Vocabulary

Critical questions

Reference

Tuesday January 3, 2012Liberal StudiesE06-07 Liberal StudiesText: S-File (translated by Lon Yan) Photos: Internet, Sing Tao Daily

Key ideas

1. ‘Irate HK man unlikely Web hero’, by

Marianne Bray, June 9, 2006, CNN.com

e d i t i o n . c n n . c o m / 2 0 0 6 / W O R L D /

asiapcf/06/07/hk.uncle

2. ‘Six arrested as street brawl hits YouTube’, by

Rebecca Yu, December 9, 2010, The Standard

www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_

cat=4&art_id=105841&sid=30566642&con_type=1&d_

str=20101209&fc=4

3. ‘Clear road for couple fearing court smash over

driving tot’, by Diana Lee, November 29, 2011, The

Standard

www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_

cat=4&art_id=117501&sid=34608486&con_type=1&d_

str=20111129&fc=2

1. How does a student’s self-image affect

their academic studies?

2. How can you build a positive way of

thinking in your life?

Taking photos and videos of somebody or

something and then uploading them to

the Internet has become almost a ‘cultural’

practice in Hong Kong. One of the reasons for doing it

is to seek recognition and approval.

Glossary

Self-imageThis refers to how one thinks or looks at

themselves. It sometimes reflects the values and

beliefs the person holds. Adolescents pay particular

attention to their self-image.

innate (adj) 與生俱來的 reprimand (v) 斥責 shed light (v phr) 闡明 abet (v) 教唆 plead guilty (v phr) 承認有罪 obnoxious (adj) 討厭的 tender (adj) 嫩的 reinforcement (n) 加強

This article enables students to:

1. understand the factors which influence personal

development, interpersonal relationships, values and beliefs

2. appreciate the identity, roles and changes in different

relationships

Energy, Technology & the Environment

Globalisation

Hong Kong Today

Modern China

Public Health

Personal Development & Interpersonal Relationships

THESE days, people upload photos and videos of the most mundane and bizarre details of life: the sandwich they are about to eat, their facial expression when they are stuck in traffic, the odd pair of socks they have got on. To a lot of

people, this behaviour is bordering on madness, but the fact of the matter is that it is becoming the norm in today’s society. Sometimes unwitting or misguided people post inappropriate or even illegal things, causing a

negative reaction and backlash. The reasons people expose their actions to this kind of scrutiny are manifold.

Citizen reportersENCOURAGED by the now infamous ‘Bus Uncle’ video – where a middle-aged man’s uncivilised actions on a bus were uploaded and reprimanded by society – people nowadays often assume ‘reporter’ and

‘judge’ roles by uploading videos to expose things that are not right.Others seek approval or want to build up an image of themselves by

sharing videos about their children and activities they do like eating, shopping or travelling.

There have been a few recent, local videos uploaded on the net that shed light on the motivation and psychology of this practice.

The videos in the cases mentioned are about different

matters and have been uploaded to the Internet for

different reasons.

But there is a common thread – the uploaders all

seek to publicise actions, motivated by a desire to gain

recognition, approval or justice.

The parents in the toddler driver case were trying to

show the world how clever their child was to be able

to ‘drive’ at such a tender age; the chef was trying

to show the world how clever he was with his ‘new’

cooking technique.

But both only attracted negative responses. Only

the woman passenger’s action of catching the queue

jumpers also won the public’s approval and support.

People do surprising things to seek approval,

and and posting videos on the net as a means to

achieving this has become particularly popular

among students. Such behaviour is to a certain extent

understandable, as young people are going through

a personality-building stage.

According to Eric Erickson’s Theory of Psychosocial

Development, adolescence is a stage in life when a

person explores his or her independence.

I n t h i s s t a g e o f d e v e l o p m e n t , p r o p e r

encouragement and reinforcement through personal

exploration enables one to develop a strong sense of

self and a feeling of independence and control.

Since the Internet facilitates this in so many ways,

the posting of videos on it seems to be something that

is here to stay, for generations to come.

When taking pictures and videos and posting

them on the web, however, we must remember not to

expose ourselves to danger or hurt others. We must

also consider whether our actions are in the best

interests of the public, and make sure that we are not

breaking the law.

Case 1: Baby behind the wheelThe video showed a toddler sitting on his father’s

lap in the driver’s seat, turning the steering wheel

as the car was driven down the street. The mother

was filming from the back seat. The video was

reportedly taken on August 1 at Hoi Lai Estate (海麗

邨) in Cheung Sha Wan (長沙灣).

The couple uploaded the video to Facebook, but it soon found its way

to YouTube, and attracted many views and criticisms. When the couple

made a report to the police about the unauthorised posting of the video on

YouTube, they were charged with dangerous driving and aiding and abetting

dangerous driving. They have since pleaded guilty to the charges, and were

ordered to perform 160 hours of community service. The father was also

suspended from driving for six months.

The couple’s lawyer told the court that they were doing it to “give their boy

a happy childhood memory”. But the magistrate reprimanded them, saying

that having a toddler in the driver’s lap was dangerous and posed a hazard to

other road users.

The couple uploaded the video because they thought it was fun, and were

ignorant about the consequences. Being the holder of a driver’s license, the

father knew the potential danger involved in his actions, but he seemed to be

totally unaware that the video was evidence of an illegal act.

Case 2: Cooking with a brushA chef who worked at a popular fast food

chain brought angry comments upon himself

with his video of him making fried rice with a

cleaning brush instead of a spatula, describing

it as a creative cooking technique that “brings

perfection to every grain of rice.” Many viewers

were repulsed by the video, and food safety concerns were raised.

The chef explained in the online forum later that he was just “fooling

around” and did not actually serve the rice to anyone. But many thought this

was not good justifi cation for his conduct.

As a chef, he is responsible for the food customers eat. By posting the video,

he may have been attempting to show off what he perceives as power over

others.

Case 3: Queue-jumping bulliesA middle-aged couple was caught on camera

shoving aside a young school girl queuing at

a Lok Fu (樂富) bus stop. When a passenger

reprimanded them, the couple shouted abuse at

her for over ten minutes. Enraged by the couple’s

outrageous conduct, other passengers spoke up.

The entire drama was captured on video and posted on YouTube, where it

was quickly viewed by thousands, and many were critical about the couple’s

uncivilised behaviour.

The ‘Bus Uncle’ video on YouTube a few years ago – in which a middle-age

man hurled abuse at a young man on a bus – started a wave of online videos

uploaded on the internet showing people being caught acting badly in public.

Associate professor Denny Ho Kwok-leung (何國良) from the Hong Kong

Polytechnic University (香港理工大學) Department of Applied Social Sciences

said that posting such videos was a reflection of society’s prevailing values,

such as the collective view that people should queue up at a bus stop.

Rule-breakers these days are not only reprimanded on the spot, but might

have their shameful conduct exposed to the world through online videos. The

actions are usually obnoxious but do not amount to actual law breaking,

hence the police can not serve justice in these cases.

Posting videos on the web puts the culprits ‘on trial’ anyway though, by

laying out their wrongdoings for the public to see, and letting the public

pass a collective judgment. The postings might lead to the exposure of the

wrongdoers’ identities, and subject them to public reproach.

Reason for uploading:Ignorance and fun-seeking

Reason for uploading: showing off

Reason for uploading: to shame rude people

Sharing photographs and videos on the Internet has become an integral part of Hongkongers’ lives. One of the reasons many people like to do it is to satisfy an innate desire to seek recognition and approval from society

All about the fame

Forto

everyonesee