CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT THE INTERNET NOW?

So how many of you out there has an Iphone or a Blackberry or even a normal Smartphone for that matter that can immediately connect you to the internet or can direct you to yr favourite applications online like Facebook/Twitter/Tagged/Flickr and even Blogger for that matter?!
Well, i bet the answer would be ALMOST everyone.
As we all know, now internet is everywhere and with the help of wireless connection and GPRS on yr phone you can get to use the internet comfortably wherever you are in your country. It's as if CMC (computer mediated communication) has taken over the world in some sort and even a few hours spent in a country or area with no wireless connection might make you feel alittle tad uneasy.

Some might argue that with the whole wide range of communication thru computers and phones, people might lose their sensitivity to each other and they might totally forget about the normal medium of communication which is face-to-face. They might fear that people would tend to use only the internet to communicate as now they even have SKYPE which is a web-cam phenomenon where you can talk to anyone online with the help of a webcam and a microphone which are two things that come in-built in most laptops nowadays.
With skype, there would not even be a need to meet the person face to face as you can just talk to them thru skype as they would be able to hear everything you have to say to them. This is similar to videocalling in your handphones as well which further eliminates the need for face-to-face communication in this modern world where we dont even have time to brush our teeths properly in the morning.

Yet however in my opinion, regardless of all these gadgets being so high tech and everyone going into the IT-savvy stage, the whole idea of meeting someone face-to-face and telling them how you feel or just being there for the person, and spending some quality time with them in person instead of talking to them thru webcam or thru a facebook message, actually goes a long way and shows more sincerity and concern. I feel that sincerity comes with action and to view the action you have to look at the person and observe what they're doing and not just listen to what they say to you online.

Dont get me wrong, there are cases where relationships between people and communication between people occur just thru and online social networking basis and this can lead to future connections or even marriage. However, there will come a time when you would want to meet the person face to face and talk to them and be there for them physically to hug you or comfort you if you need someone to talk to.

So back off twitter and facebook, even though you're awesome and you connect me to many people around the world, i still think i'd prefer meeting a friend for a coffee at a nearby starbucks so as to chill and talk about our life updates as compared to just telling her online or thru an email. but what about you? have u succumbed too much into this computer generated world or do you still believe in sincere face-to-face meetups?
please comment, thanks (:

Culture.

Many of us are born into various cultures and are expected to follow the values that we were brought up with or taught to have.
Which is why we all know that culture is very subjective. "it's learned, shared, dynamic, multifaceted and cultural identities are overlapping" (Trenholm 2004).
The values we uphold are more often than not, shaped by the culture we are in. These cultural values provide the context within which a society's norms are established and justified.
Yet sometimes, is it okay to carry out certain activities or do certain acts just because its part of your culture and people of your society are doing it? Well the issue of the 'red shirts' in Thailand would definitely explain more.


We all should be aware of the current situation in Bangkok, Thailand where the 'red shirts' of the United Front for Democracy against the Dictatorship (UDD) are protesting against the Prime Minister to dissolve the parliament and have another election. They gathered at the shopping district of Ratchaprasong and striked which caused a downfall for the buisnesses there as people could not visit the malls.

Through this issue, the idea of culture is further tackled as we can see that the politics of different countries is also affected by their culture. In Bangkok, this politial scence might be part common and normal of people to particpate in politics but the case might not be so for Singapore's culture, would it? Especially in Singapore's political system whereby the culture isnt to participate much in it as the government is trusted greatly.

Yet in Bangkok, the people have grown up in a culture whereby the 'red shirts' only believe what their leader Jatuporn Prompan and the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra say and they have a certain manner of thinking as they think that Thailand will only improve with their leader being incharge of it and they all have an anti-government sentiment since they think the their government is pro-elitist.

This proves to us that the 'red shirts' are actually part of a collectivist culture and due to this they have a common identity since they rely on one another for opinions and do whatever each of them does so they depend on the UDD, plus they share a common colour as well to identify themselves.

So what do you think about culture playing a part in a country's politics and if it were you would you agree with the red shirts and follow their culture blindly or would you take a step back and form your own opinions. Please do comment, thanks!