Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
1.RESEARCH
Demographic transition
Changing value
International students
Home, familiar place
Transition of Long distance communication
A missing sense of communication tools
2.DESIGN INSPIRATIONS
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
Facing each other
4. CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
LIST OF FIGURES
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
1.RESEARCH
Demographic transition
Changing value
International students
Home, familiar place
Transition of Long distance communication
A missing sense of communication tools
2.DESIGN INSPIRATIONS
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
Facing each other
4. CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
LIST OF FIGURES
ABSTRACT
The historic structure of a family unit is changing. One major change is that people that once lived in a large family environment have broken away to live alone. This phenomenon has become increasingly prevalent in contemporary society, as greater numbers of people than ever are living on their own, and this number is on the rise.
By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have tools such as email, MSN and Skype to instantly communicate with each other regardless of distance. It is possible to say that the different locations that people are tending to live is not as important any more for some people to communicate.
There is a design opportunity with these means of long distance communication tools. Although people living away from their family and hometowns are physically located in a new place, there is still a strong emotional connection to where they used to live previously. This thesis focuses on the emotional connections of people who live apart from their home country, family and familiar environment.
The main interest of this thesis is to investigate how the design of a long distance communication tool can create a new, richer, emotional connection for a person living apart from their family and hometown. The design means of creating this connection is to emphasise the cardinal direction from a person to family and places that they feel nostalgic and homesick.
The historic structure of a family unit is changing. One major change is that people that once lived in a large family environment have broken away to live alone. This phenomenon has become increasingly prevalent in contemporary society, as greater numbers of people than ever are living on their own, and this number is on the rise.
By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have tools such as email, MSN and Skype to instantly communicate with each other regardless of distance. It is possible to say that the different locations that people are tending to live is not as important any more for some people to communicate.
There is a design opportunity with these means of long distance communication tools. Although people living away from their family and hometowns are physically located in a new place, there is still a strong emotional connection to where they used to live previously. This thesis focuses on the emotional connections of people who live apart from their home country, family and familiar environment.
The main interest of this thesis is to investigate how the design of a long distance communication tool can create a new, richer, emotional connection for a person living apart from their family and hometown. The design means of creating this connection is to emphasise the cardinal direction from a person to family and places that they feel nostalgic and homesick.
INTRODUCTION
In today`s times there are more people than ever living apart from their families and hometowns. With the advent of current technology such as the internet, there are more means than ever to maintain communication.
But being an international student and living away from my family and home, I have come to realise that there is something that is missing from current means of long distance communication tools. I believe that although it is quite easy to maintain communication between people living far distances, sometimes it is the emotional connection that is missing between me and the feelings that I get from being connected to the people and the places that i grew up in.
This thesis will explore how the design of a new long distance communication tool can express this emotional connection between people living apart from their family and hometown.
The main areas of research that this thesis will explore are transitions of long distance communication tools, what is missing in communication tools today, demographic transitions between people and place, the value that has changed for the family unit and living apart, psychological needs of people living away from home, the international student and their increased feelings of homesickness and nostalgia, belonging to a place, and what design opportunities can be presented from cultural and social precedents
In today`s times there are more people than ever living apart from their families and hometowns. With the advent of current technology such as the internet, there are more means than ever to maintain communication.
But being an international student and living away from my family and home, I have come to realise that there is something that is missing from current means of long distance communication tools. I believe that although it is quite easy to maintain communication between people living far distances, sometimes it is the emotional connection that is missing between me and the feelings that I get from being connected to the people and the places that i grew up in.
This thesis will explore how the design of a new long distance communication tool can express this emotional connection between people living apart from their family and hometown.
The main areas of research that this thesis will explore are transitions of long distance communication tools, what is missing in communication tools today, demographic transitions between people and place, the value that has changed for the family unit and living apart, psychological needs of people living away from home, the international student and their increased feelings of homesickness and nostalgia, belonging to a place, and what design opportunities can be presented from cultural and social precedents
1. Research
Demographic transition
Living apart from family members and familiar environments is becoming more and more a global phenomenon (www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/, 2,01. 09). This phenomenon is quite common to many of us, as most of us will live in several places during our lives, possibly more than once, whether temporarily or permanently. Historically, voluntary and forced migration is one of the most reoccuring themes, which did not lose its momentum with the passing of time. On the contrary, in the twentieth century it has increasingly become serious issue which faces many problems all over the world.
In some industrialised countries, rapid urbanization plays a great role in this shift of demographic change: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families and hometowns for better work opportunities in cities (www.cohre.org, 15,03,09)
What is important in these findings is to explore the ramifications in what these demographic changes have on the psychological well being of the people moving away from their families and hometowns.
Demographic transition
Living apart from family members and familiar environments is becoming more and more a global phenomenon (www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/, 2,01. 09). This phenomenon is quite common to many of us, as most of us will live in several places during our lives, possibly more than once, whether temporarily or permanently. Historically, voluntary and forced migration is one of the most reoccuring themes, which did not lose its momentum with the passing of time. On the contrary, in the twentieth century it has increasingly become serious issue which faces many problems all over the world.
In some industrialised countries, rapid urbanization plays a great role in this shift of demographic change: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families and hometowns for better work opportunities in cities (www.cohre.org, 15,03,09)
What is important in these findings is to explore the ramifications in what these demographic changes have on the psychological well being of the people moving away from their families and hometowns.
Changing values
One thing that can be understood from these findings is that it is often a choice for people to move away from their families and hometowns. This is especially the case among young people in developed countries (www.s1ngletown.org,15.01.09). These choices are often guided by the current day values promoted in educational opportunities, employment trends, social policies, technological innovations, media representations, and new ideas about human rights or personal entitlements (ibid).
These changed values have promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms (ibid).
On top of this, when people are asked where they would like to live at the end of their life, for some, staying with their children and family is not desired: their priority is to maintain independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes (ibid).
This being said, the human need for attachment to other people and places is widely referenced in the psychological field (http://drvanecke.com/publications, 12.05.09). Attachment theory involves the emotional connection between people to people and people to places from cradle to grave. Psychologist Dr. van Ecke states in the paper Immigration from an Attachment Perspective, that there is the possibility for long term implications in relation to the immigration experience. These implications may include increased vulnerability to attachment trauma. A major inhibitor associated with attachment trauma for immigrants is to reinforce the immigrants need for social support, as well as, the reinforcement of a sense of belonging to both their new and old environments (ibid).
What these findings suggest in the design of a long distance communication tool is that there could be a design insight in how a tool can reinforce a sense of belonging and emotional attachment to both the place of current abode as well as the origin of a distant hometown.
One thing that can be understood from these findings is that it is often a choice for people to move away from their families and hometowns. This is especially the case among young people in developed countries (www.s1ngletown.org,15.01.09). These choices are often guided by the current day values promoted in educational opportunities, employment trends, social policies, technological innovations, media representations, and new ideas about human rights or personal entitlements (ibid).
These changed values have promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms (ibid).
On top of this, when people are asked where they would like to live at the end of their life, for some, staying with their children and family is not desired: their priority is to maintain independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes (ibid).
This being said, the human need for attachment to other people and places is widely referenced in the psychological field (http://drvanecke.com/publications, 12.05.09). Attachment theory involves the emotional connection between people to people and people to places from cradle to grave. Psychologist Dr. van Ecke states in the paper Immigration from an Attachment Perspective, that there is the possibility for long term implications in relation to the immigration experience. These implications may include increased vulnerability to attachment trauma. A major inhibitor associated with attachment trauma for immigrants is to reinforce the immigrants need for social support, as well as, the reinforcement of a sense of belonging to both their new and old environments (ibid).
What these findings suggest in the design of a long distance communication tool is that there could be a design insight in how a tool can reinforce a sense of belonging and emotional attachment to both the place of current abode as well as the origin of a distant hometown.
International students
The issue of immigrant attachment is widely recognised among many immigrants from different nationalities and age groups (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.66). What is interesting in these findings is that there is an increased amount of research in the effects of immigration from the international student perspective (ibid).
Nowadays, well over a million young people per year go abroad to study at a foreign university. The experience of studying in a foreign country, however, leaves a powerful impression on young people that may last all their lives. For most the experience is very enriching, but for a few the experience is negative and they sometimes recall loneliness, homesickness and nostalgia (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.36).
For many people who choose to study in a different culture, it can be quite a heavy experience that propagates a nervous-feeling caused by being in a less familiar environment, away from the support network of the home culture (ibid).
When people experience or live in new environment and new culture, it seems that most of them will suffer culture shock to some extent, which is always thought of as being unpleasant and stressful (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.17).
For international students, it seems that most of them will suffer from problems such as language difficulties, financial problems, adjusting to a new educational system, homesickness, adjusting to social customs and norms, and for some students, racial discrimination (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.63).
The culture shock hypothesis or concept implies that the experience of visiting or living in a new culture is an unpleasant surprise or shock, partly because it is unexpected, and partly because it may lead to a negative evaluation of oneself (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.18)
Alexander et al. (1981) describes the plight of the international student as being isolated from the host culture and having lost social anchorage in the home culture.
To alleviate some of this pressure, many international students use long distance communication tools to maintain contact with people from their home. What is interesting in these findings is that although statistics are unclear regarding the exact ages of people using communication tools such as Skype due to animosity, the larger population of users are predicted to be from younger generations. This hypothesis is somewhat expected as the two main demographic factors that contribute to internet usage is age and education (http://www.stanford.edu/group/siqss/Press_Release/press_detail.html, 10.05.2009)
What this can suggest in the design process of a long distance communication device is that it could be designed around the internet and therefore assessable to many younger people living abroad.
The average distance within the UK for homesick students to travel was 364 miles on average for those who reported homesick, and 203 miles for those who reported no homesickness effects.
(Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.1
The issue of immigrant attachment is widely recognised among many immigrants from different nationalities and age groups (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.66). What is interesting in these findings is that there is an increased amount of research in the effects of immigration from the international student perspective (ibid).
Nowadays, well over a million young people per year go abroad to study at a foreign university. The experience of studying in a foreign country, however, leaves a powerful impression on young people that may last all their lives. For most the experience is very enriching, but for a few the experience is negative and they sometimes recall loneliness, homesickness and nostalgia (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.36).
For many people who choose to study in a different culture, it can be quite a heavy experience that propagates a nervous-feeling caused by being in a less familiar environment, away from the support network of the home culture (ibid).
When people experience or live in new environment and new culture, it seems that most of them will suffer culture shock to some extent, which is always thought of as being unpleasant and stressful (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.17).
For international students, it seems that most of them will suffer from problems such as language difficulties, financial problems, adjusting to a new educational system, homesickness, adjusting to social customs and norms, and for some students, racial discrimination (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.63).
The culture shock hypothesis or concept implies that the experience of visiting or living in a new culture is an unpleasant surprise or shock, partly because it is unexpected, and partly because it may lead to a negative evaluation of oneself (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.18)
Alexander et al. (1981) describes the plight of the international student as being isolated from the host culture and having lost social anchorage in the home culture.
To alleviate some of this pressure, many international students use long distance communication tools to maintain contact with people from their home. What is interesting in these findings is that although statistics are unclear regarding the exact ages of people using communication tools such as Skype due to animosity, the larger population of users are predicted to be from younger generations. This hypothesis is somewhat expected as the two main demographic factors that contribute to internet usage is age and education (http://www.stanford.edu/group/siqss/Press_Release/press_detail.html, 10.05.2009)
What this can suggest in the design process of a long distance communication device is that it could be designed around the internet and therefore assessable to many younger people living abroad.
The average distance within the UK for homesick students to travel was 364 miles on average for those who reported homesick, and 203 miles for those who reported no homesickness effects.
(Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.1
Home, familiar place
Another important finding in relation to international students studying abroad is that homesickness and nostalgia is near the top of the list of their feelings of complaints from being away from their homes (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.43).
Nostalgia is defined by the Concise Oxford Dictionary (2005) as; a sentimental yearning or longing for bygone days. And characterized by ruminative thoughts about the home and the desire to go back to the familiar environment. Scientifically, the condition was first described by Hofer (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.35) in Basel in 1685. Meanwhile, religiously nostalgia has been historically referenced in the Bible at Psalm 13 7: "By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down, yeah wept when we remembered Zion" (ibid).
On the other hand, Homesickness, is defined by the Oxford Advanced Learner`s Dictionary (2007) as; the sadness that arrives from being away from home. Where the notion of home is not simply a shelter but the place that you were born and grew, where your memories are stored emotionally, there are people who you spend your life together and are replaceable or exchangeable (Kron 2007, p.55).
Psychologists Dijkstra and Hendrix (1983) define homesickness as; a human state of being, characterized by a depressed mood, physical complains and a ruminative thinking about the familiar environment and/or familiar people.
One factor that contributes to the amount of homesickness experienced by people is the amount of geographical distance from home they have travelled (Fisher 1990, p.56) The greater the distance involved, the worse the homesickness effects were found to be (ibid).
Other physical and psychological ramifications of homesickness and nostalgia include a complex reaction with characteristic accompanying emotional, somatic, and behavioral elements and cognitions which show obsessive thoughts, rumination, idealization, stomach troubles, lack of appetite, and sleeplessness (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.105).
The idea of nostalgic feelings can prove to be a design opportunity as current means of long distant communication devices do not address this emotional connection to distant people and places. This new design could also address the geographical distance between people and their old homes in an aim to psychologically create a sense of linkage between the two.
Another important finding in relation to international students studying abroad is that homesickness and nostalgia is near the top of the list of their feelings of complaints from being away from their homes (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.43).
Nostalgia is defined by the Concise Oxford Dictionary (2005) as; a sentimental yearning or longing for bygone days. And characterized by ruminative thoughts about the home and the desire to go back to the familiar environment. Scientifically, the condition was first described by Hofer (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.35) in Basel in 1685. Meanwhile, religiously nostalgia has been historically referenced in the Bible at Psalm 13 7: "By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down, yeah wept when we remembered Zion" (ibid).
On the other hand, Homesickness, is defined by the Oxford Advanced Learner`s Dictionary (2007) as; the sadness that arrives from being away from home. Where the notion of home is not simply a shelter but the place that you were born and grew, where your memories are stored emotionally, there are people who you spend your life together and are replaceable or exchangeable (Kron 2007, p.55).
Psychologists Dijkstra and Hendrix (1983) define homesickness as; a human state of being, characterized by a depressed mood, physical complains and a ruminative thinking about the familiar environment and/or familiar people.
One factor that contributes to the amount of homesickness experienced by people is the amount of geographical distance from home they have travelled (Fisher 1990, p.56) The greater the distance involved, the worse the homesickness effects were found to be (ibid).
Other physical and psychological ramifications of homesickness and nostalgia include a complex reaction with characteristic accompanying emotional, somatic, and behavioral elements and cognitions which show obsessive thoughts, rumination, idealization, stomach troubles, lack of appetite, and sleeplessness (Tilburg & Vingerhoets, 2005, p.105).
The idea of nostalgic feelings can prove to be a design opportunity as current means of long distant communication devices do not address this emotional connection to distant people and places. This new design could also address the geographical distance between people and their old homes in an aim to psychologically create a sense of linkage between the two.
Transition of Long distance communication
What kind of communication tools are being used in long distance communication for people who live apart?
In the last 50 years there has been numerous ways in which people have changed how they communicate over greater distances ; the Internet is most certainly one of them.
Traditionally, face-to-face interaction in the local community was the basis for communication. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate between people as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated tools such as email, MSN, website phone and Skype.
In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. Where the mobile became the dominant technology for voice communication (www.thehistoryof.net/history-of-long-distance.html, 14, 12, 08).
Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives. Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relationships. We are enthusiastic about e-mail and the mobile phone with its benefits in long distance contact with our relatives. Another common medium today is videoconferencing (commonly referred to as Skype) is also used between people separated geographically. What this suggests is that tools can be designed to provide greater emotional support than phone and e-mail for people staying away from their families
What kind of communication tools are being used in long distance communication for people who live apart?
In the last 50 years there has been numerous ways in which people have changed how they communicate over greater distances ; the Internet is most certainly one of them.
Traditionally, face-to-face interaction in the local community was the basis for communication. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate between people as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated tools such as email, MSN, website phone and Skype.
In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. Where the mobile became the dominant technology for voice communication (www.thehistoryof.net/history-of-long-distance.html, 14, 12, 08).
Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives. Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relationships. We are enthusiastic about e-mail and the mobile phone with its benefits in long distance contact with our relatives. Another common medium today is videoconferencing (commonly referred to as Skype) is also used between people separated geographically. What this suggests is that tools can be designed to provide greater emotional support than phone and e-mail for people staying away from their families
A missing sense of communication tools
In an inspiring conversation regarding long distance communication with a Korean student studying in The Netherlands. This student recounted a conversation that she had with her father over phone on the day of Korean new years. In the conversation her father asked her to bow from the Netherlands towards her parents located in Korea (it is a tradition of new year’s ritual in Korea).
What was surprising and also inspiring is that this Korean student actually did not know the direction of her home in Korea from the Netherlands. After this conversation, I asked several people who live away from their country (each of them were from a different country in Europe or Asia). A common finding was that most students could not indicate which direction their home or country was located. What was even more interesting was that when I indicated which direction their country was located in relation to the Netherlands, for all the students it brought a positive emotional affect.
This latter finding made me question the emotional capabilities of the technology of communication tools such as the phone and Skype. You can experience voice (sound) and even face to face interaction (sight) through a computer screen. However, there is no experience in recognising how far (distance) or in what cardinal direction you are from the person/people you are talking to.
An important design insight that is inspired from these findings is that current long distance communication tools are missing some experiential qualities such as direction and distance that can also bring an emotional affect to people living away from their family and hometown. What this can also suggest is that if a person requires a sentimental reassurance that they are emotionally connected to a desired place or person then a long distance communication tool can facilitate this experience without the need for direct communication between people to people.
In an inspiring conversation regarding long distance communication with a Korean student studying in The Netherlands. This student recounted a conversation that she had with her father over phone on the day of Korean new years. In the conversation her father asked her to bow from the Netherlands towards her parents located in Korea (it is a tradition of new year’s ritual in Korea).
What was surprising and also inspiring is that this Korean student actually did not know the direction of her home in Korea from the Netherlands. After this conversation, I asked several people who live away from their country (each of them were from a different country in Europe or Asia). A common finding was that most students could not indicate which direction their home or country was located. What was even more interesting was that when I indicated which direction their country was located in relation to the Netherlands, for all the students it brought a positive emotional affect.
This latter finding made me question the emotional capabilities of the technology of communication tools such as the phone and Skype. You can experience voice (sound) and even face to face interaction (sight) through a computer screen. However, there is no experience in recognising how far (distance) or in what cardinal direction you are from the person/people you are talking to.
An important design insight that is inspired from these findings is that current long distance communication tools are missing some experiential qualities such as direction and distance that can also bring an emotional affect to people living away from their family and hometown. What this can also suggest is that if a person requires a sentimental reassurance that they are emotionally connected to a desired place or person then a long distance communication tool can facilitate this experience without the need for direct communication between people to people.
2. Design inspirations
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
Another interesting design insight can be related to the religious ritual of praying. Like the social custom of bowing the cultural ritual of praying, (i.e. the Muslim tradition) also relates to a specific directional gesture (www.whyislam.org, 05.05.09).
The Muslim prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day toward Mecca by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world.(ibid)
When it is time to pray, Muslims need to be located in the direction of Mecca. In the case of being away from a Mosque in a new location, Muslims always carry on them a Mecca direction telling compass that is called qibla compass (sometimes also called qibla indicator). This compass helps such Muslims who are not available to visit Mecca to know the direction of Mecca at prayer times (ibid)
The concept of the Mecca direction telling compass is an interesting precedent for the design task at hand. As a contemporary form the Mecca compass could be translated into a long distance communication tool that indicates the direction of a desired location to feel a sense of connection between a place and a person living away.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
Another interesting design insight can be related to the religious ritual of praying. Like the social custom of bowing the cultural ritual of praying, (i.e. the Muslim tradition) also relates to a specific directional gesture (www.whyislam.org, 05.05.09).
The Muslim prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day toward Mecca by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world.(ibid)
When it is time to pray, Muslims need to be located in the direction of Mecca. In the case of being away from a Mosque in a new location, Muslims always carry on them a Mecca direction telling compass that is called qibla compass (sometimes also called qibla indicator). This compass helps such Muslims who are not available to visit Mecca to know the direction of Mecca at prayer times (ibid)
The concept of the Mecca direction telling compass is an interesting precedent for the design task at hand. As a contemporary form the Mecca compass could be translated into a long distance communication tool that indicates the direction of a desired location to feel a sense of connection between a place and a person living away.
Facing each other
Communication in a certain direction in terms of social customs and interactions have long history in many cultures, such as the bowing custom (www.zcla.org/custom.php, 13.05.09).
Although even in contemporary times, facing each other to talk is usually considered fundamentally important for interpersonal communication and respect, such a way of physical communication is not available in telecommunication that provides voice and sight, but no sense of feeling physically connected in the cardinal sense.
I think it would be possible for long distance communication to enrich the quality of connection by applying the same gestural sense of cardinal direction as seen in the bowing custom
Communication in a certain direction in terms of social customs and interactions have long history in many cultures, such as the bowing custom (www.zcla.org/custom.php, 13.05.09).
Although even in contemporary times, facing each other to talk is usually considered fundamentally important for interpersonal communication and respect, such a way of physical communication is not available in telecommunication that provides voice and sight, but no sense of feeling physically connected in the cardinal sense.
I think it would be possible for long distance communication to enrich the quality of connection by applying the same gestural sense of cardinal direction as seen in the bowing custom
3. Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world which include the constant changing of residential addresses to abroad, people will always feel attached to their old environment, family, and home country.
An important finding is that although people are choosing to relocate their lives abroad for numerous reasons, the need for maintaining a sense of attachment and belonging to the people and places that they have come from are fundamentally important for the wellbeing of the movers.
The design of a new long distance communication tool can help support and enrich the needs of attachment and belonging between people who stay away from their familiar environments. This can be achieved by communicating a sense of emotional connection between person and person or person and place through the design.
The design of this tool could address people such as international students that are typically feeling the effects of homesickness and nostalgia to more serious degrees than other immigrants.
The design can be supported by the internet in a way that it can address the many young people living and studying abroad that are typically using the internet for their education purposes.
The design should address the notion that the longer the geographical distances that are travelled to live in foreign countries usually implies a higher risk of homesickness or nostalgia. Where in relation to this geographical distance, the design could accentuate the specific location the direction in which the origin country is located. This communicated information could trigger an emotion connection between the person and their family or hometown.
This particular finding is supported by the idea that current long distance communication tools are missing some experiential qualities such as cardinal direction and distance that can also bring an emotional affect to people. This idea is supported by the findings in the several conversations I had with international students living abroad.
In a design that can physically gesture towards the direction of people or places that you feel nostalgic or homesick for, it is my belief that a new type of long distance communication tool could bring more value to people experiencing the pains of living apart from their families and homes in a subtly reminding way. This can be especially applicable for international students like me, but also applicable to anyone that desires to be reminded of feeling attached and belonging to their family or distant hometown.
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world which include the constant changing of residential addresses to abroad, people will always feel attached to their old environment, family, and home country.
An important finding is that although people are choosing to relocate their lives abroad for numerous reasons, the need for maintaining a sense of attachment and belonging to the people and places that they have come from are fundamentally important for the wellbeing of the movers.
The design of a new long distance communication tool can help support and enrich the needs of attachment and belonging between people who stay away from their familiar environments. This can be achieved by communicating a sense of emotional connection between person and person or person and place through the design.
The design of this tool could address people such as international students that are typically feeling the effects of homesickness and nostalgia to more serious degrees than other immigrants.
The design can be supported by the internet in a way that it can address the many young people living and studying abroad that are typically using the internet for their education purposes.
The design should address the notion that the longer the geographical distances that are travelled to live in foreign countries usually implies a higher risk of homesickness or nostalgia. Where in relation to this geographical distance, the design could accentuate the specific location the direction in which the origin country is located. This communicated information could trigger an emotion connection between the person and their family or hometown.
This particular finding is supported by the idea that current long distance communication tools are missing some experiential qualities such as cardinal direction and distance that can also bring an emotional affect to people. This idea is supported by the findings in the several conversations I had with international students living abroad.
In a design that can physically gesture towards the direction of people or places that you feel nostalgic or homesick for, it is my belief that a new type of long distance communication tool could bring more value to people experiencing the pains of living apart from their families and homes in a subtly reminding way. This can be especially applicable for international students like me, but also applicable to anyone that desires to be reminded of feeling attached and belonging to their family or distant hometown.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
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-Gurney, A (2004) COMPASS a story of exploration and innovation, W.W Norton & Company, United
States of America
-Hofstede, G (1991) Cultures and Organizations, Harper Collins Publishers, United Kingdom
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-Moggridge, B (2007) Designing interactions, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of
America
-Miranda A.L van Tilburg and Ad j.j.M Vingerhoets (1997) Psychological Aspects of Geographical Move,
Amsterdam Academic Archive, The Netherland
-Nomachi, K, A (1997) Mecca, Shueisha, Japan
-National Geographic Society (May 2008) National Geographic Magazine, United States of America
-The Concise Oxford Dictionary (2005) Edited by Catherine Soanes, Angus Stevenson, Oxford Press, United Kingdom
-The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2007) Edited by Hornby, A, Seventhed. Oxford Press, United Kingdom
WEB
-Droog and KesselsKramer (2008) S1NGLETOWN
http://www.s1ngletown.org/
-The History of Long Distance ñ A Communications Revolutionî (Matt Jacks, 2008)
http://www.thehistoryof.net/history-of-long-distance.html
-Qibla: Find direction of Kaaba in Macca
http://www.qibla.com.br/
-Zen Center of Los Angels
www.zcla.org/custom404.php (13.5.09)
-The Impact of Globaliztion on Local Communities
www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/1/9/6/8/p19680_index.html
STATISTICS
-Australian Bureau of Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au/
-Euromonitor International
http://www.euromonitor.com/
-The National Statistics Center (NSTAC)
http://www.nstac.go.jp/
-UK Statistics Authority
http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/
BOOKS
-Ad!dict Creative Lab (2008) AD!DICT # 29, Belgium
-Bendavid, V, L(2003) FAMILIE, National Geographic Society, Washington, D, C
-Boym, S (2001) The future of Nostalgia , A Menber of the Perseus Books Group, united States of America
-Dijkstre and Hendrix (1983) Cited in Miranda A.L van Tilburg and Ad j.j.M Vingerhoets (1997) Psychological Aspects of Geographical Move, Amsterdam Academic Archive, The Netherlands
-Gurney, A (2004) COMPASS a story of exploration and innovation, W.W Norton & Company, United
States of America
-Hofstede, G (1991) Cultures and Organizations, Harper Collins Publishers, United Kingdom
-Kron, J (2007) Home-Psych: The Social Psychology of Home, Scientific Press, New York
-Lunde, P (2004) ISLAM, Dorling Kindersley, United Kingdom
-Moggridge, B (2007) Designing interactions, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of
America
-Miranda A.L van Tilburg and Ad j.j.M Vingerhoets (1997) Psychological Aspects of Geographical Move,
Amsterdam Academic Archive, The Netherland
-Nomachi, K, A (1997) Mecca, Shueisha, Japan
-National Geographic Society (May 2008) National Geographic Magazine, United States of America
-The Concise Oxford Dictionary (2005) Edited by Catherine Soanes, Angus Stevenson, Oxford Press, United Kingdom
-The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2007) Edited by Hornby, A, Seventhed. Oxford Press, United Kingdom
WEB
-Droog and KesselsKramer (2008) S1NGLETOWN
http://www.s1ngletown.org/
-The History of Long Distance ñ A Communications Revolutionî (Matt Jacks, 2008)
http://www.thehistoryof.net/history-of-long-distance.html
-Qibla: Find direction of Kaaba in Macca
http://www.qibla.com.br/
-Zen Center of Los Angels
www.zcla.org/custom404.php (13.5.09)
-The Impact of Globaliztion on Local Communities
www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/1/9/6/8/p19680_index.html
STATISTICS
-Australian Bureau of Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au/
-Euromonitor International
http://www.euromonitor.com/
-The National Statistics Center (NSTAC)
http://www.nstac.go.jp/
-UK Statistics Authority
http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/
List of Figures
1-A young woman points out her home on the world map
www.flickr.com/photos/tara-tea/3037955269/
2-Mount Fuji in Clear Weather
www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/ukiyoe/hokusai.html
3-Netherlands, North Holland, Zaanse Schans, windmills, 1998
www.gettyimages.com/
4-A young woman in Beijing,
National Geographic Magazine May 2008 p108
5-China, Guangdong Province, family around small stove at home
www.gettyimages.com/
6-China, Shanghai, young woman sitting in home
www.gettyimages.com/
7-International students
Photograph by Author
8-NEW YORK, VS 1954 Paul Zahl
FAMILIE, p39
9-Chappe semaphore on the roof of the Louvre, Paris (1795), Smithsonian Institution Libraries
www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/underwater-web/uw-optic-02.htm
10-A homing pigeon
www.pigeoncote.com/homing/homing.html
11-Telegraph key in America in 1838
www.antiqbuyer.com/tele.html
12-A Penfold Hexagonal postbox,
www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1224228
13-Telephone for operator-assisted phone service
Designing interactions p386
14-Alexander Graham Bell speaking into a prototype telephone, The Early Office Museum
www.officemuseum.com/
15-Man and woman using telephones
1910 postcard
16--Old phone
www.iphonepicture.org/p/other/oldphone.html
17--Steve Jobs and Bill Atkinson, holding a Mac, in 1983
Designing interactions p100
18-Nokia 5110
www.nokiausa.com/
Designing interactions p75
20-E-mail icon
Scanted by Author
21-Google homepage June 2005
Designing interactions p470
22-Skype logo
Photograph by Author
23-A picture of iPhone
www.apple.com/iphone/
24-A woman using Skype
Photograph by Author
25-Old Map of the World from the 1500's
www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/maps/old-map-world.html
26-South Pointing Chariot Model, British Science Museum in London
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/
27-Model of Model Si Nan of Han Dynasty a south-indicating ladle or sinanin China
chinese-dynasties.org/han-dynasty.html
28-A 9th century astrolabe in Iraq
ISLAM p94
29-Qibla Indicator in Iran, Bakken Library and Museum
www.thebakken.org/artifacts/qibla.html
30-Persian 'qibla' indicator
www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/cultures/astronomical_instruments
31-Google earth 2008
Photograph by Author
32-Qibla compass
www.islamicgoodsdirect.co.uk/
33-Qiblah phone (model:LG-F7100)
www.lge.com/us/index.jsp
34-GPS satellite, NASA
www.navcen.uscg.gov/ftp/gps/ggeninfo/gps-iif.tif
35-Automotive navigation system
www.autonavigationsystems.net/products.html
36-Prayer compass
www.casio.com/home/
37-Qibla finder
appbeacon.com/apps/003608/qibla-finder
38--A picture of performance of prayer at sunset
Mecca p99
39-A picture of mihrab (in the center) of a mosque
Mecca p111
40-Two man bowing each other
waystosayhello.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/the-many-degrees-of-bowing/
1-A young woman points out her home on the world map
www.flickr.com/photos/tara-tea/3037955269/
2-Mount Fuji in Clear Weather
www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/ukiyoe/hokusai.html
3-Netherlands, North Holland, Zaanse Schans, windmills, 1998
www.gettyimages.com/
4-A young woman in Beijing,
National Geographic Magazine May 2008 p108
5-China, Guangdong Province, family around small stove at home
www.gettyimages.com/
6-China, Shanghai, young woman sitting in home
www.gettyimages.com/
7-International students
Photograph by Author
8-NEW YORK, VS 1954 Paul Zahl
FAMILIE, p39
9-Chappe semaphore on the roof of the Louvre, Paris (1795), Smithsonian Institution Libraries
www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/underwater-web/uw-optic-02.htm
10-A homing pigeon
www.pigeoncote.com/homing/homing.html
11-Telegraph key in America in 1838
www.antiqbuyer.com/tele.html
12-A Penfold Hexagonal postbox,
www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1224228
13-Telephone for operator-assisted phone service
Designing interactions p386
14-Alexander Graham Bell speaking into a prototype telephone, The Early Office Museum
www.officemuseum.com/
15-Man and woman using telephones
1910 postcard
16--Old phone
www.iphonepicture.org/p/other/oldphone.html
17--Steve Jobs and Bill Atkinson, holding a Mac, in 1983
Designing interactions p100
18-Nokia 5110
www.nokiausa.com/
Designing interactions p75
20-E-mail icon
Scanted by Author
21-Google homepage June 2005
Designing interactions p470
22-Skype logo
Photograph by Author
23-A picture of iPhone
www.apple.com/iphone/
24-A woman using Skype
Photograph by Author
25-Old Map of the World from the 1500's
www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/maps/old-map-world.html
26-South Pointing Chariot Model, British Science Museum in London
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/
27-Model of Model Si Nan of Han Dynasty a south-indicating ladle or sinanin China
chinese-dynasties.org/han-dynasty.html
28-A 9th century astrolabe in Iraq
ISLAM p94
29-Qibla Indicator in Iran, Bakken Library and Museum
www.thebakken.org/artifacts/qibla.html
30-Persian 'qibla' indicator
www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/cultures/astronomical_instruments
31-Google earth 2008
Photograph by Author
32-Qibla compass
www.islamicgoodsdirect.co.uk/
33-Qiblah phone (model:LG-F7100)
www.lge.com/us/index.jsp
34-GPS satellite, NASA
www.navcen.uscg.gov/ftp/gps/ggeninfo/gps-iif.tif
35-Automotive navigation system
www.autonavigationsystems.net/products.html
36-Prayer compass
www.casio.com/home/
37-Qibla finder
appbeacon.com/apps/003608/qibla-finder
38--A picture of performance of prayer at sunset
Mecca p99
39-A picture of mihrab (in the center) of a mosque
Mecca p111
40-Two man bowing each other
waystosayhello.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/the-many-degrees-of-bowing/
Monday, April 13, 2009
14,4
Designing Long distance language
Index
・Introduction
・Changing family form
・What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
・Loneliness and mental health
・Transition of Long distance communication
・A missing sense of communication tools
・Cultural ritual in terms of direction
・Facing each other and talk
・Object and space that have the sense of direction
・Conclusion
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed. People who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. And living apart from near relatives became general. Greater numbers of people than ever before are living on their own, and the number is on the rise. By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said that the locations to live is not important any more for some people to make a communication. Although people belong to where they live physically, yet, where used to live emotionally. The thesis focuses on the issue of people who live alone and apart from their family, country and home that now is regarded as global phenomenon. The goal of this study is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of direction that is missing in communication tools in long distance and how family can create a situation that they can feel mental distance closely in the physical distance.
Changing family form
Living alone and apart from family member and home has become a global phenomenon, and the number of years that people spend living single is growing. Its relevancy is broad, as most of us will be at several places in our lives, most of us will live alone, possibly more than one time, whether temporarily or permanently. In demography, family change is largely theorized in terms of two demographic transitions: a long-term change (from about 1870 to 1950), which brought smaller families; and second change (from about 1960 to the present), which involved increased flexibility in family relationships (Lesthaeghe, 1995; Beaujot, 2000: 85-96). This second phase is being passed across the developed world as single living, becomes the norm. In reality, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3.1 million people will live alone by 2026, up from 1.8 million at the 2001 census. One-person households are predicted to increase faster than any other type. The Bureau describes the increase as ‘phenomenal’. This phenomenon now occurs even in newly industrialized country, over the period between 2001 and 2006, nine countries recorded 20 per cent and over growth in numbers of singleton households – Vietnam, India, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, China, South Korea and Spain (According to Euromonitor International). In such countries, rapid urbanization plays a greater role: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families for better opportunities in the city, even other country. And the number of households multiplies. In Germany and Switzerland, people over 50-years old will account for around half of the population by the middle of the century. And the proportion of elderly people living alone is also increasing: nearly half of Swiss women aged 65-74 are now in single-person living. In Britain, the number of older persons living alone has risen by a fifth in just the last two years. And according to the Chinese Research Center on Ageing, 30 percent of China’s urban senior citizens lived alone in 2004 and the number is expected to increase to 80 percent as soon as 2010.
What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
According to the answers from many young people in developed country (S1NGLETOWN, Droog and KesselsKramer), it is wealth and personal freedom: they live alone because they are capable, like and make a choice. However, personal choices are shaped by our family circumstances and events in the wider society, such as changes in educational opportunities, employment trends, social policies, technological innovations, media representations, and new ideas about human rights or personal entitlements. Changing value has promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms. Women’s preference for keeping themselves to themselves is echoed by many singles worldwide - a survey by Horizon Research Group in six Chinese cities found that nearly 90 per cent of well-educated females prefer the single life. Where do people want to live at the end of their life? For some, staying with their children and family is not an option: their priority is to keep independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes –increasingly, alone.
Loneliness and mental health
For many people living alone, loneliness is a crucial concern, especially the old who tend to spend a far higher proportion of their time within their own four walls. Research at the University of Chicago have pointed the finger at the single state itself, it found that men and women between 50 and 68 years old who scored highest on measures of loneliness– also had high blood pressure. And other research has shown that losing a loved one carries a risk of heart-attack-like symptoms. From such studies it emerges that loneliness does pose a significant risk, especially to mental health. People living on their own are significantly more likely to experience a depresssive episode or suffer obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders, (according to Britain’s Office of National Statistics). In people’s growth as individuals, humans start a separation process at birth, which continues with growing independence towards adulthood. As such, however, feeling alone can be a healthy emotion and, indeed, choosing to be alone for a period of solitude should be enriching.
Transition of Long distance communication
What kind of communication tools have used in long distance for people who live alone?
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate over greater distances in the last 50 years; the Internet is most certainly one of them. Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as email, MSN, website phone and Skype. In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. And mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives. Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relations, we are enthusiastic about e-mail, mobile phone and its benefits, in long distance contact with our relatives. Videoconferencing (commonly called Skype) is used between people separated geographically. Such tools can be developed to provide greater emotional support than phone and e-mail for people staying away from their families.
A missing sense of communication tools
There is a very inspiring story about communication in terms of direction. In the talk with Korean woman (studying in The Netherlands), about a conversation with her father over phone when it was new year in Korea. Her father asked her to bow toward her parents (it is a tradition of new year’s ritual). She, however, didn’t do as asked after all. Yet, the fascinating thing from this episode is that she actually did not realize the direction of her home. After the story, I did some interviews with several people who live apart from their country (each of them are from different country such a Europe and Asia), expectantly or unexpectedly, all most of them could not answer which direction is their home or country. Most of people who live apart from their country seem don’t pay attention to the direction of home, even when they talk to their family by phone. It is possibly an inspiring fact that we have never realized. By the technology of communication tools such as phone and Skype, you can sense voice(sound) and even face(sight) through a computer screen. However, there is no clue to recognize how far (distance) away your partner who you are talking to and which direction your facing to communicate with. These are the missing senses in long distance communication tools what we have currently.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
With regard to way of communication in terms of direction, Muslim ritual will be found. The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day toward Mecca by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world. Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realize that all humanity is one. If it is not available for some Muslims to go to Mecca practically, they pray at distance. When time for praying, they need to be directed in the direction of Mecca. In that case, Mecca direction telling compass helps such Muslims to guess the direction of Mecca at prayer times. Wherever they go, they take it with them. Whether they are moving to a new place or going on a holiday, this is a must have.
Facing each other and talk
When we contact with someone physically, we generally stand in front of the partner and talk. In other words, we get our body directed to the direction of the partner who we talk to. In relation to the way of communication in the sense of direction, Bowing will be found as one of them. Bowing (also called stooping) is a social gesture (commonly used in greeting, but also respect, apologies, gratitude, and religious ceremonies) in direction to another person or symbol. Although facing each other and talk is fundamental and crucial form for the interpersonal communication, such way of physical communication is not available in telecommunication that provides voice and sight but no sense of feeling of facing. However, it would be possible for long distance communication to enrich the quality of communication itself by applying the sense of direction to it, and the sense of facing each other. As Muslim’s ritual, there certainly is a way of communication that facing to certain direction in distance, it could be formed even if when there is no one to face in front of us.
Object and space that have the sense of direction
Not only in the intercommunication of people and cultural ritual, but also there are some certain objects and spaces that have the sense of direction. For instance, Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado the "way of flowers") is one of the objects that has the sense of direction. Traditionally, the style of Ikebana is designed to be viewed only from the front. It is because the space of “Tokonoma” (a small sacred alcove in a Japanese room) where Ikebana would be placed. The Architecture also has the sense of direction, there is mostly the "Door" which is called "Main entrance" for the building. It is important for the building to be defined which direction of the building is "Front", and how exterior is designed as a face of architecture to welcome visitors. As for interior of the architecture, sometimes "the side shown to the person who enters room" be fixed for the room in the building. "Front/face in the room" might be fixed by the alcove (Tokonoma), the fireplace and so on.
Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world, people will always love and need family, home and the country. Home is not simply a shelter but the place that you were born and grew, where your memories are stored emotionally and there are people who you spend your life together. The issues are raised when there is profound family change: what is holding families together and what are the links between individuals and families? And even individuals and place where he or she used to belong. To enrich long distance communication between people who live apart and families, what is possible in this mobile society? The place where you used to belong is the one what identify yourself when you live abroad or somewhere far from home. When you feel lonely or mental anxiety, you would contact your family by phone or Skype to ease yourself. Does knowing the direction make the feel connection stronger? By realizing the direction of people that you want to contact, like Muslims do, long distance communication would be more valuable in everyday life. And casual behavior you do everyday life, for instance, sending e-mail, having meal, reading book and so on, would be more taken care and respectful as if facing each other at distance.
Bibliography
“Cultures and Organizations” (GEERT HOFSTEDE, 1991)
“Psychological Aspects of Geographical Moves” (Amsterdam Academic Archive, 1997)
“S1NGLETOWN” (Droog and KesselsKramer, 2008)
UK National Statistics
“The History of Long Distance – A Communications Revolution” (Matt Jacks, 2008)
“Living Single Longer: It's a Global Phenomenon” (Bella DePaulo, 2008)
“Who Cares? Families and Feelings in Movement” (Maruscaronka Svascaronek, 2008)
“Muslim” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
“Qibla compass” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
“The Global Nomad Experience Living in Liminality” (Barbara F. Schaetti and Sheila J. Ramsey, 1999)
Index
・Introduction
・Changing family form
・What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
・Loneliness and mental health
・Transition of Long distance communication
・A missing sense of communication tools
・Cultural ritual in terms of direction
・Facing each other and talk
・Object and space that have the sense of direction
・Conclusion
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed. People who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. And living apart from near relatives became general. Greater numbers of people than ever before are living on their own, and the number is on the rise. By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said that the locations to live is not important any more for some people to make a communication. Although people belong to where they live physically, yet, where used to live emotionally. The thesis focuses on the issue of people who live alone and apart from their family, country and home that now is regarded as global phenomenon. The goal of this study is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of direction that is missing in communication tools in long distance and how family can create a situation that they can feel mental distance closely in the physical distance.
Changing family form
Living alone and apart from family member and home has become a global phenomenon, and the number of years that people spend living single is growing. Its relevancy is broad, as most of us will be at several places in our lives, most of us will live alone, possibly more than one time, whether temporarily or permanently. In demography, family change is largely theorized in terms of two demographic transitions: a long-term change (from about 1870 to 1950), which brought smaller families; and second change (from about 1960 to the present), which involved increased flexibility in family relationships (Lesthaeghe, 1995; Beaujot, 2000: 85-96). This second phase is being passed across the developed world as single living, becomes the norm. In reality, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3.1 million people will live alone by 2026, up from 1.8 million at the 2001 census. One-person households are predicted to increase faster than any other type. The Bureau describes the increase as ‘phenomenal’. This phenomenon now occurs even in newly industrialized country, over the period between 2001 and 2006, nine countries recorded 20 per cent and over growth in numbers of singleton households – Vietnam, India, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, China, South Korea and Spain (According to Euromonitor International). In such countries, rapid urbanization plays a greater role: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families for better opportunities in the city, even other country. And the number of households multiplies. In Germany and Switzerland, people over 50-years old will account for around half of the population by the middle of the century. And the proportion of elderly people living alone is also increasing: nearly half of Swiss women aged 65-74 are now in single-person living. In Britain, the number of older persons living alone has risen by a fifth in just the last two years. And according to the Chinese Research Center on Ageing, 30 percent of China’s urban senior citizens lived alone in 2004 and the number is expected to increase to 80 percent as soon as 2010.
What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
According to the answers from many young people in developed country (S1NGLETOWN, Droog and KesselsKramer), it is wealth and personal freedom: they live alone because they are capable, like and make a choice. However, personal choices are shaped by our family circumstances and events in the wider society, such as changes in educational opportunities, employment trends, social policies, technological innovations, media representations, and new ideas about human rights or personal entitlements. Changing value has promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms. Women’s preference for keeping themselves to themselves is echoed by many singles worldwide - a survey by Horizon Research Group in six Chinese cities found that nearly 90 per cent of well-educated females prefer the single life. Where do people want to live at the end of their life? For some, staying with their children and family is not an option: their priority is to keep independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes –increasingly, alone.
Loneliness and mental health
For many people living alone, loneliness is a crucial concern, especially the old who tend to spend a far higher proportion of their time within their own four walls. Research at the University of Chicago have pointed the finger at the single state itself, it found that men and women between 50 and 68 years old who scored highest on measures of loneliness– also had high blood pressure. And other research has shown that losing a loved one carries a risk of heart-attack-like symptoms. From such studies it emerges that loneliness does pose a significant risk, especially to mental health. People living on their own are significantly more likely to experience a depresssive episode or suffer obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders, (according to Britain’s Office of National Statistics). In people’s growth as individuals, humans start a separation process at birth, which continues with growing independence towards adulthood. As such, however, feeling alone can be a healthy emotion and, indeed, choosing to be alone for a period of solitude should be enriching.
Transition of Long distance communication
What kind of communication tools have used in long distance for people who live alone?
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate over greater distances in the last 50 years; the Internet is most certainly one of them. Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as email, MSN, website phone and Skype. In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. And mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives. Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relations, we are enthusiastic about e-mail, mobile phone and its benefits, in long distance contact with our relatives. Videoconferencing (commonly called Skype) is used between people separated geographically. Such tools can be developed to provide greater emotional support than phone and e-mail for people staying away from their families.
A missing sense of communication tools
There is a very inspiring story about communication in terms of direction. In the talk with Korean woman (studying in The Netherlands), about a conversation with her father over phone when it was new year in Korea. Her father asked her to bow toward her parents (it is a tradition of new year’s ritual). She, however, didn’t do as asked after all. Yet, the fascinating thing from this episode is that she actually did not realize the direction of her home. After the story, I did some interviews with several people who live apart from their country (each of them are from different country such a Europe and Asia), expectantly or unexpectedly, all most of them could not answer which direction is their home or country. Most of people who live apart from their country seem don’t pay attention to the direction of home, even when they talk to their family by phone. It is possibly an inspiring fact that we have never realized. By the technology of communication tools such as phone and Skype, you can sense voice(sound) and even face(sight) through a computer screen. However, there is no clue to recognize how far (distance) away your partner who you are talking to and which direction your facing to communicate with. These are the missing senses in long distance communication tools what we have currently.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
With regard to way of communication in terms of direction, Muslim ritual will be found. The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day toward Mecca by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world. Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realize that all humanity is one. If it is not available for some Muslims to go to Mecca practically, they pray at distance. When time for praying, they need to be directed in the direction of Mecca. In that case, Mecca direction telling compass helps such Muslims to guess the direction of Mecca at prayer times. Wherever they go, they take it with them. Whether they are moving to a new place or going on a holiday, this is a must have.
Facing each other and talk
When we contact with someone physically, we generally stand in front of the partner and talk. In other words, we get our body directed to the direction of the partner who we talk to. In relation to the way of communication in the sense of direction, Bowing will be found as one of them. Bowing (also called stooping) is a social gesture (commonly used in greeting, but also respect, apologies, gratitude, and religious ceremonies) in direction to another person or symbol. Although facing each other and talk is fundamental and crucial form for the interpersonal communication, such way of physical communication is not available in telecommunication that provides voice and sight but no sense of feeling of facing. However, it would be possible for long distance communication to enrich the quality of communication itself by applying the sense of direction to it, and the sense of facing each other. As Muslim’s ritual, there certainly is a way of communication that facing to certain direction in distance, it could be formed even if when there is no one to face in front of us.
Object and space that have the sense of direction
Not only in the intercommunication of people and cultural ritual, but also there are some certain objects and spaces that have the sense of direction. For instance, Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado the "way of flowers") is one of the objects that has the sense of direction. Traditionally, the style of Ikebana is designed to be viewed only from the front. It is because the space of “Tokonoma” (a small sacred alcove in a Japanese room) where Ikebana would be placed. The Architecture also has the sense of direction, there is mostly the "Door" which is called "Main entrance" for the building. It is important for the building to be defined which direction of the building is "Front", and how exterior is designed as a face of architecture to welcome visitors. As for interior of the architecture, sometimes "the side shown to the person who enters room" be fixed for the room in the building. "Front/face in the room" might be fixed by the alcove (Tokonoma), the fireplace and so on.
Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world, people will always love and need family, home and the country. Home is not simply a shelter but the place that you were born and grew, where your memories are stored emotionally and there are people who you spend your life together. The issues are raised when there is profound family change: what is holding families together and what are the links between individuals and families? And even individuals and place where he or she used to belong. To enrich long distance communication between people who live apart and families, what is possible in this mobile society? The place where you used to belong is the one what identify yourself when you live abroad or somewhere far from home. When you feel lonely or mental anxiety, you would contact your family by phone or Skype to ease yourself. Does knowing the direction make the feel connection stronger? By realizing the direction of people that you want to contact, like Muslims do, long distance communication would be more valuable in everyday life. And casual behavior you do everyday life, for instance, sending e-mail, having meal, reading book and so on, would be more taken care and respectful as if facing each other at distance.
Bibliography
“Cultures and Organizations” (GEERT HOFSTEDE, 1991)
“Psychological Aspects of Geographical Moves” (Amsterdam Academic Archive, 1997)
“S1NGLETOWN” (Droog and KesselsKramer, 2008)
UK National Statistics
“The History of Long Distance – A Communications Revolution” (Matt Jacks, 2008)
“Living Single Longer: It's a Global Phenomenon” (Bella DePaulo, 2008)
“Who Cares? Families and Feelings in Movement” (Maruscaronka Svascaronek, 2008)
“Muslim” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
“Qibla compass” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
“The Global Nomad Experience Living in Liminality” (Barbara F. Schaetti and Sheila J. Ramsey, 1999)
still less argument...will put some images
Designing Long distance language
Index
・Introduction
・Changing family form
・What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
・Loneliness and mental health
・Transition of Long distance communication
・A missing sense of communication tools
・Cultural ritual in terms of direction
・Facing each other and talk
・Object and space that have the sense of direction
・Conclusion
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed. People who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. And living apart from near relatives became general. Greater numbers of people than ever before are living on their own, and the number is on the rise. By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said that the locations to live is not important any more for some people to make a communication. Although people belong to where they live physically, yet, where used to live emotionally. The thesis focuses on the issue of people who live alone and apart from their family, country and home that now is regarded as global phenomenon. The goal of this study is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of direction that is missing in communication tools in long distance and how family can create a situation that they can feel mental distance closely in the physical distance.
Changing family form
Living alone and apart from family member and home has become a global phenomenon, and the number of years that people spend living single is growing. Its relevancy is broad, as most of us will be at several places in our lives, most of us will live alone, possibly more than one time, whether temporarily or permanently. In demography, family change is largely theorized in terms of two demographic transitions: a long-term change (from about 1870 to 1950), which brought smaller families; and second change (from about 1960 to the present), which involved increased flexibility in family relationships (Lesthaeghe, 1995; Beaujot, 2000: 85-96). This second phase is being passed across the developed world as single living, becomes the norm. In reality, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3.1 million people will live alone by 2026, up from 1.8 million at the 2001 census. One-person households are predicted to increase faster than any other type. The Bureau describes the increase as ‘phenomenal’. This phenomenon now occurs even in newly industrialized country, over the period between 2001 and 2006, nine countries recorded 20 per cent and over growth in numbers of singleton households – Vietnam, India, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, China, South Korea and Spain (According to Euromonitor International). In such countries, rapid urbanization plays a greater role: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families for better opportunities in the city, even other country. And the number of households multiplies. In Germany and Switzerland, people over 50-years old will account for around half of the population by the middle of the century. And the proportion of elderly people living alone is also increasing: nearly half of Swiss women aged 65-74 are now in single-person living. In Britain, the number of older persons living alone has risen by a fifth in just the last two years. And according to the Chinese Research Center on Ageing, 30 percent of China’s urban senior citizens lived alone in 2004 and the number is expected to increase to 80 percent as soon as 2010.
What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
According to the answers from many young people in developed country (S1NGLETOWN, Droog and KesselsKramer), it is wealth and personal freedom: they live alone because they are capable, like and make a choice. However, personal choices are shaped by our family circumstances and events in the wider society, such as changes in educational opportunities, employment trends, social policies, technological innovations, media representations, and new ideas about human rights or personal entitlements. Changing value has promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms. Women’s preference for keeping themselves to themselves is echoed by many singles worldwide - a survey by Horizon Research Group in six Chinese cities found that nearly 90 per cent of well-educated females prefer the single life. Where do people want to live at the end of their life? For some, staying with their children and family is not an option: their priority is to keep independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes –increasingly, alone.
Loneliness and mental health
For many people living alone, loneliness is a crucial concern, especially the old who tend to spend a far higher proportion of their time within their own four walls. Research at the University of Chicago have pointed the finger at the single state itself, it found that men and women between 50 and 68 years old who scored highest on measures of loneliness– also had high blood pressure. And other research has shown that losing a loved one carries a risk of heart-attack-like symptoms. From such studies it emerges that loneliness does pose a significant risk, especially to mental health. People living on their own are significantly more likely to experience a depresssive episode or suffer obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders, (according to Britain’s Office of National Statistics). In people’s growth as individuals, humans start a separation process at birth, which continues with growing independence towards adulthood. As such, however, feeling alone can be a healthy emotion and, indeed, choosing to be alone for a period of solitude should be enriching.
Transition of Long distance communication
What kind of communication tools have used in long distance for people who live alone?
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate over greater distances in the last 50 years; the Internet is most certainly one of them. Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as email, MSN, website phone and Skype. In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. And mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives. Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relations, we are enthusiastic about e-mail, mobile phone and its benefits, in long distance contact with our relatives. Videoconferencing (commonly called Skype) is used between people separated geographically. Such tools can be developed to provide greater emotional support than phone and e-mail for people staying away from their families.
A missing sense of communication tools
There is a very inspiring story about communication in terms of direction. In the talk with Korean woman (studying in The Netherlands), about a conversation with her father over phone when it was new year in Korea. Her father asked her to bow toward her parents (it is a tradition of new year’s ritual). She, however, didn’t do as asked after all. Yet, the fascinating thing from this episode is that she actually did not realize the direction of her home. After the story, I did some interviews with several people who live apart from their country (each of them are from different country such a Europe and Asia), expectantly or unexpectedly, all most of them could not answer which direction is their home or country. Most of people who live apart from their country seem don’t pay attention to the direction of home, even when they talk to their family by phone. It is possibly an inspiring fact that we have never realized. By the technology of communication tools such as phone and Skype, you can sense voice(sound) and even face(sight) through a computer screen. However, there is no clue to recognize how far (distance) away your partner who you are talking to and which direction your facing to communicate with. These are the missing senses in long distance communication tools what we have currently.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
With regard to way of communication in terms of direction, Muslim ritual will be found. The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day toward Mecca by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world. Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realize that all humanity is one. If it is not available for some Muslims to go to Mecca practically, they pray at distance. When time for praying, they need to be directed in the direction of Mecca. In that case, Mecca direction telling compass helps such Muslims to guess the direction of Mecca at prayer times. Wherever they go, they take it with them. Whether they are moving to a new place or going on a holiday, this is a must have.
Facing each other and talk
When we contact with someone physically, we generally stand in front of the partner and talk. In other words, we get our body directed to the direction of the partner who we talk to. In relation to the way of communication in the sense of direction, Bowing will be found as one of them. Bowing (also called stooping) is a social gesture (commonly used in greeting, but also respect, apologies, gratitude, and religious ceremonies) in direction to another person or symbol. Although facing each other and talk is fundamental and crucial form for the interpersonal communication, such way of physical communication is not available in telecommunication that provides voice and sight but no sense of feeling of facing. However, it would be possible for long distance communication to enrich the quality of communication itself by applying the sense of direction to it, and the sense of facing each other. As Muslim’s ritual, there certainly is a way of communication that facing to certain direction in distance, it could be formed even if when there is no one to face in front of us.
Object and space that have the sense of direction
Not only in the intercommunication of people and cultural ritual, but also there are some certain objects and spaces that have the sense of direction. For instance, Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado the "way of flowers") is one of the objects that has the sense of direction. Traditionally, the style of Ikebana is designed to be viewed only from the front. It is because the space of “Tokonoma” (a small sacred alcove in a Japanese room) where Ikebana would be placed. The Architecture also has the sense of direction, there is mostly the "Door" which is called "Main entrance" for the building. It is important for the building to be defined which direction of the building is "Front", and how exterior is designed as a face of architecture to welcome visitors. As for interior of the architecture, sometimes "the side shown to the person who enters room" be fixed for the room in the building. "Front/face in the room" might be fixed by the alcove (Tokonoma), the fireplace and so on.
Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world, people will always love and need family, home and the country. Home is not simply a shelter but the place that you were born and grew, where your memories are stored emotionally and there are people who you spend your life together. The issues are raised when there is profound family change: what is holding families together and what are the links between individuals and families? And even individuals and place where he or she used to belong. To enrich long distance communication between people who live apart and families, what is possible in this mobile society? The place where you used to belong is the one what identify yourself when you live abroad or somewhere far from home. When you feel lonely or mental anxiety, you would contact your family by phone or Skype to ease yourself. Does knowing the direction make the feel connection stronger? By realizing the direction of people that you want to contact, like Muslims do, long distance communication would be more valuable in everyday life. And casual behavior you do everyday life, for instance, sending e-mail, having meal, reading book and so on, would be more taken care and respectful as if facing each other at distance.
Bibliography
“Cultures and Organizations” (GEERT HOFSTEDE, 1991)
“Psychological Aspects of Geographical Moves” (Amsterdam Academic Archive, 1997)
“S1NGLETOWN” (Droog and KesselsKramer, 2008)
Index
・Introduction
・Changing family form
・What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
・Loneliness and mental health
・Transition of Long distance communication
・A missing sense of communication tools
・Cultural ritual in terms of direction
・Facing each other and talk
・Object and space that have the sense of direction
・Conclusion
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed. People who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. And living apart from near relatives became general. Greater numbers of people than ever before are living on their own, and the number is on the rise. By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said that the locations to live is not important any more for some people to make a communication. Although people belong to where they live physically, yet, where used to live emotionally. The thesis focuses on the issue of people who live alone and apart from their family, country and home that now is regarded as global phenomenon. The goal of this study is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of direction that is missing in communication tools in long distance and how family can create a situation that they can feel mental distance closely in the physical distance.
Changing family form
Living alone and apart from family member and home has become a global phenomenon, and the number of years that people spend living single is growing. Its relevancy is broad, as most of us will be at several places in our lives, most of us will live alone, possibly more than one time, whether temporarily or permanently. In demography, family change is largely theorized in terms of two demographic transitions: a long-term change (from about 1870 to 1950), which brought smaller families; and second change (from about 1960 to the present), which involved increased flexibility in family relationships (Lesthaeghe, 1995; Beaujot, 2000: 85-96). This second phase is being passed across the developed world as single living, becomes the norm. In reality, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3.1 million people will live alone by 2026, up from 1.8 million at the 2001 census. One-person households are predicted to increase faster than any other type. The Bureau describes the increase as ‘phenomenal’. This phenomenon now occurs even in newly industrialized country, over the period between 2001 and 2006, nine countries recorded 20 per cent and over growth in numbers of singleton households – Vietnam, India, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, China, South Korea and Spain (According to Euromonitor International). In such countries, rapid urbanization plays a greater role: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families for better opportunities in the city, even other country. And the number of households multiplies. In Germany and Switzerland, people over 50-years old will account for around half of the population by the middle of the century. And the proportion of elderly people living alone is also increasing: nearly half of Swiss women aged 65-74 are now in single-person living. In Britain, the number of older persons living alone has risen by a fifth in just the last two years. And according to the Chinese Research Center on Ageing, 30 percent of China’s urban senior citizens lived alone in 2004 and the number is expected to increase to 80 percent as soon as 2010.
What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
According to the answers from many young people in developed country (S1NGLETOWN, Droog and KesselsKramer), it is wealth and personal freedom: they live alone because they are capable, like and make a choice. However, personal choices are shaped by our family circumstances and events in the wider society, such as changes in educational opportunities, employment trends, social policies, technological innovations, media representations, and new ideas about human rights or personal entitlements. Changing value has promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms. Women’s preference for keeping themselves to themselves is echoed by many singles worldwide - a survey by Horizon Research Group in six Chinese cities found that nearly 90 per cent of well-educated females prefer the single life. Where do people want to live at the end of their life? For some, staying with their children and family is not an option: their priority is to keep independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes –increasingly, alone.
Loneliness and mental health
For many people living alone, loneliness is a crucial concern, especially the old who tend to spend a far higher proportion of their time within their own four walls. Research at the University of Chicago have pointed the finger at the single state itself, it found that men and women between 50 and 68 years old who scored highest on measures of loneliness– also had high blood pressure. And other research has shown that losing a loved one carries a risk of heart-attack-like symptoms. From such studies it emerges that loneliness does pose a significant risk, especially to mental health. People living on their own are significantly more likely to experience a depresssive episode or suffer obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders, (according to Britain’s Office of National Statistics). In people’s growth as individuals, humans start a separation process at birth, which continues with growing independence towards adulthood. As such, however, feeling alone can be a healthy emotion and, indeed, choosing to be alone for a period of solitude should be enriching.
Transition of Long distance communication
What kind of communication tools have used in long distance for people who live alone?
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate over greater distances in the last 50 years; the Internet is most certainly one of them. Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as email, MSN, website phone and Skype. In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. And mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives. Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relations, we are enthusiastic about e-mail, mobile phone and its benefits, in long distance contact with our relatives. Videoconferencing (commonly called Skype) is used between people separated geographically. Such tools can be developed to provide greater emotional support than phone and e-mail for people staying away from their families.
A missing sense of communication tools
There is a very inspiring story about communication in terms of direction. In the talk with Korean woman (studying in The Netherlands), about a conversation with her father over phone when it was new year in Korea. Her father asked her to bow toward her parents (it is a tradition of new year’s ritual). She, however, didn’t do as asked after all. Yet, the fascinating thing from this episode is that she actually did not realize the direction of her home. After the story, I did some interviews with several people who live apart from their country (each of them are from different country such a Europe and Asia), expectantly or unexpectedly, all most of them could not answer which direction is their home or country. Most of people who live apart from their country seem don’t pay attention to the direction of home, even when they talk to their family by phone. It is possibly an inspiring fact that we have never realized. By the technology of communication tools such as phone and Skype, you can sense voice(sound) and even face(sight) through a computer screen. However, there is no clue to recognize how far (distance) away your partner who you are talking to and which direction your facing to communicate with. These are the missing senses in long distance communication tools what we have currently.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
With regard to way of communication in terms of direction, Muslim ritual will be found. The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day toward Mecca by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world. Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realize that all humanity is one. If it is not available for some Muslims to go to Mecca practically, they pray at distance. When time for praying, they need to be directed in the direction of Mecca. In that case, Mecca direction telling compass helps such Muslims to guess the direction of Mecca at prayer times. Wherever they go, they take it with them. Whether they are moving to a new place or going on a holiday, this is a must have.
Facing each other and talk
When we contact with someone physically, we generally stand in front of the partner and talk. In other words, we get our body directed to the direction of the partner who we talk to. In relation to the way of communication in the sense of direction, Bowing will be found as one of them. Bowing (also called stooping) is a social gesture (commonly used in greeting, but also respect, apologies, gratitude, and religious ceremonies) in direction to another person or symbol. Although facing each other and talk is fundamental and crucial form for the interpersonal communication, such way of physical communication is not available in telecommunication that provides voice and sight but no sense of feeling of facing. However, it would be possible for long distance communication to enrich the quality of communication itself by applying the sense of direction to it, and the sense of facing each other. As Muslim’s ritual, there certainly is a way of communication that facing to certain direction in distance, it could be formed even if when there is no one to face in front of us.
Object and space that have the sense of direction
Not only in the intercommunication of people and cultural ritual, but also there are some certain objects and spaces that have the sense of direction. For instance, Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado the "way of flowers") is one of the objects that has the sense of direction. Traditionally, the style of Ikebana is designed to be viewed only from the front. It is because the space of “Tokonoma” (a small sacred alcove in a Japanese room) where Ikebana would be placed. The Architecture also has the sense of direction, there is mostly the "Door" which is called "Main entrance" for the building. It is important for the building to be defined which direction of the building is "Front", and how exterior is designed as a face of architecture to welcome visitors. As for interior of the architecture, sometimes "the side shown to the person who enters room" be fixed for the room in the building. "Front/face in the room" might be fixed by the alcove (Tokonoma), the fireplace and so on.
Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world, people will always love and need family, home and the country. Home is not simply a shelter but the place that you were born and grew, where your memories are stored emotionally and there are people who you spend your life together. The issues are raised when there is profound family change: what is holding families together and what are the links between individuals and families? And even individuals and place where he or she used to belong. To enrich long distance communication between people who live apart and families, what is possible in this mobile society? The place where you used to belong is the one what identify yourself when you live abroad or somewhere far from home. When you feel lonely or mental anxiety, you would contact your family by phone or Skype to ease yourself. Does knowing the direction make the feel connection stronger? By realizing the direction of people that you want to contact, like Muslims do, long distance communication would be more valuable in everyday life. And casual behavior you do everyday life, for instance, sending e-mail, having meal, reading book and so on, would be more taken care and respectful as if facing each other at distance.
Bibliography
“Cultures and Organizations” (GEERT HOFSTEDE, 1991)
“Psychological Aspects of Geographical Moves” (Amsterdam Academic Archive, 1997)
“S1NGLETOWN” (Droog and KesselsKramer, 2008)
still less argument...will put some images
Designing Long distance language
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed. People who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. And living apart from near relatives became general. Greater numbers of people than ever before are living on their own, and the number is on the rise. By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said that the locations to live is not important any more for some people to make a communication. Although people belong to where they live physically, yet, where used to live emotionally. The thesis focuses on the issue of people who live alone and apart from their family, country and home that now is regarded as global phenomenon. The goal of this study is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of direction that is missing in communication tools in long distance and how family can create a situation that they can feel mental distance closely in the physical distance.
Changing family form
Living alone and apart from family member and home has become a global phenomenon, and the number of years that people spend living single is growing. Its relevancy is broad, as most of us will be at several places in our lives, most of us will live alone, possibly more than one time, whether temporarily or permanently. In demography, family change is largely theorized in terms of two demographic transitions: a long-term change (from about 1870 to 1950), which brought smaller families; and second change (from about 1960 to the present), which involved increased flexibility in family relationships (Lesthaeghe, 1995; Beaujot, 2000: 85-96). This second phase is being passed across the developed world as single living, becomes the norm. In reality, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3.1 million people will live alone by 2026, up from 1.8 million at the 2001 census. One-person households are predicted to increase faster than any other type. The Bureau describes the increase as ‘phenomenal’. This phenomenon now occurs even in newly industrialized country, over the period between 2001 and 2006, nine countries recorded 20 per cent and over growth in numbers of singleton households – Vietnam, India, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, China, South Korea and Spain (According to Euromonitor International). In such countries, rapid urbanization plays a greater role: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families for better opportunities in the city, even other country. And the number of households multiplies. In Germany and Switzerland, people over 50-years old will account for around half of the population by the middle of the century. And the proportion of elderly people living alone is also increasing: nearly half of Swiss women aged 65-74 are now in single-person living. In Britain, the number of older persons living alone has risen by a fifth in just the last two years. And according to the Chinese Research Center on Ageing, 30 percent of China’s urban senior citizens lived alone in 2004 and the number is expected to increase to 80 percent as soon as 2010.
What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
According to the answers from many young people in developed country (S1NGLETOWN, Droog and KesselsKramer), it is wealth and personal freedom: they live alone because they are capable, like and make a choice. However, personal choices are shaped by our family circumstances and events in the wider society, such as changes in educational opportunities, employment trends, social policies, technological innovations, media representations, and new ideas about human rights or personal entitlements. Changing value has promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms. Women’s preference for keeping themselves to themselves is echoed by many singles worldwide - a survey by Horizon Research Group in six Chinese cities found that nearly 90 per cent of well-educated females prefer the single life. Where do people want to live at the end of their life? For some, staying with their children and family is not an option: their priority is to keep independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes –increasingly, alone.
Loneliness and mental health
For many people living alone, loneliness is a crucial concern, especially the old who tend to spend a far higher proportion of their time within their own four walls. Research at the University of Chicago have pointed the finger at the single state itself, it found that men and women between 50 and 68 years old who scored highest on measures of loneliness– also had high blood pressure. And other research has shown that losing a loved one carries a risk of heart-attack-like symptoms. From such studies it emerges that loneliness does pose a significant risk, especially to mental health. People living on their own are significantly more likely to experience a depresssive episode or suffer obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders, (according to Britain’s Office of National Statistics). In people’s growth as individuals, humans start a separation process at birth, which continues with growing independence towards adulthood. As such, however, feeling alone can be a healthy emotion and, indeed, choosing to be alone for a period of solitude should be enriching.
Transition of Long distance communication
What kind of communication tools have used in long distance for people who live alone?
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate over greater distances in the last 50 years; the Internet is most certainly one of them. Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as email, MSN, website phone and Skype. In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. And mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives. Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relations, we are enthusiastic about e-mail, mobile phone and its benefits, in long distance contact with our relatives. Videoconferencing (commonly called Skype) is used between people separated geographically. Such tools can be developed to provide greater emotional support than phone and e-mail for people staying away from their families.
A missing sense of communication tools
There is a very inspiring story about communication in terms of direction. In the talk with Korean woman (studying in The Netherlands), about a conversation with her father over phone when it was new year in Korea. Her father asked her to bow toward her parents (it is a tradition of new year’s ritual). She, however, didn’t do as asked after all. Yet, the fascinating thing from this episode is that she actually did not realize the direction of her home. After the story, I did some interviews with several people who live apart from their country (each of them are from different country such a Europe and Asia), expectantly or unexpectedly, all most of them could not answer which direction is their home or country. Most of people who live apart from their country seem don’t pay attention to the direction of home, even when they talk to their family by phone. It is possibly an inspiring fact that we have never realized. By the technology of communication tools such as phone and Skype, you can sense voice(sound) and even face(sight) through a computer screen. However, there is no clue to recognize how far (distance) away your partner who you are talking to and which direction your facing to communicate with. These are the missing senses in long distance communication tools what we have currently.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
With regard to way of communication in terms of direction, Muslim ritual will be found. The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day toward Mecca by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world. Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realize that all humanity is one. If it is not available for some Muslims to go to Mecca practically, they pray at distance. When time for praying, they need to be directed in the direction of Mecca. In that case, Mecca direction telling compass helps such Muslims to guess the direction of Mecca at prayer times. Wherever they go, they take it with them. Whether they are moving to a new place or going on a holiday, this is a must have.
Facing each other and talk
When we contact with someone physically, we generally stand in front of the partner and talk. In other words, we get our body directed to the direction of the partner who we talk to. In relation to the way of communication in the sense of direction, Bowing will be found as one of them. Bowing (also called stooping) is a social gesture (commonly used in greeting, but also respect, apologies, gratitude, and religious ceremonies) in direction to another person or symbol. Although facing each other and talk is fundamental and crucial form for the interpersonal communication, such way of physical communication is not available in telecommunication that provides voice and sight but no sense of feeling of facing. However, it would be possible for long distance communication to enrich the quality of communication itself by applying the sense of direction to it, and the sense of facing each other. As Muslim’s ritual, there certainly is a way of communication that facing to certain direction in distance, it could be formed even if when there is no one to face in front of us.
Object and space that have the sense of direction
Not only in the intercommunication of people and cultural ritual, but also there are some certain objects and spaces that have the sense of direction. For instance, Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado the "way of flowers") is one of the objects that has the sense of direction. Traditionally, the style of Ikebana is designed to be viewed only from the front. It is because the space of “Tokonoma” (a small sacred alcove in a Japanese room) where Ikebana would be placed. The Architecture also has the sense of direction, there is mostly the "Door" which is called "Main entrance" for the building. It is important for the building to be defined which direction of the building is "Front", and how exterior is designed as a face of architecture to welcome visitors. As for interior of the architecture, sometimes "the side shown to the person who enters room" be fixed for the room in the building. "Front/face in the room" might be fixed by the alcove (Tokonoma), the fireplace and so on.
Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world, people will always love and need family, home and the country. Home is not simply a shelter but the place that you were born and grew, where your memories are stored emotionally and there are people who you spend your life together. The issues are raised when there is profound family change: what is holding families together and what are the links between individuals and families? And even individuals and place where he or she used to belong. To enrich long distance communication between people who live apart and families, what is possible in this mobile society? The place where you used to belong is the one what identify yourself when you live abroad or somewhere far from home. When you feel lonely or mental anxiety, you would contact your family by phone or Skype to ease yourself. Does knowing the direction make the feel connection stronger? By realizing the direction of people that you want to contact, like Muslims do, long distance communication would be more valuable in everyday life. And casual behavior you do everyday life, for instance, sending e-mail, having meal, reading book and so on, would be more taken care and respectful as if facing each other at distance.
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed. People who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. And living apart from near relatives became general. Greater numbers of people than ever before are living on their own, and the number is on the rise. By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said that the locations to live is not important any more for some people to make a communication. Although people belong to where they live physically, yet, where used to live emotionally. The thesis focuses on the issue of people who live alone and apart from their family, country and home that now is regarded as global phenomenon. The goal of this study is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of direction that is missing in communication tools in long distance and how family can create a situation that they can feel mental distance closely in the physical distance.
Changing family form
Living alone and apart from family member and home has become a global phenomenon, and the number of years that people spend living single is growing. Its relevancy is broad, as most of us will be at several places in our lives, most of us will live alone, possibly more than one time, whether temporarily or permanently. In demography, family change is largely theorized in terms of two demographic transitions: a long-term change (from about 1870 to 1950), which brought smaller families; and second change (from about 1960 to the present), which involved increased flexibility in family relationships (Lesthaeghe, 1995; Beaujot, 2000: 85-96). This second phase is being passed across the developed world as single living, becomes the norm. In reality, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3.1 million people will live alone by 2026, up from 1.8 million at the 2001 census. One-person households are predicted to increase faster than any other type. The Bureau describes the increase as ‘phenomenal’. This phenomenon now occurs even in newly industrialized country, over the period between 2001 and 2006, nine countries recorded 20 per cent and over growth in numbers of singleton households – Vietnam, India, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, China, South Korea and Spain (According to Euromonitor International). In such countries, rapid urbanization plays a greater role: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families for better opportunities in the city, even other country. And the number of households multiplies. In Germany and Switzerland, people over 50-years old will account for around half of the population by the middle of the century. And the proportion of elderly people living alone is also increasing: nearly half of Swiss women aged 65-74 are now in single-person living. In Britain, the number of older persons living alone has risen by a fifth in just the last two years. And according to the Chinese Research Center on Ageing, 30 percent of China’s urban senior citizens lived alone in 2004 and the number is expected to increase to 80 percent as soon as 2010.
What does cause the phenomenon in single living?
According to the answers from many young people in developed country (S1NGLETOWN, Droog and KesselsKramer), it is wealth and personal freedom: they live alone because they are capable, like and make a choice. However, personal choices are shaped by our family circumstances and events in the wider society, such as changes in educational opportunities, employment trends, social policies, technological innovations, media representations, and new ideas about human rights or personal entitlements. Changing value has promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms. Women’s preference for keeping themselves to themselves is echoed by many singles worldwide - a survey by Horizon Research Group in six Chinese cities found that nearly 90 per cent of well-educated females prefer the single life. Where do people want to live at the end of their life? For some, staying with their children and family is not an option: their priority is to keep independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes –increasingly, alone.
Loneliness and mental health
For many people living alone, loneliness is a crucial concern, especially the old who tend to spend a far higher proportion of their time within their own four walls. Research at the University of Chicago have pointed the finger at the single state itself, it found that men and women between 50 and 68 years old who scored highest on measures of loneliness– also had high blood pressure. And other research has shown that losing a loved one carries a risk of heart-attack-like symptoms. From such studies it emerges that loneliness does pose a significant risk, especially to mental health. People living on their own are significantly more likely to experience a depresssive episode or suffer obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders, (according to Britain’s Office of National Statistics). In people’s growth as individuals, humans start a separation process at birth, which continues with growing independence towards adulthood. As such, however, feeling alone can be a healthy emotion and, indeed, choosing to be alone for a period of solitude should be enriching.
Transition of Long distance communication
What kind of communication tools have used in long distance for people who live alone?
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate over greater distances in the last 50 years; the Internet is most certainly one of them. Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as email, MSN, website phone and Skype. In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. And mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives. Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relations, we are enthusiastic about e-mail, mobile phone and its benefits, in long distance contact with our relatives. Videoconferencing (commonly called Skype) is used between people separated geographically. Such tools can be developed to provide greater emotional support than phone and e-mail for people staying away from their families.
A missing sense of communication tools
There is a very inspiring story about communication in terms of direction. In the talk with Korean woman (studying in The Netherlands), about a conversation with her father over phone when it was new year in Korea. Her father asked her to bow toward her parents (it is a tradition of new year’s ritual). She, however, didn’t do as asked after all. Yet, the fascinating thing from this episode is that she actually did not realize the direction of her home. After the story, I did some interviews with several people who live apart from their country (each of them are from different country such a Europe and Asia), expectantly or unexpectedly, all most of them could not answer which direction is their home or country. Most of people who live apart from their country seem don’t pay attention to the direction of home, even when they talk to their family by phone. It is possibly an inspiring fact that we have never realized. By the technology of communication tools such as phone and Skype, you can sense voice(sound) and even face(sight) through a computer screen. However, there is no clue to recognize how far (distance) away your partner who you are talking to and which direction your facing to communicate with. These are the missing senses in long distance communication tools what we have currently.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
With regard to way of communication in terms of direction, Muslim ritual will be found. The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day toward Mecca by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world. Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realize that all humanity is one. If it is not available for some Muslims to go to Mecca practically, they pray at distance. When time for praying, they need to be directed in the direction of Mecca. In that case, Mecca direction telling compass helps such Muslims to guess the direction of Mecca at prayer times. Wherever they go, they take it with them. Whether they are moving to a new place or going on a holiday, this is a must have.
Facing each other and talk
When we contact with someone physically, we generally stand in front of the partner and talk. In other words, we get our body directed to the direction of the partner who we talk to. In relation to the way of communication in the sense of direction, Bowing will be found as one of them. Bowing (also called stooping) is a social gesture (commonly used in greeting, but also respect, apologies, gratitude, and religious ceremonies) in direction to another person or symbol. Although facing each other and talk is fundamental and crucial form for the interpersonal communication, such way of physical communication is not available in telecommunication that provides voice and sight but no sense of feeling of facing. However, it would be possible for long distance communication to enrich the quality of communication itself by applying the sense of direction to it, and the sense of facing each other. As Muslim’s ritual, there certainly is a way of communication that facing to certain direction in distance, it could be formed even if when there is no one to face in front of us.
Object and space that have the sense of direction
Not only in the intercommunication of people and cultural ritual, but also there are some certain objects and spaces that have the sense of direction. For instance, Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado the "way of flowers") is one of the objects that has the sense of direction. Traditionally, the style of Ikebana is designed to be viewed only from the front. It is because the space of “Tokonoma” (a small sacred alcove in a Japanese room) where Ikebana would be placed. The Architecture also has the sense of direction, there is mostly the "Door" which is called "Main entrance" for the building. It is important for the building to be defined which direction of the building is "Front", and how exterior is designed as a face of architecture to welcome visitors. As for interior of the architecture, sometimes "the side shown to the person who enters room" be fixed for the room in the building. "Front/face in the room" might be fixed by the alcove (Tokonoma), the fireplace and so on.
Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world, people will always love and need family, home and the country. Home is not simply a shelter but the place that you were born and grew, where your memories are stored emotionally and there are people who you spend your life together. The issues are raised when there is profound family change: what is holding families together and what are the links between individuals and families? And even individuals and place where he or she used to belong. To enrich long distance communication between people who live apart and families, what is possible in this mobile society? The place where you used to belong is the one what identify yourself when you live abroad or somewhere far from home. When you feel lonely or mental anxiety, you would contact your family by phone or Skype to ease yourself. Does knowing the direction make the feel connection stronger? By realizing the direction of people that you want to contact, like Muslims do, long distance communication would be more valuable in everyday life. And casual behavior you do everyday life, for instance, sending e-mail, having meal, reading book and so on, would be more taken care and respectful as if facing each other at distance.
Friday, March 13, 2009
wrriting 2nd-trimester
Designing Long distance language
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed. People who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. Living apart from near relatives became general. Greater numbers of people than ever before are living on their own, the amount of single people is on the rise. It is the result of change of people’s value and the increasing of mobile society.
By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said locations where people live are not important for them staying away geographically from their families any longer. People belong to where they live physically, but also who used to live with emotionally.
The thesis focuses on the issue of people who live alone and apart from their family and home that now is regarded as global phenomenon. The goal of this study is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of belonging. How family can create a situation that they can feel mental distance closely in the physical distance.
By the way, can you tell the direction of your home?
Changing family form
Living alone and apart from family member and home has become a global phenomenon, and the number of years that people spend living single is growing. Its relevancy is broad, as most of us will be at several places in our lives, most of us will live alone, possibly more than one time, whether temporarily or permanently.
The globalizing, market-led world is increasingly mobile, and single people are the most mobile of all, already less likely to be homeowners than couples, more likely to move home frequently, more likely to migrate abroad, more likely to travel.
In reality, some studies predict that a third of people in developed countries will be living alone by 2026. This demographic trend seems indisputable.
In demography, family change is largely theorized in terms of two demographic transitions: a long-term change (from about 1870 to 1950), which brought smaller families; and second change (from about 1960 to the present), which involved increased flexibility in family relationships (Lesthaeghe, 1995; Beaujot, 2000: 85-96).
This second phase is being passed across the developed world as single living, becomes the criteria. In the UK, the number of people living alone has quadrupled in the last 40 years; by 2021 singletons are expected to account for 37 per cent of all households. In Japan the single-person household is now the most common type.
And in the five years before 2006, countries recording over 20 per cent growth in numbers of single living included Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and China.
In China, demographic change, as with so much else, is happening at a startling rate. According to the Chinese Research Center on Ageing, 30 percent of China’s urban senior citizens lived alone in 2004 and the number is expected to increase to 80 percent as soon as 2010.
In such newly industrialized countries, rapid urbanization plays a greater role: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families for better opportunities in the city, even other country. And the number of households multiplies.
What is the reason for the phenomenon in single living person?
According to the answers from many young people in developed country, it is wealth and personal freedom: they live alone because they are capable, like and make a choice.
Changing value has promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms.
Where do people want to live at the end of their life? For some, staying with their children and family is not an option: their priority is to keep independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes –increasingly, alone.
In Germany and Switzerland, people over 50-years old will account for around half of the population by the middle of the century. And the proportion of elderly people living alone is also increasing: nearly half of Swiss women aged 65-74 are now in single-person living. In Britain, the number of older persons living alone has risen by a fifth in just the last two years. With China’s population both growing and ageing, it is expected to have 400 million citizens over the age of 60 by 2050.
Loneliness
Loneliness is a major factor for people living alone, especially the old who tend to spend a far higher proportion of their time within their own four walls.
For many people living alone, loneliness is a crucial concern. From many of the studies, it emerges that loneliness does pose a significant risk, especially to mental health. People living on their own are significantly more possibly to experience a depressive episode or suffer obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders. According to Britain’s Office of National Statistics, and twice as many single women take their own lives as married women.
In their growth as individuals, humans start a separation process at birth, which continues with growing independence towards adulthood. As such, feeling alone can be a healthy emotion and, indeed, choosing to be alone for a period of solitude can be enriching.
Transition of Long distance communication in the mobile society
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate over greater distances in the last 50 years; the Internet is most certainly one of them.
Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as email and Skype.
The earliest forms of sending messages over great distances are runners (where does the marathon come from?), horse relays homing pigeons, smoke signals, torch signaling, heliographs (flashing mirrors), signal flags (especially in the Navy) and letter.
In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. 2002 marked a turning point in the history of telecommunications in that the number of mobile subscribers overtook the number of fixed-line subscribers on a global scale, and mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives.
Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relations. We are enthusiastic about e-mail and its benefits, in long distance contact with our relatives. Videoconferencing (commonly called Skype) is still used between people separately geographically, almost exclusively for professional reasons. Such tools can be developed to provide greater emotional support (than phone and e-mail) for people staying away from their families.
The other day, my friend (she is a Korean studying in the Netherlands) told me very inspiring story about talk with her father over phone, at the moment, there was a day of new year in Korea (about one month later from first of January), so he asked her to bow towards Korea (it is a traditional new year’s ritual that she used to do), after all she didn’t do as asked, however, fascinating thing from this episode is that she actually did not know the direction of her home.
After this story, I made some interviews to several people, expectantly or unexpectedly, all most of them could not tell which direction is their home or country. Honestly, until this inspiration, I had never considered that which direction my country is.
By the technology of communication tools such as phone and Skype, you can sense voice(sound) and even face(sight) through computer screen. But there is no clue to recognize that how far (distance) away your partner who you are talking to and which direction your facing to communicate with. Those are what missing senses in long distance communication what we have currently.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
A universal Muslim ritual
The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world, and to all those who have uttered the same words and made the same movements at different times in Islamic history.
Muslim praying salat with his head and hands touching the ground. There are set positions and movements for prayer.
Salat is the obligatory Muslim prayers, performed five times each day by every good Muslim. God ordered Muslims to pray at five set times of day: dawn, before sunrise, midday, after the sun passes its highest, the late part of the afternoon, just after sunset, between sunset and midnight. Every Muslim, male or female, try to do this includes Muslim children as young as seven are encouraged to pray. Muslims have prayer timetable which has accurate calendars telling the time of each prayer gives Muslims the pattern of their day.
Muslims make sure that they are in the right frame of mind before they pray; they put aside all everyday cares and thoughts so that they can concentrate exclusively on God.
Muslims pray because God has told them that they are to do this, and because they believe that they obtain great benefit in doing so.
Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realize that all humanity is one, and all are equal in the sight of Allah.
If it is not available for some Muslims to go to Mecca practically, they pray at distance. When time for praying, they need to be directed in the direction of Mecca. In that case, Mecca direction telling compass helps such Muslims to guess the direction of Mecca at prayer times. Wherever they go, they take it with them. Whether they are moving to a new place or going on a holiday, this is a must have.
Bowing
Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Oriental cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many countries and distinctively in Europe. Sometimes the gesture may be limited to lowering the head. It is especially prominent in China, Korea, India, and Japan where it may be executed standing or kneeling.
Bows are the traditional greeting in East Asia, more so in Korea and Japan than anywhere else. However, bowing is not reserved only for greetings. Bowing is a gesture of respect. Different bows are used for apologies and gratitude, to express different emotions, humility, sincerity, remorse, or deference, and in various traditional arts and religious ceremonies.
Bows are commonly used in greeting, both when meeting and when parting. Bows almost automatically accompany the greeting phrases, but generally are no longer used among the immediate family unless addressing a family member after or in anticipation of a long absence or separation.
Bows also replace speaking under certain circumstances. For example, when encountering again a person to whom one has already spoken that day, a silent bow replaces such phrases as "hello" or "hi."
When dealing with non-East Asians, many East Asians will shake hands. Since many non-East Asians are familiar with the custom of bowing, this often leads to a combined bow and handshake which can be quite complicated to execute. Bows may be combined with handshakes or performed before or after shaking hands. Generally when bowing in proximity to another, as necessitated when combining bowing and shaking hands, people turn slightly to one side (usually the left) to avoid bumping heads.
Bowing in Japan is distinct [citation needed] from other East Asian cultures when done in more traditional settings such as during a tea ceremony or during the beginning and end of a traditional martial arts match.
Frontality
Frontality is the representation of the front view of figures or objects in a work of art. Scholar Julius Lange in Denmark presents "Law of the frontality" in his book in 1899, and it seems that the conception "Frontality" began to spread from that moment. If the statue is seen from the front for the side where the sculpture is seen "Law of the frontality" is assumed for an ancient sculpture (human body image including the god) to be carved for "It is opposite from the front" way symmetrically for the person who stand infront of the sculpture, and it becomes possible to obtain the sense of looking to symmetry, and opposite from the front.
Frontality in Japanese culture
Ikebana
Ikebana (arranged flower) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado (the "way of flowers").
More than simply putting flowers in a container, ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together.
Traditional styles of Ikebana are designed to be viewed only from the front. It is because the space of Tokonoma where Ikebana would be placed is an alcove.(as you see the image)
When Buddhism was introduced to Japan in about 538A.D, monks started to arrange flowers to decorate the altars of temples. In the Heian period (794-1192), appreciating flowers in a vase unrelated to religious worship also became popular. There are number of novels, essays and poems of that time which describe the aristocracy enjoying flower arranging and admiring arrangements of flowers.
In the Kamakura period (1192-1333), the Samurai (elite warrior class) wrested the power of government from the aristocrats and brought great lifestyle and fashion changes into the whole of Japanese society.
At this time it became fashionable to create a Tokonoma, a small sacred alcove, in a zashiki (Japanese room). The Tokonoma would contain a flower arrangement, incense and a candle.
Frontality in exterior of architecture
There is mostly the "Door" which is called "Main entrance" for the building. On the site where architectures built, fences and walls are placed around it, and the gate arranged between those elements becomes front gate. From the recognition that the building faces and welcome visitors who pass the gate, it is important that which direction of the building is "Front", and how exterior is designed as a face of the door and other elements of building.
Frontality in interior of architecture
Sometimes "the side shown to the person who enters room" be fixed for the room in the building. "Front/face in the room" might be fixed and "Frontality" will be created by the alcove(Tokonoma), the fireplace and so on, and "Frontality" will be created.
Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world, some things will never change. People will always love family, home and country where they were born. Home is not simply shelter but the place where daily life is performed, the container of memories, and the setting to a period of existence that should still be more about positive than negative. The issues are raised when there is profound family change: what is holding families together and what are the links between individuals and families? And even individuals and place where he or she used to belong.
To enrich the long distance communication between people who live apart and families, what is possible in this mobile society?
Home is the place that you were born and grew, your memories are stored there emotionally and there are people who you spend your life together. It is what identify yourself when you live abroad or somewhere far from home. When you feel lonely or anxiety mentally, you would contact with your family by phone or Skype to ease yourself. Thus, what if you can recognize the direction of your home that is missing sense in long distance communication? Like Muslims do, by realizing the direction of people that you want to contact, long distance communication would be more valuable moment in everyday life. And casual behavior you do everyday life, for instance, sending e-mail, having meal and so on, would be more taken care and respectful as if facing each other at distance.
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed. People who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. Living apart from near relatives became general. Greater numbers of people than ever before are living on their own, the amount of single people is on the rise. It is the result of change of people’s value and the increasing of mobile society.
By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said locations where people live are not important for them staying away geographically from their families any longer. People belong to where they live physically, but also who used to live with emotionally.
The thesis focuses on the issue of people who live alone and apart from their family and home that now is regarded as global phenomenon. The goal of this study is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of belonging. How family can create a situation that they can feel mental distance closely in the physical distance.
By the way, can you tell the direction of your home?
Changing family form
Living alone and apart from family member and home has become a global phenomenon, and the number of years that people spend living single is growing. Its relevancy is broad, as most of us will be at several places in our lives, most of us will live alone, possibly more than one time, whether temporarily or permanently.
The globalizing, market-led world is increasingly mobile, and single people are the most mobile of all, already less likely to be homeowners than couples, more likely to move home frequently, more likely to migrate abroad, more likely to travel.
In reality, some studies predict that a third of people in developed countries will be living alone by 2026. This demographic trend seems indisputable.
In demography, family change is largely theorized in terms of two demographic transitions: a long-term change (from about 1870 to 1950), which brought smaller families; and second change (from about 1960 to the present), which involved increased flexibility in family relationships (Lesthaeghe, 1995; Beaujot, 2000: 85-96).
This second phase is being passed across the developed world as single living, becomes the criteria. In the UK, the number of people living alone has quadrupled in the last 40 years; by 2021 singletons are expected to account for 37 per cent of all households. In Japan the single-person household is now the most common type.
And in the five years before 2006, countries recording over 20 per cent growth in numbers of single living included Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and China.
In China, demographic change, as with so much else, is happening at a startling rate. According to the Chinese Research Center on Ageing, 30 percent of China’s urban senior citizens lived alone in 2004 and the number is expected to increase to 80 percent as soon as 2010.
In such newly industrialized countries, rapid urbanization plays a greater role: as hundreds of millions of young workers leave their families for better opportunities in the city, even other country. And the number of households multiplies.
What is the reason for the phenomenon in single living person?
According to the answers from many young people in developed country, it is wealth and personal freedom: they live alone because they are capable, like and make a choice.
Changing value has promoted individual rights along with less regulation of the private lives of individuals by the larger community. Diversity is valued, in living arrangements and in family forms.
Where do people want to live at the end of their life? For some, staying with their children and family is not an option: their priority is to keep independence, and there is a significant preference for remaining in their own homes –increasingly, alone.
In Germany and Switzerland, people over 50-years old will account for around half of the population by the middle of the century. And the proportion of elderly people living alone is also increasing: nearly half of Swiss women aged 65-74 are now in single-person living. In Britain, the number of older persons living alone has risen by a fifth in just the last two years. With China’s population both growing and ageing, it is expected to have 400 million citizens over the age of 60 by 2050.
Loneliness
Loneliness is a major factor for people living alone, especially the old who tend to spend a far higher proportion of their time within their own four walls.
For many people living alone, loneliness is a crucial concern. From many of the studies, it emerges that loneliness does pose a significant risk, especially to mental health. People living on their own are significantly more possibly to experience a depressive episode or suffer obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorders. According to Britain’s Office of National Statistics, and twice as many single women take their own lives as married women.
In their growth as individuals, humans start a separation process at birth, which continues with growing independence towards adulthood. As such, feeling alone can be a healthy emotion and, indeed, choosing to be alone for a period of solitude can be enriching.
Transition of Long distance communication in the mobile society
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate over greater distances in the last 50 years; the Internet is most certainly one of them.
Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today face-to-face meetings are no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as email and Skype.
The earliest forms of sending messages over great distances are runners (where does the marathon come from?), horse relays homing pigeons, smoke signals, torch signaling, heliographs (flashing mirrors), signal flags (especially in the Navy) and letter.
In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies, and particularly mobile communications. 2002 marked a turning point in the history of telecommunications in that the number of mobile subscribers overtook the number of fixed-line subscribers on a global scale, and mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technological object to become a key "social object" present in every aspect of our daily lives.
Informal communication between friends and family is crucial to personal relations. We are enthusiastic about e-mail and its benefits, in long distance contact with our relatives. Videoconferencing (commonly called Skype) is still used between people separately geographically, almost exclusively for professional reasons. Such tools can be developed to provide greater emotional support (than phone and e-mail) for people staying away from their families.
The other day, my friend (she is a Korean studying in the Netherlands) told me very inspiring story about talk with her father over phone, at the moment, there was a day of new year in Korea (about one month later from first of January), so he asked her to bow towards Korea (it is a traditional new year’s ritual that she used to do), after all she didn’t do as asked, however, fascinating thing from this episode is that she actually did not know the direction of her home.
After this story, I made some interviews to several people, expectantly or unexpectedly, all most of them could not tell which direction is their home or country. Honestly, until this inspiration, I had never considered that which direction my country is.
By the technology of communication tools such as phone and Skype, you can sense voice(sound) and even face(sight) through computer screen. But there is no clue to recognize that how far (distance) away your partner who you are talking to and which direction your facing to communicate with. Those are what missing senses in long distance communication what we have currently.
Cultural ritual in terms of direction
A universal Muslim ritual
The prayer ritual, which is over 1400 years old, is repeated five times a day by hundreds of millions of people all round the world. Carrying it out is not only highly spiritual, but connects each Muslim to all others around the world, and to all those who have uttered the same words and made the same movements at different times in Islamic history.
Muslim praying salat with his head and hands touching the ground. There are set positions and movements for prayer.
Salat is the obligatory Muslim prayers, performed five times each day by every good Muslim. God ordered Muslims to pray at five set times of day: dawn, before sunrise, midday, after the sun passes its highest, the late part of the afternoon, just after sunset, between sunset and midnight. Every Muslim, male or female, try to do this includes Muslim children as young as seven are encouraged to pray. Muslims have prayer timetable which has accurate calendars telling the time of each prayer gives Muslims the pattern of their day.
Muslims make sure that they are in the right frame of mind before they pray; they put aside all everyday cares and thoughts so that they can concentrate exclusively on God.
Muslims pray because God has told them that they are to do this, and because they believe that they obtain great benefit in doing so.
Muslims can pray anywhere, but it is especially good to pray with others in a mosque. Praying together in a congregation helps Muslims to realize that all humanity is one, and all are equal in the sight of Allah.
If it is not available for some Muslims to go to Mecca practically, they pray at distance. When time for praying, they need to be directed in the direction of Mecca. In that case, Mecca direction telling compass helps such Muslims to guess the direction of Mecca at prayer times. Wherever they go, they take it with them. Whether they are moving to a new place or going on a holiday, this is a must have.
Bowing
Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Oriental cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many countries and distinctively in Europe. Sometimes the gesture may be limited to lowering the head. It is especially prominent in China, Korea, India, and Japan where it may be executed standing or kneeling.
Bows are the traditional greeting in East Asia, more so in Korea and Japan than anywhere else. However, bowing is not reserved only for greetings. Bowing is a gesture of respect. Different bows are used for apologies and gratitude, to express different emotions, humility, sincerity, remorse, or deference, and in various traditional arts and religious ceremonies.
Bows are commonly used in greeting, both when meeting and when parting. Bows almost automatically accompany the greeting phrases, but generally are no longer used among the immediate family unless addressing a family member after or in anticipation of a long absence or separation.
Bows also replace speaking under certain circumstances. For example, when encountering again a person to whom one has already spoken that day, a silent bow replaces such phrases as "hello" or "hi."
When dealing with non-East Asians, many East Asians will shake hands. Since many non-East Asians are familiar with the custom of bowing, this often leads to a combined bow and handshake which can be quite complicated to execute. Bows may be combined with handshakes or performed before or after shaking hands. Generally when bowing in proximity to another, as necessitated when combining bowing and shaking hands, people turn slightly to one side (usually the left) to avoid bumping heads.
Bowing in Japan is distinct [citation needed] from other East Asian cultures when done in more traditional settings such as during a tea ceremony or during the beginning and end of a traditional martial arts match.
Frontality
Frontality is the representation of the front view of figures or objects in a work of art. Scholar Julius Lange in Denmark presents "Law of the frontality" in his book in 1899, and it seems that the conception "Frontality" began to spread from that moment. If the statue is seen from the front for the side where the sculpture is seen "Law of the frontality" is assumed for an ancient sculpture (human body image including the god) to be carved for "It is opposite from the front" way symmetrically for the person who stand infront of the sculpture, and it becomes possible to obtain the sense of looking to symmetry, and opposite from the front.
Frontality in Japanese culture
Ikebana
Ikebana (arranged flower) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kado (the "way of flowers").
More than simply putting flowers in a container, ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together.
Traditional styles of Ikebana are designed to be viewed only from the front. It is because the space of Tokonoma where Ikebana would be placed is an alcove.(as you see the image)
When Buddhism was introduced to Japan in about 538A.D, monks started to arrange flowers to decorate the altars of temples. In the Heian period (794-1192), appreciating flowers in a vase unrelated to religious worship also became popular. There are number of novels, essays and poems of that time which describe the aristocracy enjoying flower arranging and admiring arrangements of flowers.
In the Kamakura period (1192-1333), the Samurai (elite warrior class) wrested the power of government from the aristocrats and brought great lifestyle and fashion changes into the whole of Japanese society.
At this time it became fashionable to create a Tokonoma, a small sacred alcove, in a zashiki (Japanese room). The Tokonoma would contain a flower arrangement, incense and a candle.
Frontality in exterior of architecture
There is mostly the "Door" which is called "Main entrance" for the building. On the site where architectures built, fences and walls are placed around it, and the gate arranged between those elements becomes front gate. From the recognition that the building faces and welcome visitors who pass the gate, it is important that which direction of the building is "Front", and how exterior is designed as a face of the door and other elements of building.
Frontality in interior of architecture
Sometimes "the side shown to the person who enters room" be fixed for the room in the building. "Front/face in the room" might be fixed and "Frontality" will be created by the alcove(Tokonoma), the fireplace and so on, and "Frontality" will be created.
Conclusion
Despite the demographic transformations that have swept the world, some things will never change. People will always love family, home and country where they were born. Home is not simply shelter but the place where daily life is performed, the container of memories, and the setting to a period of existence that should still be more about positive than negative. The issues are raised when there is profound family change: what is holding families together and what are the links between individuals and families? And even individuals and place where he or she used to belong.
To enrich the long distance communication between people who live apart and families, what is possible in this mobile society?
Home is the place that you were born and grew, your memories are stored there emotionally and there are people who you spend your life together. It is what identify yourself when you live abroad or somewhere far from home. When you feel lonely or anxiety mentally, you would contact with your family by phone or Skype to ease yourself. Thus, what if you can recognize the direction of your home that is missing sense in long distance communication? Like Muslims do, by realizing the direction of people that you want to contact, long distance communication would be more valuable moment in everyday life. And casual behavior you do everyday life, for instance, sending e-mail, having meal and so on, would be more taken care and respectful as if facing each other at distance.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thesis outline
Designing long-distance language
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed, people who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. It is the result of change of people’s value and the increasing of mobile society. By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said locations where people live are not important for them staying away geographically from their families any longer.
People belong to where they live physically, but also who used to live with emotionally. The goal of this thesis is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of belonging.
Introduction
The ideal pattern of family has changed, people who lived in the large family became minority in recent years. It is the result of change of people’s value and the increasing of mobile society. By virtue of popularization of the Internet, people have got tools to communicate with each other regardless of the sense of time and distance. It is possibly said locations where people live are not important for them staying away geographically from their families any longer.
People belong to where they live physically, but also who used to live with emotionally. The goal of this thesis is to explore how design can support emotional connection between people living apart through the sense of belonging.
Thesis outline-2
Transition (history) of communication tools
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate in the last 50 years; email is most certainly one of them. Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today it is no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as Skype and Email. The decrease of the number of letter use at last few years is proved by a lot of objective macro data.
There are numerous ways in which people have changed the way they communicate in the last 50 years; email is most certainly one of them. Traditionally, social interaction in the local community was the basis for communication face-to-face. Yet, today it is no longer the primary way to communicate as one can use a landline telephone or any number of the computer mediated communications such as Skype and Email. The decrease of the number of letter use at last few years is proved by a lot of objective macro data.
Thesis outline-3
People research
Make interviews to some people who live apart from their family.
and involve people to share and discuss my design suggestion in order to make my idea strong.
I made a question to several people that can they indicate the direction of their home(country),
then suprisingly no one could tell exactly.
Make interviews to some people who live apart from their family.
and involve people to share and discuss my design suggestion in order to make my idea strong.
I made a question to several people that can they indicate the direction of their home(country),
then suprisingly no one could tell exactly.
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