http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9E04E0DA1439F931A35750C0A967948260

The second theory that i would like to evaluate is the limited effects theory. This is when audiences are able to resist media message and they only sought out media messages according to their needs. This theory does not have any drawbacks. I think it is what most adults feel about the media. The do not take in everything they see or hear, they are selective. This is however not true of many teenagers who try to imitate their favourite stars, so many young girls in singpore have become aneroxic and bulimic because they want to be thin like the girls they see on television. They don’t care about the negative effects of having an eating disorder, all they care about is getting the results. Therefore we cannot evaluate which theory people adopt unless we know their age group. Then only can we look into how much they might get influenced.

The third theory is agenda setting functions. This is when the media uses tatics like primming to repeat their messages over and over again. It is when they give importance to certain issues. Whether this influence has any real effect or not depends on the individual. If there is a limited effect, we say that it is an obstructive issue. This theory is rules by almost all of the media companies around the world. This is the way in which these companies make their revenue. People pay them money to get a certain amount of air time each day. Producers would want this because they would hope that since their advertisements are shown so often that people would feel like purchasing their product. It is like the controversial smoking advertisemet, theu were airing it in the day as well but when they realised that children were getting affected by it , they strated showing it only at night. Their agenda changed according to the situation.

The last one that I would like to mention is the media determinism theory. I feel that this theory makes alot of sense. For example before I talk to someone, i would need to know who it is i am toking to and from there i set my tone. Like if it is my friend i will talk informaly but if it is my teacher, i would be more serious. Similarily when you would like to publish and advertisement for female teenager, you would put that advertisement in seventeen because most teenagers read that. Also if the media wants to talk about an important issue, like how Mass selamat is on the loose, they would not only pick the right timing to inform the public but rather they would have to pay more attention to their tone. They should have a serious tone without sounding worried.

All in all after anaylizing 4 theories, i feel that we cannot just look at the theories but we should look at the individuals and how they are affected by the theories in order to see which theory the media companies employ.

The other factor that can conribute to intercultural barriers is, anxiety and withdrawal. This is when people experience a culture shock. It is when they have to step out of their comfort zone. For example if i were to tell people living in a weternized country like america that till today in india women get burnt or ill treated just for not giving their in-laws dowry, they would be shocked. This is because people from america are individualist, they believe in freedom for all and equality so when they hear of this, they would obciously be shocked.

The last point that i would like to mention about is that lanuguage can be a huge hindrance when people of different cultures communicate. They would probably then have to resort to using non verbal communication. Actually it is not only related to lanugage if a persons accent is too thick, it can cause confusion as well. Many a times people want to endorse their products in another country but what many seem to forget is to check what their name of the product means the other country. The link ahead will show you some of these blunders.

http://www.ideaswise.com/international_advertising.html.

Looking at these 2 theories I would say that Defleur’s theory is better because it looks at communication in relationships at more comprehensive level. Defleur realised that this process consists of 3 parts and that each part could be influenced by certain factors. Although Knapp’s model has been broken down into 10 stages, we can look at the top 5 stages as people coming together and the remaining 5 as them drifting apart. Despite this, it still has some dsadvantages. One is that it fails to realise that relationships are not that simple and that people need to work at it. Probably that is why Knapp’s model does not pay attention to mantaining a relationship( although some theorist suggest that stages 4 to 7 refers to relational maintainance). Another disadvantage is that it does not look at the factors that can influence the stages whereas Defleur has gone into detail.

Looking at the Defleur processes, I feel that from all 3 stages, mantaining a relationship is the hardest. It takes alot of effort. When ure in a relationship with a person, you should be able to trust that person completely. You should be able to talk to that person about your past as well as to be able to talk about your emotions. This process is called self disclosure. A person is only able to this once he or she feels comfortable with their partner, This is an important part of an relationship as it helps take the relationship further. It brings the couple closer. Self disclosure is an important part of reaffirming the attachment and commitment to amother person you share a relationship with. Another factor is conflict. Having a conflict can be considered to be healthy as it get the couple to work out their problem together. It teaches them how to compromise and how to put themselves in the place of their partner to see where he or she is coming from. The last factor that is that the right amount of distance and intimacy is required in a relationship. If your partner is able to know you well enough, he or she will undertstand when you need space and when you need them to be around. This is essential as it shows that the couple share an unspoken bond, they dont need to use words to get their message across. Non-verbal communication would then be goos enough.

Therfore I feel that of the 2 theories, Defleur has expressed the process of communication in relationship the best.

Selection is when we pick up information. We select stimuli based on frequency, contrast, intensity and novel stimuli.

I feel that seeing a person frequently does not mean that u will form a perception about him or her, there is no time limit as to when people form opinions. People could simply form opinions about a stranger he or she saw in the bus. The point on contrast I feel holds more value because it is only human nature to notice people who are different from us or people who go against the norm. Like for example when we see a older man with a younger women, many people perceive that the woman must be with the man because of his money. Similarily when we see a women dressed scantily, we presume that individual to be promiscuous. We also select stimuli based on the intensity. This could mean things that are bold or striking. The last way in which we select stimuli is if its a novelty. This refers to things that are rare. Like if we see a young boy carrying the latest handphone, we label him as being spoilt. We form such perceptions because he has a novelty, the new handphone model. Most people form opinions based on the selected information that i have just discuseed. From all mentioned In my opinion I feel that most people select information that are contrasting because it is different to what they are used to and therefore tend to stand out more.

It is however essential to realize that our selection can be influenced by individual charateristics, mass media, social network, psychological state and the environment. Individual characteristic refers to past experiece, gender, cultural background and etc. An example of this is when say a person of a paticular race was very rude to u, this experience can alter the way you behave to people of that same race. You might start to be weary of that person. Mass media can also influence your choice of selection. For example many teengaers nowadays are suffering from eating disoders. One of the main reasons for this is that after watching televison and readng magazines teenagers feel that thin equates to being beautiful. Social network refers to beliefs, preferance, habits, family and friends. An example of this is that people may be influenced by the above mentioned points and because of that they might perceive people to behave in a certain manner. The next point is about the psychological state which means that if a person has certain priortise, like money we assume that the person is very money minded. Lastly the environment, like norms set by society can also affect the way in which we aasume a person to be like. Therefore when we talk about perceptions, we need to realise that the selection of information is vital.

The humour basically comes from the situations created as well as the expression of the people on whom the practical jokes are played on. For example in the clip i attached, the reason why people laugh is because the situation whereby the girl hugs somebosy else instead of her boyfriend is uncommon. The use of chronemics, where hugging somebody who you don’t know is culturally unacceptable. Since perception is receiver orienated, the emotions we witness during the practical joke, makes us laugh. Like the different expresssions people have when they see somebody posing for the camera and blocking the way. Also when they try to wiggle their way past the photographer. The most funny expression was that of the boy whose friend got hugged by the girl but not him.

The director of this show uses alot of commuication techniques, since they are not able to talk, they have to rely on the use of kinesics, haptics, oculesics and chronemihecs. All in all this show shows that one can communicate effectively without speaking.