Comm Theories in Our Lives.

So today my group of friends and I went to Setapak for our moral project, and we used the LRT as one of our transportation. It was my first time travelling with the LRT in Malaysia and it was kind of a new experience for me.

I was so sad that I had motion sickness so I couldn't read in the LRT while other friends were studying lectures notes T_____T. Of course I got bored and I started to observe people in the LRT.

It was surprising to see that people actually read books in LRT. And then later on I saw someone standing reading the newspaper. I felt he was a hero O.O, and this was where I started to find the tabloid newspaper useful! Other people were either using their gadgets or with their earphones listening to music.

I shall say that the LRT in Malaysia and the MRT in Singapore are very different. Basically every Singaporean in the MRT will be using their iPhones and most of them will be plucking in their earphones #likeaboss. Oops :x

But it's sad to say that most of the people in the LRT are doing nothing. In my opinion, it is better to use that free time reading something useful, unless you are feeling sleepy or having motion sickness like me. But of course it still depends on the individual.

The above bar chart is just a rough analysis of mine through my observation. I assume that the people with their gadgets are using the media such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and Youtube. This is where the Dependency Theory happens. It is also related to the Uses and Gratifications Approach, as people are using the media in a cognitive way. Some people also use it for diversion and withdrawal purpose. This is where the bad attitude develops because people are avoiding themselves from letting out their seats for the people who really need it.

So I took the chance to interview Ling who was sitting just beside me as she said it was difficult to concentrate and read in the LRT. It was just a simple question asking about what she was going to do since she couldn't concentrate. The answer I got was: to listen to music, to take out her smart phone and to do whatever thing it could do, most probably texting with people, viewing social network sites and playing games.

That concludes the Dependency Theory, which applies for me too. Viewing Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has become a daily basis for me, especially when I have nothing else to do. Even when I am busy with my work I still tend to get distracted.

And yeah, while I was typing the last sentence of my blog post, I was holding my phone with another hand. DUH.