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The dynamic nature of media means that it is continuously changing, and can be understood as “socially realized structures of communication, where structures include both technological forms and heir associated protocols, and where communication is a cultural practice, a radicalized collocation of different people on the same mental map, sharing or engaged with popular anthologies of representation. (Guatemalan 7) In this way, the social and cultural stakes of defining new media is concurrent with the stakes surrounding inclusion or exclusion from the public norm. Media is shaped by means of technological innovation and societal ideologies, and is demonstrated differently in separate cultural entities. Specifically, the understanding of romantic courtship has evolved drastically in simultaneity with media and has reshaped the social ramekin concerning the constitution of the courtship process.
The traditional take on courtship typically involves arranged marriages that aim to restore or establish kinship ties and guarantee financial security via a matchmaking service; however, the modern denotation of courtship is something akin to a human right that requires “the paying of courteous attention in order to win love” (“Courtship”). This historical movement of courtship from a familial ordeal to an independent and active search for romantic affection has fuelled the recent emergence of media dating, such as online dating sites and television dating shows.
By comparing the traditional courtship process of matchmaking to its evolved form of media dating, the societal construct of courtship is redefined in the modern sense and reveals the intricate and coincident relationship between technological and cultural change. Historically, courtship is a period when two people – and their respective families – get to know each other and decide whether they are compatible for marriage, both in relation to economical position and kinship ties.
The traditions of courtship are mostly based upon pairings in the interest of family in non-western – and occasionally Western – societies for reasons of inheritance, property rights, and wealth (Monger 86). When a matchmaker is employed, that person is contracted to find a suitable partner for the client; for example, grandmother figures in North American Indian tribes act as an intermediary for a couple in return for payment of a farm animal (87).
There is some similarity between this and the Old Russian “woman show’ held on Whit Monday, a day dedicated explicitly for arranged marriages Technological Evolution of Romantic Courtship and Media By Joel about both parties and arrange relationships according to comparability between rental wishes, financial capacity, and religious affiliation. In order to accommodate a variety of different clientele, distinct cultural groups hold separate matchmaking systems.
For example, traditional Kendall reading in Hinduism relies on horoscope charts to determine compatibility while long-established marriage customs in Asia depend on the Chinese zodiac (62). Likewise, the modern online dating service relies on personality tests that aim to maximize the identification of the best match by requesting answers to the individual’s favorite hobbies and living habits, among a altitude of other questions about lifestyle preferences.
There is also an extensive assortment of online dating sites catered to specific entertainment fan base, religions, or occupational posts. Although the matchmaker is now a machine generating pairings through an electronic microprocessor instead of an individual matching couples through human intelligence, both essentially share the same process of bringing people together through coordinating common interests for the ultimate goal of matrimony.
If one traces back along the path of human civilization throughout history – articulacy in the era of colonization – arranged marriages represented the conventional method of matrimony with the sole purpose of achieving economic stability and political alliances rather than love. This phenomenon did not lessen until a universal movement fixated upon the “empowerment of the individual” (18) established dating and romancing an essential aspect of pre-marital relationship.
With the development of new technologies that spur the widespread popularity of mass media, matchmaking processes are modernized to become online functions or game-like television shows. Modern dating shows in TV format are a prevalent source of entertainment, and the substantial audience-reach of such television programs portray ordinary people as media celebrities that millions around the globe willingly watch for their genuine likeability or infuriating nature (21).
The reality television show “The Bachelor” has millions of international viewers that follow the eventful Journey of a man in search of a loving wife among a group of promising young women; “The Million Matchmaker” outlines a millionaire who is coupled with a compatible romantic partner through a matchmaker; “The Cougar” stars an older woman who hoses a boyfriend from a group of younger men. These television shows demonstrate the features of traditional matchmaking by exposing actual courtship processes between individuals on live broadcast.
The imperial Chinese social scene historically consists of an eligible girl serving tea to a series of prospective in-laws; if she is able to capture an air of propriety and subsequent admiration from them, the present in reality shows, traditional Chinese tea culture parallels overcoming obstacles in modern relationships to gain respect and affection with the final goal of marriage. Customary ideas of courtship often call for numerous rituals and practices, one of which being social events as an occurrence to meet a potential partners.
In West Cornwall of England, “taking-day’ was an annual occasion where young people chose an opposite-sex companion to visit community activities with after attending Sunday service (Monger 88). Comparably, the streets of Manchester, England on Saturday and Sunday nights was venue for the “monkey-rank” between 1890 and 1939, where single young men and women would congregate and promenade up and down until they found an attractive partner (75). Equivalent manifestations of these incidents are evident in the modern activity of dating, or participating in social gatherings to seek out probable romantic partners.
Similar to the intentional designation of a time and place to meet other singles, going on a date means that one is entirely dedicated to satisfying curiosity towards a possible partner by enjoying that individual’s company. The acceptance of dating systems, however, has created resurgence in the role of the traditional professional matchmaker; although the digital dating world proves to be a convenient tool with its ease to use, some opt for the personal touches ND intuitive decisions that come from human matchmakers.
Far from the conventional notion of matchmakers, which usually pertains to contracted agencies that work for material remuneration, the reappearance of matchmakers come in the shape of friends and relatives. Just like arranged marriages, blind dates are the result of an introduction arranged through family members instead of professional matchmakers, but both include the meeting of a stranger of whom is paired according to shared characteristics and interests.
With the omnipresence of media technologies, the social constitution of romantic reroutes and maintaining an amorous relationship has been completely transformed; lovers that were once hindered by geographical barriers no longer face the same problem today with the media’s worldwide presence (Wang and Change 93). The possibility of cross-border marriages has appeared in the past few decades and completely altered society’s perception of dating, courtship, and matrimony.
Not only is it possible to meet a desirable partner on the Internet (whom you wouldn’t have otherwise ever crossed paths with), it is also possible to establish a healthy relationship via media technologies. The abundance of computer software and websites that enable easy, international conversation has allowed for long-distance relationships to be initiated and sustained across thousands of miles of physical space. Additionally, it is no longer necessary to establish acquaintance with another text messaging, online coatrooms, or virtual communication.
Instead of going to the florist to purchase a bouquet of red roses, the same emotional sentiments can be relayed with a simple emoticon to stand for love and affection. This is also existent in the historical use of the “big twisted flute” among the Sioux Indian men to express linings for a woman; due to their bashful personalities, North American Indian males use music to profess their inner thoughts (Monger 87) and thus exemplifies a unique media form used in courtship.
Traditional methods of matchmaking are often critiqued for their conservative beliefs that restrict freedom of choice; furthermore, arranged marriages predominantly reflect the desires of kin instead of the individual. In addition, it undermines the constitution of marriage as a partnership without deep affection and also compromises the position of women and their gendered roles in society. Many argue that arranged marriages are a brutally unhappy affair for the bride, as the lack of genuine devotion frequently leads to family interference.
Nonetheless, the cultural ramifications of media technology pose an even more dangerous threat to society. Although digital media opens up the infinite possibility of global interconnectedness and a universal, cohesive growth towards human advancement, it often fails to accommodate marginalia groups in its circuit of movement and in turn encourages detrimental effects of sex tourism, Western hegemony and gender discrimination.
Socio-demographic change in Asian Mounties have created a market for profit-pursuing marriage agents, and agents scattered in different social spheres have gradually linked to form a profitable industry (Wang and Change 93). White males often seek potential spouses in Asian societies due to the hegemonic impression that is deeply rooted in the tradition of Orientation, “a way of coming to terms with the Orient that is based on [its] special place in European Western experience. (Said 47) Basically an European invention, it provides a biased custom of “thought, imagery, and vocabulary that [has] given its reality and presence in and for the West. (49) Asian women are often viewed as “exotic, other, and foreign” Monsoon 40) through gendered iconography, which establishes non-European people as submissive and erotically feminine, where “representations rooted in centuries-old fantasies of male European colonizers construct the historic prerogatives of imperial elites. (37) This is illustrated in the prolific appearance of online dating sites advertising Asian women scantly dressed in provocative clothing, portraying the “ideal” of imperial masculinity: the subservience of women to men. The birth of “mail-order brides” on the Internet allow Western men ass access to Asian women; not only are women degraded to become mere commodities, they show active consent of this sexual exploitation where their bodies are purchased with monetary exchanges.
Due to the media’s vast public market, young girls around the world are consuming these images everyday and thus naturalized the willingness to trade beauty, youth and culture for financial security with a white male in the Western world. Violate and take advantage of the anonymity in online dating. Even though the unidentified surnames in coatrooms and online messaging permit people to freely vive voice to their opinions in an all-inclusive environment, there is a constant risk in conversing with and providing personal information to a stranger with no face and no name.
In the same way, traditional arranged marriages tend to be based on a number of bluffs by both the bride and groom’s family to aggrandize their social status and economic position in the community. Even so, these minor pretenses are miniscule in comparison to the abuse of online criminals who fabricate lies to manipulate young minds. Unfortunately, the image of a teenage girl falling prey to he sexual advances of a college boy who is supposedly in an online relationship with her (but who turns out to be a balding 50-year old married man) is all too familiar in present day society.
Correspondingly, television dating shows play a similar role in playing on the emotional tendencies of young women to skew expectations of reality surrounding courtship and love. Postman underlines the part television plays in shaping the biases that contain no subject of public interest: “Television is the command center our use of other media, for example, is largely orchestrated by television. Through it we learn what telephone system to use, what movies to see, what books, records and magazines to buy, what radio programs to listen to. (78) In particular, dating shows such as “The Bachelor” distort and misconstrue the nature of courtship from something tender to something of a game-like competition: in what world are twenty-five women willing to simultaneously date the same guy at once (and know it)? Apart from misrepresenting romantic relationships to young women to be acceptant of infidelity, it also gives young men a slanted comprehension of women as weak creatures who are always submissive to the powers of men.
The substantial influence of television media in context with social learning is depicted in the mass media phenomenon of the cultivation effect, which suggests that “heavy viewing of television leads individuals to perceive the world in ways that are consistent with television portrayals. ” (Campbell, Martin and Boss 533) The cultivation effect further viewpoints, the more likely their views of social reality will be ‘cultivated’ by the images they see on television. ” Therefore, media messages interact in complicated ways with personal, social, political, and cultural factors to determine individual behavior and define societal values.
In a similar fashion, the spiral of silence theory links the impacts of mass media to the social psyche and the following formation of public opinion. The theory proposes that those who believe in controversial issues are in the minority and will keep their views silent for fear of social isolation, which “diminishes or even silences alternative perspectives. ” These communication theories support the investigation on issues of race, gender, class, and sexuality, and on the marginalia experiences of groups of people as a result of the negative consequences of media propaganda.
Consequently, such harmful percussions embody the limitations in mass media, an innovative yet lethal technology that has brought about questionably injurious aftereffects to modern society. Historically, matchmaking has long claimed a commercial niche in the marriage market. Today, a modem, phone line, or advertisement might bring potential partners together. This resurrection of marriage intermediaries in contemporary life indicates a significant development in the social institutions that facilitate marriage and structure the content of social relations.
The increased use of social introduction businesses can be seen as part of a larger economic shift toward service economy. Social introduction businesses often target professionals who have grown increasingly comfortable with the use of services. Business strategies to reduce the stigma associated with their services (e. G. That clients are lonely, desperate, and socially incompetent) include labeling themselves “heart-hunters” and making other comparison to more mainstream service providers.
Because these services are embedded in a larger service economy, they merge business with courtship, thus creating a unique intersection of commercial market and courtship- or mate-selection theory. Aviva and Tideland’s SIMI Tracheotomy of Marriage Market Functions highlights the process of “searching, matching, and transacting” (454). Unlike the various filter theories of courtship, which trace the development of a relationship through time, the SIMI framework sees searching, matching, and interacting as three functionally different processes that may occur simultaneously or in reverse order.
For example, “information gained on a date (interacting) is used in subsequent decisions regarding whether to pursue the relationship or to look elsewhere (matching), and this in turn can lead to further searching. (455) The constantly changing nature of media technology means that the working definition entails a social construct that takes into account the agencies of different groups of people. In this way, the social and cultural stakes of defining new media is concurrent with the stakes surrounding inclusion or exclusion from the public norm. Menstruate differently in separate cultural entities. Specifically, the understanding of romantic courtship has evolved drastically in simultaneity with media and has reshaped the social framework concerning the constitution of the courtship process. This historical movement of courtship from a familial ordeal to an independent and active search for romantic affection has fuelled the recent emergence of media dating, such as online dating sites and television dating shows.