Summer Blog Post #1

Part 2 : Language and Mass Communication

Learning Outcomes:

• Examine different forms of communication within the media
• Show an awareness of the potential for educational, political, or ideological influence of the media
• Show the way mass media use language and image to inform, persuade, or entertain

Thesis statement: As a means of living abroad, most of our knowledge is limited to our surroundings and where we live. As a result of our limited access to discover the world around us, most of our knowledge on other countries is founded by the current events and latest news stories that we hear about through the media. Last summer and specifically more this summer, I have come to realize that last statement is very much true.

As an expat kid, I have definitely been given this amazing opportunity in life to travel and be exposed to so many other cultures. Over the course of my 17 years on this earth (so far), I have been privileged to have access to an incredible education overseas in both Singapore and Abu Dhabi, leaving my senses and open mindedness exposed to the world around me, trying to grasp onto each and every experience and encounter. I am an international thinker and traveler, meaning that I really do have an interesting and different perspective on the world...it is my oyster.

Living overseas, I have realized one thing, most of the knowledge that we gather about the world around us is acquired through the media, news, etc. This can both be a limitation as well as an advantage. Nowadays, the media has a way of changing people and their perspectives on the world. For example, someone who might have only lived in Canada all their life, they depend on people, the media, etc. to inform them about what’s “over the fence” or just a plane ride away. Naturally, as individuals we depend on what people tell us, hence, the news. In addition to this, people will only be ‘truly’ informed about where they live, naturally developing a prejudice mindset towards this “outside world” that lies beyond us.

Adding onto this idea of  having an  ‘international mindset’, living in a place such as the Middle East really puts the rest of the world  in perspective. As a child and up until this day, I would watch the news and be exposed to many stories portraying this part of the world as one to be “dangerous” and “inhumane”. All in all, the media presented a very biased and one-sided view on the Arab World. According to many news stories, Islam is portrayed as a ‘violent religion’, constantly involved in terrorism and other extremist acts. This constant flow of negative energy has resulted in this specific “violent” image on the Middle East. I will be honest, living abroad in a small city like Singapore, I as well over the years had developed this one sided mindset on the Middle East, but when I heard we were moving here, I was willing to expose my senses and my mind. This is my second year in Abu Dhabi and I am loving it! I have met so many new people, been exposed to such a fascinating culture that I feel privileged to be apart of.

Last summer, my family and I travelled to Canada for the summer along with this summer. While we were in Kingston, Ontario, we went to many of my grandparent’s parties and met so many nice people. It was interesting and quite funny; every time I talked to someone, one of the first questions they would ask me is “How are you liking life in Middle East? Are you okay?”. I had to stop myself for a second and really think about what they were saying. “Of course, I love it there.” would always be my answer, because it really was true. Most of the conversations that I had with people would revolve around life in the Middle East, mostly regarding their perspective. Don’t get me wrong, these were lovely people, but they all had one perspective on where my family and I were living, as i described above. I had to tell myself that this wasn’t their fault, but we can’t blame it on the media either. Their knowledge on the “outside world” was limited to a TV screen or a couple pages on a newspaper, whereas I was living as an open-minded international student.