Oscar Winning Film: Slum dog Millionaire and Social Inequality portrayed in Media?

Oscar Winning Film: Slum dog Millionaire and Social Inequality portrayed in Media?

As an audience, we are often befuddled by the images we see in movies and often wonder if they provide a true perspective on a scenario, which appears realistic. The movie Slum Dog Millionaire questions the credibility of the Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle and whether his portrayal of Dharavi (the largest slum in India) was a true image of real slum life. As Croteau says, ‘the inequalities in the social world have affected the organization of the media industry that produces media products’ (Croteau, 185)

Slum dog Millionaire recounts the childhood of a young boy Jamal who has been brought up in Dharavi all his life and faces adversity such as severe poverty; oppression under the local mafia. The movie highlighted certain aspects of his life such as having a weak economic position, being uneducated, and being physically injured by powerful men. Several Indians were moved by this movie as it exposed harsh realities of slum life that they not unaware of. However, a considerable number felt this movie was not an accurate representation of slum life because it neglected all the positive aspects and only highlighted adversity in slums.

Being an Indian viewer and sensitive to the way my country is portrayed I felt the movie was very harsh on the people who live in slums and also made foreigners create a negative perception of poverty in India. To support my views, there was a study conducted called, Contesting India’s Image on the World Stage, by Ashley Anderson that showed the same. Through her research she discovered that people from Dharavi felt abased because their position in society was reduced to that of a ‘dog’ in the movie. This study was conducted to assess the audience reception of the movie based on focus groups and a Facebook movie fan (using media again). Results showed that the movie gained popularity only because of its “sensationalism of the poverty in the slums” (Anderson, 15). Others felt the movie was a “classical western representation” of India and therefore was offensive to Indians (Anderson, 15).

Just as we have addressed in Media Studies, media often represents the ideologies of the white, middle- upper class producers. Danny Boyle through his movie highlighted poverty in India by focusing on the miserable aspects of slum life. He failed to acknowledge the economic prosperity of this community that in reality has had a significant impact on the country’s GDP. This stereotypical representation of India as a ‘poor nation’ in the movie would have had a negative impact on the audience. When I spoke to a few friends in college who were not familiar with Indian culture they were shocked by the unhygienic conditions and poor style of living. Few even based their image of the country on the movie because no movie on India had gained as much popularity as Slumdog Millionaire on the international scale. This biased representation of one slum in one city in India could change the way few people view the entire country.

This brings in the issue of the relationship between media content and the “real” world. Often movies do not reflect the realities of the social world. While no representation of reality can ever be totally “true” or “real” because it must inevitably frame an issue and choose to include and exclude certain components of a multifaceted reality. (Croteau 188).

After this movie was released, it is interesting to see how several people from Dharavi’s whose sentiments were hurt by derogatory representation started taking foreigners on tours to show them the more positive aspects of slum life such as their booming leather and other cottage industry factories. I personally visited the slums to see whether the movie accurately portrayed it and was surprised by the strong community that has been created at Dharavi. People help each other, are willing to loan each other, micro-finance solutions are being provided, and the government is also striving to improve hygiene conditions. These aspects were never shown in the movie, which I thought discriminated against this community. Just because people from less privileged economic backgrounds do not own media, their voices are often unheard. After meeting with locals from Dharavi, I realized that they wished to reverse the negative portrayal that was shown in the movie.

For additional information please refer to:

Movie: Slum Dog Millionaire, Director Danny Boyle, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures (US), 2008, DVD

Information about protests against the movie:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2009/02/03/uk-india-slumdog-protest-sb-idUKTRE5122D320090203

Related articles:

Wrisley, Jarrett. “Real People, Not Slumdogs – Magazine – The Atlantic.” The Atlantic — News and Analysis on Politics, Business, Culture, Technology, National, International, and Life – TheAtlantic.com. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/02/real-people-not-slumdogs/7312/&gt;.

Yardley, Jim. “A Symbol of Hope, Wrapped in a Slum.” International Herald Tribune: 1. ProQuest Central. Dec 29 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2012 .

Blackberry Messenger – Exemplifying Features of Modern Media

Blackberry Messenger – Exemplifying Features of Modern Media

Blackberry messenger (BBM) is an application on all blackberry phones that allows you to chat for free with any other blackberry user. Interesting features of the phone include, the option to send voice notes, pictures and videos instantly. It is popular among teenagers so they can chat instantly and is also used by businessmen when they need to send urgent messages to colleagues. There is a option called, ‘PING!!’ where one’s phone vibrates and it allows you to instantly contact a person by drawing their attention with a vibration. I have used BBM incessantly through my college life to keep in touch with my family back home. I find it more convenient than texting because of the speed of message delivery. BBM truly exemplifies several features of modern media! These include the ability to changing time and space, overcoming social boundaries, creating a culture of addictions sometimes and affecting one’s identity and ideology are discussed below.

To understand how it has changed time and space I am examining two instances. During a religious ceremony at home, my parents send me videos of the ritual, photographs of family members and voice notes of the religious songs. As Croteau would say mediums such as BBM allow us to ‘experience events instantaneously’ (Croteau, 300) I felt as though I was sitting in Mumbai because of BBM’s fast connectivity. This is amazing at first, because I could see what was happening in Mumbai despite being in Boston. I felt slightly nostalgic and disoriented wishing I was home and felt disappointed that I was away from a family event. Had it not been for BBM, I would not feel as homesick because I would not get visual access to the event. Sometimes visual images in media have a more promising effect on the human brain than print. This explains why we often remember a documentary about a hurricane over a more detailed news article. It can be aligned with we have studied about media, ‘Through media technology those further away learned more than those closer to the event, and they learnt it almost instantaneously’ (Croteau, 300).

The second instance is how I used BBM to find out about Hurricane Sandy. Several of friends study in New York. Looking at their status updates on BBM, I was given an immediate news update on whether they had lost electricity and which part of the city was experiencing greater damage. This quick speed of communication, goes to show that often media allows us to become close to an event that is physically distant. It was ironic that I had greater access to information than some people in New York because their phones’ batteries had died.

Another issue with regard to BBM is how texting and instant chat gives us the ability to overcome, ‘social boundaries’ (Croteau, 300) because of the physical space given while having a conversation. One can pause and choose to reply later, often making a conversation longer than it should actually be. People often complain about how much time they spend texting, when the same message could be conveyed much quicker over the phone. This can have both a positive and negative effect. Personally, BBM allows to me to keep in touch with people I would be uncomfortable calling on a regular basis but still wish to stay in contact with. On the other end, I have noticed how people become addicted to their phone as demonstrated in the YouTube link attached with this blog. This would be considered BBM contributing to a ‘culture of distraction’ (Croteau, 306) ‘era of the abundance’ where people excessively use media. As McLuhan would say, Media can become an extension of a man as one uses to and considers it a part of inseparable and ourselves form our identity.

This brings in the issue of media affecting an individual’s identity and ideology. Another interesting aspect of BBM, is the option to make a group chat. I have seen people make groups on their religious or political interests. Groups can make people negligent to alternative viewpoints, as their interaction is limited to likeminded people. This can help one gain access to information about a subject one is interested in or sometimes isolate one’s ideologies and prevent one from being exposed to new ideas.

Additional information

 1) Blog on the effect of BBM:

 http://ircircuit.com/?p=131

 2) Please refer to the following video for the issue, “Are you addicted to your blackberry?”

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wQPmsQWYrY

Skype – Is it creating a global culture?

Skype – Is it creating a Global Culture:

It is interesting how media is contributing to the process of globalization and increasing the speed and frequency of communication between communities across the globe. At one end, it unifies people by allowing them to keep in touch. At the other, spending time communicating with others can make one neglect people who are actually physical around you. I have examined Skype, a microcosm for the rapid global culture that is being created because of technological development in the media industry. Skype has had a personal, professional and social effect on interactions thereby contributing to creating a global culture. This can be viewed as a lens to how media in general affects all three dimensions.

During freshman year everyone on my dorm would spend an hour skyping their friends and family back home around midnight. It was funny to see how many girls on my floor spent more time on their laptop keeping touch with others rather than making an effort to introduce themselves to their suitemates. This brings up one of the issues with overuse of media technology. Personal interactions get hindered because of overuse of communication technologies such as Skype. The reason I used Skype was to be in touch with family back home. Most of the times, people feel a sense of cohesiveness and warmth when they see someone over Skype. Hailing from India, skyping my parents has always been a way of comforting me when I feel homesick. However, over use of this technology has proven to be detrimental in some cases. A friend told me how she felt uncomfortable when her roommate was skyping a friend because she felt as though an unknown person was watching her. Sometimes, I have heard people complain about others being too busy using their phones, laptops that drives them away from living in the present. Here McLuhan would argue that media is an ‘extension of some human faculty – psychic or physical’ where in Skype becomes an extension of our verbal communication processes.

While Skype has the ability to isolate people, on the other hand it has played a massive role in bringing communities together from different parts of the world. In the context of globalization, it has more of a positive effect where in Skype has the ability to ‘Cross limits of time and space’ (Croteau, 326) by accelerating the rate of communication. The medical industry has shown phenomenal results where people who could not reach a doctor during an emergency can get medical aid spontaneously via Skype. Here, we can see how media affects society in general by helping strengthen communication channels. Often people cannot afford taking a flight all the way to another country. However, with Skype they can live a virtual experience and can technically attend family events, ceremonies and feel a sense of community despite being physically distant.

The way people behave on Skype is rather interesting. Some people become conscious of their clothing and looks, which they would not usually think about when they decide to make a phone call. Looking at this from Colley’s “looking glass self”, In social interactions, we try to see ourselves as if we were looking in a mirror and Skype is a fine example of this phenomenon. People try to make sure they look appealing, an aspect that would never been considered while making a phone call to give someone a message. This trend is seen not only in Skype but in several other media technologies as well such as Facebook and Instagram where people become so conscious of their image. They will only upload photographs, which are attractive knowing that all their friends on Facebook will see them. The energy spent on creating socially appealing image goes to show how people care about the way society views them through media technologies such as Skype. This can make people create a pretentious image.

 As seen in exhibit 1 the future of communication video usage in the workplace is growing maximum in the video sector. People across the world can easily connect with each other instead of hosting a conference. However, this can also lead to trust issues. In my FME business, we thought of contacting a Chinese supplier over Skype to negotiate a deal. Despite talking over Skype our team felt that we could not trust the supplier because seeing the businessman did not assure us that he would do honest business with us. The advantage of actually meeting with a person is that one gets a vibe from the person’ body language and gestures which may be hard to detect on Skype.

 Thus in the context of globalization, Skype has a profound impact on personal, social and professional interactions. 

 

 

Refer to Youtube video for more information on Skype :

 

AND

http://www.jhu.edu/anthmedia/Projects/skype/index1.html

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Does Vande Mataram (Patriotic song in India) Unite or Divide the Nation?

‘Vande Mataram’ as a source of media has a close connection to both my family and India (my mother land). The lyrics of this song such as ‘Mother, mother mine! 
Mother sweet, I bow to thee, 
Mother great and free!’ celebrate the glory of India. My family’s ancestors were involved in the freedom struggle and this song always reminds us of their sacrifices in order to attain India’s freedom. Interestingly, this song hold special importance to the state of West Bengal because in 1905 when Lord Curzon tried to divide the state, the song was a symbol for rejection and the British government tired to ban this song which lead to further infuriation. This song also has a religious connection to my family since we worship Lord Rama and Vande Mataram embodies the concept of Lord Rama saying  “My mother and motherland are dearer to me than heaven (let alone Lanka)”. Every Indian feels proud and patriotic when we listen to it as we remember the martyrs who gave up their lives for India’s freedom.

Interestingly, the way in which this media has impacted society has changed since 1947 when the song was written to modern era. This can be aligned to McLuhan’s stages of society and how they relate to the nature of dominant medium. When the song was written in India, the oral society was prevalent where traditions, and monarchy were prevalent because of British rule. Vande Mataram marked a focal point when Indians began to pride on their individuality and celebrate their cultural uniqueness as India shifted towards democracy. The effect of this medium on society was uniting Indians against the oppressive British rule. It helped Indians build the strength to form their own political organization instead of being controlled by an external force. 

The song’s importance was exemplified later in 2006 when education institutions in India were attempting to make the song mandatory for children to learn. This lead to a plethora of issues as the government faced protests from the Muslim, Sikh and Christian community (all religious minorities in India). All these communities felt that the song was predominantly Hindu and ignored other religious minorities in the nation. The SPGC (Sikh community) even prevented Sikhs from singing this song. Looking at the relevance of this rebellious attitude towards the song one can see how the electric and mass media society changed people’s impression of the song. With exposure to issues of religious and cultural equality, the concept of the global village and a more decentralized society – all products of McLuhan’s electric age, people have begun to view Vande Mataram in ‘interplay with other media’ such as comparing it with newer patriotic songs. With exposure to concepts such as religious equality, smaller religious groups took offense to a patriotic song because they thought it was bias towards Hindus.

We can see how Vande Mataram has lead to ‘structure and agency issues’ in two separate era namely the oral and electric society. In the oral society, songs had more impact and it had an emotional connect with Indians. As India advanced in terms of greater accessibility to media, people began to notice nuances in the ‘Hindu’ aspect to this song and this lead to religious controversy. We can see how in the contemporary era, a structure versus agency issue is created where Vande Mataram created divisions between religious groups. Since the time India gained independence to today, this song has possessed the ability to unite India against foreign rule and later divide it into religious groups. We can see how Vande Mataram is a microcosm for media as a whole because the way in which media is interpreted depends on the context and era in which is it being viewed. Media has the power to both unite and divide people.

 

 

English Translation of Vande Mataram

 

Mother, I bow to thee! 
Rich with thy hurrying streams, 
bright with orchard gleams, 
Cool with thy winds of delight, 
Dark fields waving Mother of might, 
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams, 
Over thy branches and lordly streams, 
Clad in thy blossoming trees, 
Mother, giver of ease 
Laughing low and sweet! 
Mother I kiss thy feet, 
Speaker sweet and low! 
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands 
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands 
And seventy million voices roar 
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore? 
With many strengths who art mighty and stored, 
To thee I call Mother and Lord! 
Though who savest, arise and save! 
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove 
Back from plain and Sea 
And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law, 
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath 
Though art love divine, the awe 
In our hearts that conquers death. 
Thine the strength that nervs the arm, 
Thine the beauty, thine the charm. 
Every image made divine 
In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen, 
With her hands that strike and her 
swords of sheen, 
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned, 
And the Muse a hundred-toned, 
Pure and perfect without peer, 
Mother lend thine ear, 
Rich with thy hurrying streams, 
Bright with thy orchard gleems, 
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair 
And thy glorious smile divine, 
Lovilest of all earthly lands, 
Showering wealth from well-stored hands! 
Mother, mother mine! 
Mother sweet, I bow to thee, 
Mother great and free!

 

Reference

 

http://www.hindujagruti.org/activities/campaigns/national/vandemataram/

 

To listen to Vande Mataram please refer to this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRPpSgRqtRc

To trace the history of Vande Mataram:

http://india.vnc.in/the-story-of-vande-mataram.html

http://www.jstor.org/stable/4362722

http://www.manushi-india.org/pdfs_issues/PDF%20ISSUE%20111(28.03)/6.%20Contextualising%20Vande%20Mataram.pdf

 

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