Draft of Funky town

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Funky town
Draft

Thanks to the ‘Project Sketch’ form, we could finish the first draft proposal easily. I realised that fragmented communities brought serious problems, long forgotten.

Koreans are interested in electronic equipment, as one way of communication, since technology has developed speedily in the country. I can remember seeing many people using devices such as a mobile phone or PDP in public spaces, even on the street, when they were waiting for transportation. Koreans do not seem to have time for face to face contact. In my case, I don’t know neighbourhoods very well because I have always been on the phone or listening to music on earphones. When I did not do this, I felt that I was missing something. What about at home? I know my family very well, of course but we don’t have time to talk. I usually spend time on my computer talking friends through messengers on online. Many children have portable game players and they always bring them with them. In fact, some of my cousins and nephews are out of control as a result of constantly using such devices! It is not only a problem of my relatives.

This is common situation nowadays in Korea. We are keeping communication in virtual world but we are becoming more isolated and lack the social skills needed in the physical world. We are losing touch, which only really occurs in the physical world. Touching (both literally and metaphorically) among people is never replicated in the virtual world.

Last Friday night, I joined in ceilidh with my classmates. It was a good example of a cultural event in Dundee. There was a mixture of young and old people, who came from different countries. At first, I watched how they enjoyed themselves and this made me feel excited too! Young and old men were wearing kilts and, even Sam was wearing one. It looked fantastic! I was only supposed to stay for one or two hours but in fact, I stayed to the end! We were dancing together, laughing cheerfully together, sweating together and greeting each other face to face. This can only happen within a real community, in the physical world.