amongst each other and exchange information as well as content. Word of mouth is a strong marketing tool and artists need to remember that word travels fast on the Internet. Their every move is watched, anticipated and maybe even photographed or blogged about. The relationship between musicians and their fans has shifted. Now the fans have control – especially if they have a camera!

When music became digital it enabled it to evolve in such a way that it crossed over into other mediums, making it more accessible to listeners. This convergence has enabled music to be discovered and shared among music lovers at lightening speed, across the globe, with little or no barrier. The Internet has proven to be a powerful tool when it comes to digital content overall.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baym, N. (2010, June 23). Changing Relationships, Changing Industries. Berkman Center For Internet & Society Retrieved July 5, 2012, from http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2010/06/baym

Eadie, M. (2005). The Digitisation Process: an introduction to some key themes. AHDS Arts and Humanities Data Service. Retrieved July 1, 2012 from http://www.ahds.ac.uk/creating/information-papers/digitisation-process/index.htm

Jenkins, H. (2004). The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 7(1), 33-43. doi: 10.1177/1367877904040603.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York, USA: NYU Press.

Kot, G. (2009). Napster vs. Metallica. In Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music (pp. 25-39). New York: Scribner. http://edocs.library.curtin.edu.au/eres_display.cgi?url=dc60267031.pdf&copyright=1

Leaver, T. (2012) ... Topic 1.3: Music [Lecture]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=794620&cnt=true&usr=not-indicated&name=not-indicated

Lenhart, A. (2009). Teens and Social Media An Overview Amanda Lenhart. Retrieved from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic786630.files/Teens%20Social%20Media%20and%20Health%20-%20NYPH%20Dept%20Pew%20Internet.pdf

Manovich, L. (2009). The Practice of Every Day (Media) Life: From Mass Consumption to Mass Cultural Production. Chicago Journals, 35(2). doi: 10.1086/596645.

Sinnreich, A. (2010). The Crisis of Configurability. In Mashed Up: Music, Technology, and the Rise of Configurable Culture (pp. 69-89). University of Massachusetts Press.

Wikstrom, P. (2010). The Social and Creative Music Fan. In The Music Industry: Music in the Cloud (pp. 147-169). Polity.

Web206: Web Publishing: Has the division between public and private writing been influenced by the rise of social media?

Has the division between public and private writingbeen influenced by the rise of social media?

How has the division between public and private writing been influenced by the rise of social media? Do we write differently depending on the social networking site? Do we use both private and public voice separately? Or are they interchanged? Is it difficult to switch between colloquial private voice one minute to professional, academic voice the next. Do people make several accounts on the same platforms so they can publish in their different voices? In this essay I will address this division between public and private voice and the way people use their voices while communicating over the Internet.

What is the voice? The voice is our personal representation in all forms of communication. Rheinhold explains: “the 'voice' is the unique style of personal expression that distinguishes one’s communications from those of others, can be called upon to help connect young people’s energetic involvement in identity-formation with their potential engagement with society as citizens” (Rheingold, 2008). So when we speak or write text online we are using our voice. Initially we use our normal everyday private voice until we learn about the importance of using a more acceptable voice for online communication – the public voice.

Rheingold states: “Moving from a private to a public voice can help students turn their self-expression into a form of public participation. Public voice is learnable, a matter of consciously engaging with an active public rather than broadcasting to a passive audience” (Rheingold, 2008). When people use their voice on social media they need to consider that it is a public space where anybody can see what they have published. Social media is a powerful tool for communication and can sway readers to form an opinion. The power of social media is not simply about the size of the audience, but from the power of linking to each other to form a public. This is a psychological and social characteristic of the media (Rheingold, 2008).

The act of blogging can be highly interactive. However it can take some time for the blogger with no formal journalistic training to develop their blogging, and creative writing skills, enough to attract an audience. Van House claims: “The author's thinking and writing develop under public scrutiny. Some journalists-turned-blogger cite the immediate response that their blogging work receives as one of blogging's advantages over journalism” (Van House, 2004). Where traditional media has gatekeepers and content is controlled, blogging has no gatekeepers so there is no screening in place for the content that bloggers publish. Some blogs are academic, some professional, and others are very personal. Van House explains: “I have found that bloggers tend to be highly self revealing, not only about their work but about their whole self” (Van House, 2004).

As a blogger becomes successful and their audience grows, it is possible the blogger will not be able to keep up with the demand, the comments from readers and replies to emails. Shirky claims the more people read a blogger's work than the blogger can actually read and link to, makes it impossible for the blogger to answer all incoming mail or follow up to the comments on their site. The result of these pressures is that the blogger becomes a broadcast outlet, distributing material without participating in conversations about it (Shirky, 2003).

Some bloggers use their real names and private voice while others choose to use different names and a public voice to protect their real identities. Gumbrecht, Nardi and Schiano claim: “Some bloggers create pseudonyms if they wish to blog about topics which are political or considered controversial, to be kept separate from their everyday blogs. Some people blog about topics they feel uncomfortable about confronting a person with face to face. A large percentage of bloggers keep a blog simply to keep distant relatives informed of what's happening in their lives” (Gumbrecht, Nardi and Schiano 2004). They go on to report: “Some bloggers find their voice once they become aware that others are reading their blogs. They feed off positive comments and encouragement from their readers and hence write more” (Gumbrecht, Nardi and Schiano 2004). As a blogger myself, I can relate to this claim. I've been blogging for many years, however it took about two years for my blog to develop an audience. Their feedback and encouragement keep me writing, and hopefully in turn – I keep them entertained.

Social media is like a broadcasting service. What you publish can reach the other side of the world instantly and in most cases you have no idea who is reading your content. It is therefore advisable to use a public voice rather than your own, especially if you are using your real name. Hogan and Quan-Haase state: “Social media combines features of one-way media and two-way media. Like one-way media, information is broadcast from one source to a (potentially unknown) audience. But like two-way media, individuals can react and respond

to this communication through the same channels” (Hogan & Quan-Haase, 2010).

Protecting identity can be a concern for many people using social media. Some create pseudonyms or multiple accounts on social networking sites. Whereas traditional media needs to cover their own backs, on social media the writer needs protection. Snapper explains: “From the writer's perspective, it has been argued that the Web opportunity for more self publication by writers on their works shifts copyright concern away from protections for publishers to the need to protect writers” (Snapper, 1999). The social media landscape is changing so rapidly that it is hard to keep up. As soon as we become familiar with a social networking site's security settings, they change them without consultation. For the average user who doesn't post updates often, this can be problematic. Their privacy settings may be tight one day, and the next time they log in, things have changed, their settings are now lax and without knowing it – they are making public posts.

When Sandry declared: “The popularity of sharing, re-blogging and pinning is becoming more and more noticeable as a form of web publishing” (Sandry, 2012), it made me believe that it is becoming more and more difficult to find content on the Internet which can be trusted. When sourcing information to back up a web publisher's claims it can be problematic obtaining reliable sources. Warnick states: “Only 29% of people trust commercial websites and only 33% trust the advice. People want the sites to provide clear information on who runs the site, how to reach those people, the site's privacy policy and other factors related to site authorship and sponsorship” (Warnick, 2004). With the abundance of websites available on various topics and the number of domain extensions now seen, it is impossible to know if the information you are reading has come from a dependable source. “Domain names are proliferating; we can no longer rely on .com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov and so forth. Now .info, .biz and others have added to the mix, and the URL becomes less and less a reliable marker of what type of site it is” (Warnick, 2004).

Social media is a strong avenue for people to share information, images and personal details with their friends. And there are hundreds of social networking sites out there which people can join for networking. There are many advantages to sharing on social media – you can keep in touch with friends overseas, family who live interstate, or you can even be friends with your next door neighbour who you see every day. Shirky states: “Publishing an essay and having 3 random people read it is a recipe for disappointment, but publishing an account of your Saturday night and having your 3 closest friends read it feels like a conversation, especially if they follow up with their own accounts” (Shirky, 2003). I'm constantly amazed at the content which people share online. In fact I am sometimes disgusted when I see inappropriate images of people in compromising positions, or those who are regularly checking in at pubs and clubs and uploading images of themselves drinking cocktails every weekend. Is this expected to start a conversation? I wonder what conversation they are attempting to start with this form of communication. Are they not concerned with how this portrays them? And these people are using their real identities and are friends with their employer on Facebook.

Why do so many people share their most intimate thoughts over the Internet in public spaces? Do they think nobody is reading? Some people make aliases for publishing online, in fact it is probably best to do so. Maybe it's important to keep your private live and your professional life separate. However some social media sites require your real identity. Whereas it is acceptable to have more than one Twitter account, Facebook frowns upon this. Sengupta states: “Facebook has sought to distinguish itself as a place for real identity on the Web. As the company tells it's users: 'Facebook is a community where people use their real identities...the name you use should be your real name as it would be listed on your credit card, student ID, etc'” (Sengupta, 2012). However how do we know people are abiding by Facebook's rules? It is still possible to create fake accounts on Facebook.

Online behaviours and our voice make us the communicator that we are. When submitting content online are we looking for reassurance? Are we looking for fans? Or are we simply writing to get things off our chest? Kendall did a study on LiveJournal participants, about their online behaviours. He states: “Privacy concerns thus govern some of how LiveJournal participants use their journals. However there are also pleasures to be found in the public performance aspects of blogging. Private expressions risk exposure to the public world of the Internet”. He goes on to explain: “Attention to audience desires can make self–expression feel less genuine. The desire for autonomy and the belief in discrete, individual selves conflicts with the desire for feedback and approval from others” (Kendall, 2007).

The parameters of relationships has changed since social media became a form of communication and sharing. Prior to the Internet we could only have relationships with people whom we had met. Now we can have relationships with total strangers, friends of friends and fellow gamers on the other side of the world. On Twitter we can feel connected to celebrities if we follow their Twitter feed or Like their Page on Facebook. If a celebrity we are following retweets us personally, or sends us a direct message – we get excited because that tightens the bond we have with them. Johnson tells a story about TV queen Oprah tweeting about her dog having a tick. She asked her followers the best way of removing the tick. Her Twitter feed was overwhelmed with replies as Oprah has more than a million followers. However as Johnson states: “That isolated query probably elicited thousands of responses. Who knows what small fraction of her @ replies she has time to read? But from the fan's perspective, it feels refreshingly intimate” (Johnson, 2009).

In conclusion, in my opinion the division between public and private writing has been influenced by social media. Although it can be difficult to switch between colloquial private voice to professional, academic, public voice - it can be done. The more people use social media and learn to develop their writing and 'find their voice', the better understanding they will have about which voice to use within with the platform or website. The more they share, the more connected they will feel to an audience. The more mistakes they make, the more they learn what is acceptable in public spaces like the Internet.

References:

Gumbrecht, M., Nardi, B., & Schiano, D., (2004, November 6-10). Blogging as social activity, or, would you let 900 people read your diary? CSCW ’04 (6–10 November). Retrieved from http://home.comcast.net/~diane.schiano/CSCW04.Blog.pdf

Hogan, B & Quan-Haase, A. (2010). Persistence and Change in Social Media. Bulletin of Science Technology & Society 2010 30: 309 DOI: 10.1177/0270467610380012

Johnson, S. (2009, June 5). How Twitter Will Change The Way We Live. Time Magazine Online. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1902818-3,00.html

Kendall, L. (2007). Shout Into The Wind And It Shouts Back: Identity and Interactional Tensions on LiveJournal. First Monday, Vol 12. 9. 3 September, 2007. Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2004/1879

Rheingold, H. (2008). Using Participatory Media and Public Voice to encourage Civic Engagement. Civic Life Online: Learning how Digital Media can engage with Youth. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. 97–118. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262524827.097

Sandry, E. (2012) The Future of Web Publishing [Lecture]. Retrieved from http://echo.ilecture.curtin.edu.au:8080/ess/echo/presentation/f0e29969-3561-4de9-b975-fbf94696ec74

Sengupta, S. (2012, November 12). Facebook's False Faces Undermine Its Credibility. New York Times Online: Technology. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/technology/false-posts-on-facebook-undermine-its-credibility.html

Shirky, C. (2003, February 8). Clay Shirky's Writings About The Internet: Economics & Culture, Media & Community, Open Source. Retrieved from http://www.shirky.com/writings/powerlaw_weblog.html

Snapper, J. (1999). On the Web, plagiarism matters more than copyright piracy. Ethics and Information Technology, 1, 127-136.

Retrieved from: http://www.springerlink.com/index/L215064QJ8KK1331.pdf

Van House, N. (2004). Weblogs: Credibility and collaboration in an online world. Retrieved from :http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~vanhouse/Van%20House%20trust%20workshop.pdf

Warnick, B. (2004). Online Ethos: Source credibility in an "author-less" environment. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(2), 256-265. Available through the Library Database

Com14: Creative Writing: Book Blurb

Blurb for my book

Title: A Tidy Mess

Audience: young adults – probably female

Phoebe is twenty-five, has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, dreams of finding love and travelling to Italy. She works in the local bookstore which she loves. However she suspects a colleague is undermining her because strange things are happening within the store.

Juanita, Phoebe's house-keeper and confidante, has come to love Phoebe like her own daughter. But she is hiding a secret that will change Phoebe's life.

Phoebe's life-long friend Yasmine, introduces her to Marco. He is everything Phoebe could want in a man. But until she accepts how debilitating her OCD is, a successful relationship will never be possible.

Will Phoebe overcome her mental illness? Will she see Italy? What is the secret which Juanita keeps from her? Will she find the love she has been longing for? 

Com14: Creative Writing: Critical Film Review

Critical Review of movie 'Adrift'

Audience: movie-goers who enjoy adventure and sporting movies

You would think that a weekend cruise on a million dollar yacht would be a great way to spend your friends 30^th birthday. Is there anything better than a group of friends from high school reuniting to celebrate in luxury off Mexico's coast? You'd also think that putting the embarkation ladder down before jumping in the ocean would be second nature to a million dollar yacht owner, wouldn't you? Well it wasn't for Dan.

After his friends jump in to cool off, Dan picks up a fully-clothed Amy and jumps in to join the others in the ocean, but forgets the ladder. Hence begins six friends' struggle to get back on board the 40 foot vessel, where the baby is still sleeping. But they are 8ft below the deck and scaling the sides of the vessel proves impossible.

The friends will to survive is strong, however there are obvious flaws which leave you asking many questions. The most evident fault in this film is the cellphone Dan wears around his neck in a water-proof pouch that goes missing but isn't explained. It is there one minute but gone the next. There are other aspects of this film which leave you gaping with frustration.

Two of the friends in the group are new parents and bring their baby along. Amy had a traumatic experience as a child and witnessed her father drown. Her new husband James is well aware of her aquaphobia, yet when Amy dons a life jacket to walk along the jetty, doesn't think to put one on the baby, nor offer to carry her. Amy is obviously terrified and walks to the yacht with trepidation gripping her baby daughter so hard it's a wonder she can still breath. If Amy's fear of water is so strong, why not put a lifejacket on baby? Why not let James carry baby up the narrow gangplank?

I found myself yelling at these character's stupidity. I was frustrated watching them strip naked and make a rope with their boardshorts when Amy was wearing a long dress. Upon throwing the make-shift rope up to the guardrail, it successfully snags the cable, but instead of helping the smallest female to scale the rope, they send the heaviest male! More questions are unanswered: Under Amy's dress were matching lace underwear when she was breastfeeding...not very practical, but aesthetically pleasing for movie goers after all! Of course, like most Hollywood movies the actors are all beautiful with slim, brown bodies. However after treading water all day in the hot Mexican sun, they didn't end up sunburnt. Hmm!

This movie will infuriate you: it did me. It left me asking many times: if only...

Com12 Essay on Communication in the Workplace

This essay was written with emotion as I had only recently left my position at ABC Funding Company (not real name) when this unit began. It was important for me to write about it as a therapeutic process. It is interesting to note, this essay is based on fact. These events did occur during my time, which led to my eventual resignation. I was awarded a Distinction for this essay.

Thesis Statement

There are many forms of communication within the workplace. Some are successful, making it a positive experience for those involved. Others are unsuccessful and negative. Successful communication is beneficial to all parties involved resulting in profits for the company and satisfaction among it's workers. My essay will discuss the time I spent at ABC Funding Company as a Debt Collector and will describe and analyse two communication scenarios at that company

* * *

Debt Collectors who worked for ABC Funding Company (a billing company for martial arts schools), were required to meet weekly targets. It was imperative that the report list of delinquents i.e., those martial arts students whose direct debits were declined, were contacted in one form or another. Each week the Debt Collectors were supplied with a report of these delinquent students, and during their working shifts, were to check every student record on that report to investigate the reason for the declined payment. Depending on how many payments a student had missed – determined what action was necessary by the Debt Collector. Action may have involved sending the student an sms, an email, a posted letter or to contact them by phone. During employment as a Debt Collector at ABC Funding Company, these procedures changed numerous times. Nothing was provided to the Debt Collectors by way of written correspondence - all procedural changes were simply verbalised and noted on pieces of paper. The company did not hold staff meetings to address these issues. Messages sent by management were many and varied, were on an ad-hoc basis and changed often, therefore the messages received by employees were met with confusion and misunderstanding.


Upon initial employment at ABC Funding Company, the Manager was busy planning an international summit, therefore employee training was conducted by a senior staff member. It was a comfortable communication experience with this senior staff member as she was very friendly. She was also thorough in her teaching methods - notes were taken and read over each day to ensure thorough understanding of topics covered. Leaders who are able to establish mutual trust, respect, warmth and rapport with members of their group are more effective (Raj, 2008, p198). To describe her forms of communication - she would use verbal and non-verbal communication which was easy to decode. She also showed how to solve problems with graphic communication, i.e. the computer screen and role-play situations (Dwyer, 2013, p5). Role-plays were beneficial as it provided new employees the opportunity to role-play a customer versus Debt Collector communication exchange and all it's possible outcomes.


Upon analysis, this senior staff member was an effective trainer and team leader who was open, approachable and supportive (Dwyer, 2013, p4). In this first scenario the new Debt Collector was able to decode the sender's message with ease. It was simple to understand everything being taught, and the senior staff member made the job sound interesting and rewarding. Her chosen channel of communication was face-to-face, therefore facial expressions and body language were obvious (Dwyer, 2013, p4) as well as tone of voice and visual cues provided via the computer. 85% of learning comes from visual stimuli (Penrose, 1993, p5); and new employees at ABC Funding Company were fortunate to have access to graphic communication while training.


This first scenario was laid-back and casual. There were no staff meetings and the company had a relaxed way of communication. There was no noise or interference during this training phase. Both the senior staff member and the Debt Collector shared the same open-plan office and the messages received were identical to the messages sent. Messages were able to be decoded without interference and the communication was unambiguous and clear (Dwyer, 2013). In this scenario the information flow was linear, or point to point because it was among peers (Episode 3: Information Flow Types, 2012). There were no cultural issues in this scenario as the senior staff member was from a similar working background to the new Debt Collector. They both shared the same work ethics. Overall, this was a successful and positive communication experience.


The second scenario was an unsuccessful and negative experience. Because the Debt Collector's role was to manage the delinquent report, her responsibility was to ensure the report had been completed each week. This was not always possible due to time constraints. The Debt Collectors were paid a certain number of hours and some weeks, when the delinquent numbers were in excess, the report did not get completed and the Manager expected the Debt Collectors to work overtime without pay.


Over a number of weeks the new Debt Collector began to feel the pressure from management to work harder and faster. Problems arose because the Debt Collector was rushing through the student delinquent report and errors were being made. This resulted in time being wasted correcting these errors. The Manager refused to acknowledge the concerns raised by the Debt Collector. Superior – subordinate communication is considered the most important factor in enhancing job satisfaction (Penrose, 1993, p8). After being ignored by the Manager, the new Debt Collector's job satisfaction waned and she felt uneasy speaking with the Manager. She decided it was futile to discuss any further concerns with her or to voice any objections – so she spoke to the senior staff member who trained her instead. The senior staff member would report these concerns to the Manager on behalf of the Debt Collector, however the messages were lacking emotion, so they fell on deaf ears. It is important to encourage open communication in meetings, so that employees feel that they are heard and that what they say matters (The Importance Of Communication In The Workplace, n.d.). Realistically, if staff meetings were held, these issues could have been raised in an open forum in such a way as to ask for advice among peers, rather than complain.


Management required Debt Collectors to action at least 25 delinquents per hour. This meant they had exactly 2.4 minutes to access a student record, look at the payment schedule, determine the date and reason their payment(s) had been declined and then make contact. Sending an sms was achievable within the 2.4 minutes, however phone calls to students took longer. Despite this problem being brought to the company's attention, the issue was never resolved, resulting in the eventual resignation of the new Debt Collector.


The model of communication in this scenario can be linked to the Lasswell, Shannon and Weaver model. This was a one-way communication with no feedback or replies permitted (Dwyer, 2013). The flow of messages were through various channels (Lasswell, 1948) using phone, email, sms and Internet chat. Writing is more demanding than speaking. It is not supported by body language or voice (Raj, 2008, p46). Employees were to obey the Manager's instructions no questions asked. It was a linear model of communication which offered no feedback (Lasswell, 1948), and the information flow was divergent because it included direction (Episode 3: Information Flow Types, 2012). Therefore the Manager's written correspondence always felt demanding, instructional, delegatory, rather than friendly and approachable.


ABC Funding Company had a pyramidal communication pattern where the Manager assumed the role of leader and generated the information to be shared among the employees (Bell & Smith, 2010, p31). Often this communication would be misinterpreted and required clarification resulting in wasted time and resources. At ABC Funding Company communication processes broke down due to poor leadership.


Reflecting on these two experiences, it is apparent both scenarios were laid-back and casual. As there were no staff meetings, ABC Funding Company had unstructured communication which posed many problems. Because the working environment was too relaxed, staff members would joke and speak over one another and often employee questions went unanswered and problems were overlooked. Workplace listening was challenging because information was exchanged casually, people spoke at once and topics changed rapidly (Guffey, 2008, p53). Communication was too flexible and open ended (Bell & Smith, 2010, p30). There was much noise and distractions (Dwyer, 2013, p8). To describe the Manager's form of communication - she would use only verbal communication sent to employees via sms, email or chat. She never used graphic communication to help employees' comprehension. As the employees rarely saw the Manager face-to-face, this verbal (written) communication was often misconstrued as it lacked emotion, facial expression and body language. The cultural issue at play in this scenario was the fact that the Manager was from a small business and laissez-faire work environment but the new Debt Collector was from a large formal government department where effective communication was a priority, regular meetings were held and minutes recorded and actioned.


Upon analysis, ABC Funding Company would have benefited from staff meetings, and better leadership by the Manager. Informal meetings at work are held to exchange information, solve problems, make decisions or set goals (Dwyer, 2009). If the Manager had been personable and not profit-focussed, she would have made friends with her team. A corporate executive has a social responsibility in their capacity as a business person. They are to act in some way that is not in the interest of the employer (McJannet L & Hattersley M E, 2008, p201). The Manager at ABC Funding Company was emotionally inept as she always came across as abrupt, condescending and officious rather than nurturing and motivating. Interpersonal ineptitude in leaders lowers everyone’s performance: it wastes time, creates acrimony, corrodes motivation and commitment, builds hostility and apathy (Goleman, 1998, p3-4). Her personality was overbearing and bossy therefore the new Debt Collector found her unapproachable and rude, making communication with her impossible.


In conclusion, this essay has analysed two separate communication scenarios at ABC Funding Company. The first communication scenario was a positive experience with an approachable, courteous and professional leader who trained the new employees and used a variety of communication forms. The second was a negative experience with the Manager of the company who preferred to communicate in ways other than face to face. In addition, this essay has evaluated the the different styles of both leaders concluding that even though the environment was laissez-faire, the two different leadership styles and the communication methods of both leaders resulted in very different experiences for the Debt Collector. Furthermore it has ascertained the necessity of staff meetings within any organisation for easy flow of communication between management and staff.

REFERENCES


Bell, A H & Smith, D M 2010, Communication Architecture for Professional Success. Management Communication, 3rd ed, Hoboken, N J, John Wiley & Sons.


Communication Theory/Lasswell's model in Communication Models n.d., Homepage, viewed 22 December 2013, <http://communicationtheory.org/lasswells-model/>.


Dwyer, Judith 2009, Organise and Manage Meetings – The Business Communication Handbook, 8th ed, Frenchs Forest, Pearson Australia.


Dwyer, Judith 2013, Communication for Business and the Professions, 5th ed, Frenchs Forest, Pearson Australia.


Episode 3: Information Flow Types, 2012, YouTube video, AchieveScale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-TJ2ehkF_s.


Goleman, D 1998, Working with Emotional Intelligence, Bantam Books USA.


Guffey, M E 2008, Developing Team, Listening and Etiquette Skills – Business Communication: Process and Product, 6th ed, Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.


McJannet, L & Hattersley, M E 2008, Personal and Corporate Ethics – Management Communication: Principles and Practice, 3rd ed, Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.


Penrose, J M 1993, Advanced Business Communication – Advanced Business Communication, 2nd ed, Belmont, California, Wadsworth Pub Co.


Rai, Urmila & Rai, S M 2008, Business Communication, Mumbai, IND: Global Media, viewed 23 December 2013, <http://site.ebrary.com/lib/griffith/Doc?id=10415175&ppg=202>.


The Importance Of Communication In The Workplace n.d., Resources Article Library, viewed 3 January 2014, <http://www.denaliai.com/resources/article.aspx?id=the-importance-of-communication-in-the-workplace>.

Com12: Business Communications. Week 13: Reflection

During the course of this unit, I have gained an understanding of leadership styles, management roles, hierarchy, communication theories and styles, team dynamics and workplace ethics.

It was therapeutic for me personally to use critical thinking and reflect upon my employment history. I had forgotten many things, i.e., friendships I had formed, good and bad situations I had found myself in, but it helped me understand what is expected of a leader and their team.

I was able to compare my experiences with those of my student peers and it made me realise we all have bad days, bad managers and uncomfortable communication incidents but getting through them helps us grow and develop our own communication skills.

I found the topic of cultural communication very interesting and enjoyed reading stories from my peers about misunderstandings.

Some of my Independent Learning Tasks include replies from student peers. If I felt the replies were relevant to the conversation I left them in so the discussions are evident.

I'd like to say thank you to the teachers and markers for your expertise, support and guidance during this unit. I am confident my business communication skills have improved over the past three months.

Michelle Jenkins