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)
Monday, April 13, 2009
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.
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