Biography of Peter Jackson

Table of Contents Introduction How he started his career Education and training Professional career Awards and achievements Conclusion References Introduction Peter Robert Jackson is one of the most famous, successful, and highly influential people in the global film industry. He works as a film producer, director, and screenwriter, who came to global recognition through his films The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (Sibley, 2013). Peter Jackson was born in 1961, in a small town in New Zealand called Pukerua Bay.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Biography of Peter Jackson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He does not have any siblings and has English roots. His mother Joan and his father Bill Jackson migrated to New Zealand from England. His mother was a homemaker and a factory worker, while his father worked as a wages clerk, and participated in World War II (Thompson, 2006). Jackson has been married to Fran Walsh since 1987, and the couple has two children. Fran Walsh has been influential in the successful career of her husband, as she has always helped to write scripts and provide managerial support. Peter Jackson owns a film production company called Wingnut Films (Prigge, 2005). Various factors have influenced and inspired Jackson on his journey towards becoming a global icon in the film industry. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and nominations for his success and influence towards the growth of the industry. Peter Jackson has proved to be a real trendsetter in the film industry, and a consistent performer who seeks to inspire others and meet market demands (Sibley, 2013). How he started his career Peter Jackson started his career as a young boy when his family was living near Wellington, a coastal town in New Zealand. He first encountered the world of movies at a tender age of five, when his family purchased a television set (Jackson, 2005). He was highl y thrilled by a program that aired from 1965 to 1966, known as the Thunderbirds. This show helped Jackson to develop a sentimental attachment to films. He later watched a movie called King Kong that Jackson says is his favorite movie that influenced his career in many ways (Stratford, 2009). A major event in his career happened at age nine, when a close friend of his parents handed him a super 8-movie camera as a motivation for his visible passion for film and photography. Using this camera, Jackson began making short, simple, and cheap films from the comfort of his parent’s home. His friends contributed by taking different set roles on a voluntary basis (Thompson, 2006).Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After gaining some experience, Jackson believed he was ready to make real films. He carried on with his production trademark used in the short films of incorporating u nique effects, and low production costs. The most notable film he made during his teenage years was World War II. The film was good and the effects used to simulate a firing gun were highly notable to viewers (Prigge, 2005). Jackson produced a number of other amateur movies such as The Valley, Bad Taste, The Dwarf Patrol, and Cold Finger among others. Jackson created The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, after reading the work of renowned author J.R.R. Tolkien (Morton, 2005). The movie Bad Taste, started as a usual amateur movie for Jackson. However, he did not know that it would present a good opportunity for a breakthrough in the industry. Peter Jackson did almost everything in this movie using his savings from a job he had in a photography shop, and a sizeable grant from the film commission of New Zealand (Morton, 2005). Through a friend, the film premiered during the Cannes film festival. The movie received many positive remarks and an award for its unique effects, a good script, its c omic nature, and top class production (Sibley, 2013). This fame and recognition motivated Jackson to produce his first professional movie in 1992 that he called Brain Dead. Since then, Peter Jackson continued to develop his passion for films. Education and training Peter Jackson went to Kapiti College, which was run by the government (Prigge, 2005). His school life was dull and boring, because he did not show any interest in sporting events. Jackson was very eager to finish school and get a job that would enable him to make money for film production. At age sixteen, Jackson dropped out of school and got a job at a photography shop (Jackson, 2005). Despite his huge success as a film producer, director, and screenwriter, Jackson did not have any formal or professional training in film production. He learnt about special effects and movie editing through trial and error in his amateur films (Morton, 2005). This demonstrates his real passion for films and intellectual ability for develo ping a successful career by learning through practice. Professional career The biggest breakthrough for Jackson in the film industry came in 1987, when he produced a short film called Bad Taste. The movie became a hit in the industry and managed to sell distribution rights to at least twelve countries. One individual that contributed to this breakthrough was Jim Booth (Sibley, 2010). Booth was the executive director of the New Zealand Film Commission at the time.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Biography of Peter Jackson specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Peter Jackson needed a lot of money to complete the movie, and decided to approach the film commission for a grant. Jackson managed to convince Jim Booth to give him a grant to complete the movie with his talent and ambition for the film industry (Butler, 2013). Later, Jim Booth quit his position at the New Zealand film commission and became part of the prod uction team for the movie. Through his vast experience and numerous connections in the industry, Jim convinced Jackson to have his short film showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. The efforts paid off, and Jackson had a landmark start on his professional career from the festival (Thompson, 2006). A number of films followed this successful entry into the industry for Jackson. These films include the Brain Dead, Heavenly Creatures, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King among others (Butler, 2013). Jackson produced The Lord of the Rings as a test project for his skills as a director. Heavenly Creatures was among the most successful films that Jackson released at the time. The film applied a different style from his earlier movies, as it developed its story line based on real life experiences. The success of this film opened more avenues for Jackson in Hollywood. In 1996, he managed to produce a high budget film called The Fright eners that starred Michael Fox (Stratford, 2009). Jackson received a lot of support and mentorship from an American producer called Robert. Throughout his career in the film industry, Peter Jackson has been known for his strict work policy that entails attention to the finest details (Sibley, 2010). The most notable features about movies produced by Jackson include incorporation of humor, playful scenes, and shooting a single scene from a variety of angles. This has made his movies to have some of the longest production periods in Hollywood, as he can take several days shooting a single scene to make sure that it meets the required standards (Butler, 2013). Although most of Jackson’s film’s premier in Hollywood, he is among the few influential and successful directors who produce their films outside the United States.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Jackson has been a huge technology enthusiast and ardent defender, whenever people feel it has a negative influence on the industry (Woods, 2004). Jackson was among the first film directors and producers to incorporate computer technology in making movies, especially in putting digital effects. Technology has helped to improve the value of films and movies because of improved efficiency and quality. Modern films apply 3D technology, which gives viewers a better viewing experience compared to the technology used in the past (Woods, 2004). However, the adoption of modern technology has not been easy, especially among the older generation that constantly complains of the high speed and definition of the movies. Producers like Peter Jackson have tried to defend the influence of technology in the film industry, by arguing that people complaining have a fear factor for change (Thompson, 2006). Jackson argues that there is no need to stick to old technology. He says there is a need to impr ove the experiences that people have in cinemas and make them more impressive and extravagant. Awards and achievements Peter Jackson has a very successful career in the film industry. He has received numerous awards and nominations. He is one of the most decorated film directors, producers, and screenwriters in the Hollywood (Savorelli, 2010). Jackson has so far received a total of 39-academy award nominations throughout his career that begun in 1987. Out of the 39 nominations he has won 20 0f them, with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Winning the most with 11. Peter Jackson has also received 13 golden globe nominations, which he has won 4 times (Savorelli, 2010). Jackson’s success in the film industry goes beyond the United States of America. Peter Jackson has received 43 nominations for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award. Out of the nominations, Jackson has won 14 times, with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has won the most awards with each having 5 (Savorelli, 2010). Conclusion The story of Peter Jackson is very inspiring and motivating, especially to upcoming movie directors, producers, and screenwriters who want to make a breakthrough in the industry. The biggest lesson that one can learn from Jackson’s story is the need for perseverance, passion, and self-belief in order to succeed in the industry. Jackson believed in his abilities and followed his passion that enabled him to achieve astounding success in the films industry. Another important lesson is the need to give people value for their money by producing quality films that entertain and educate them at the same time. Success in the film business requires one to have good knowledge of the market, and use the latest technology in order to give viewers amazing experiences. References Butler, J. (2013). Peter Jackson: A Combination of Passion, Determination, and  Ingenuity. New York: Rou tledge. Jackson, P. (2005). Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie. New York: John Wiley Sons. Morton, R. (2005). King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter  Jackson. California: Hal Leonard Corporation. Prigge, S. (2005). Created By: Inside the Minds of Top Film Creators. New York: Silman-James Press. Savorelli, A. (2010). Beyond Sitcom: New Directions in the American Film and  Entertainment Industries. Chicago: McFarland. Stratford, S. (2009). Film and Television. New Jersey: Info Base Publishing. Sibley, B. (2013). Peter Jackson: the Journey of a Film Maker Who Went Against all  Odds. New Jersey: Cengage Learning. Sibley, B. (2010). Peter Jackson: A Film Maker’s Journey. New York: CENGAGE. Thompson, K. (2006). â€Å"Tolkien On Film: Essays on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings.† Tolkien Studies, 3(2), 222-228. Woods, P. (2004). Peter Jackson: From Gore to Mordor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. This term paper on Biography of Peter Jackson was written and submitted by user Mallory Oneil to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Jm Coetzee Essays

Jm Coetzee Essays Jm Coetzee Paper Jm Coetzee Paper Residence at the time of the award: South Africa Prize motivation: who in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider Language: English Biographical John Maxwell Coetzee was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 9 February 1940, the elder of two children. His mother was a primary school teacher. His father was trained as an attorney, but practiced as such only intermittently; during the years 1941–45 he served with the South African forces in North Africa and Italy. Though Coetzees parents were not of British descent, the language spoken at home was English. Coetzee received his primary schooling in Cape Town and in the nearby town of Worcester. For his secondary education he attended a school in Cape Town run by a Catholic order, the Marist Brothers. He matriculated in 1956. Coetzee entered the University of Cape Town in 1957, and in 1960 and 1961 graduated successively with honours degrees in English and mathematics. He spent the years 1962–65 in England, working as a computer programmer while doing research for a thesis on the English novelist Ford Madox Ford. In 1963 he married Philippa Jubber (1939–1991). They had two children, Nicolas (1966–1989) and Gisela (b. 1968). In 1965 Coetzee entered the graduate school of the University of Texas at Austin, and in 1968 graduated with a PhD in English, linguistics, and Germanic languages. His doctoral dissertation was on the early fiction of Samuel Beckett. For three years (1968–71) Coetzee was assistant professor of English at the State University of New York in Buffalo. After an application for permanent residence in the United States was denied, he returned to South Africa. From 1972 until 2000 he held a series of positions at the University of Cape Town, the last of them as Distinguished Professor of Literature. Between 1984 and 2003 he also taught frequently in the United States: at the State University of New York, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago, where for six years he was a member of the Committee on Social Thought. Coetzee began writing fiction in 1969. His first book, Dusklands, was published in South Africa in 1974. In the Heart of the Country (1977) won South Africas then principal literary award, the CNA Prize, and was published in Britain and the USA. Waiting for the Barbarians (1980) received international notice. His reputation was confirmed by Life amp; Times of Michael K (1983), which won Britains Booker Prize. It was followed by Foe (1986), Age of Iron (1990), The Master of Petersburg (1994), and Disgrace (1999), which again won the Booker Prize. Coetzee also wrote two fictionalized memoirs, Boyhood (1997) and Youth (2002). The Lives of Animals (1999) is a fictionalized lecture, later absorbed into Elizabeth Costello (2003). White Writing (1988) is a set of essays on South African literature and culture. Doubling the Point (1992) consists of essays and interviews with David Attwell. Giving Offense (1996) is a study of literary censorship. Stranger Shores (2001) collects his later literary essays. Coetzee has also been active as a translator of Dutch and Afrikaans literature. In 2002 Coetzee emigrated to Australia. He lives with his partner Dorothy Driver in Adelaide, South Australia, where he holds an honorary position at the University of Adelaide. Excerpts from Disgrace Excerpts selected by Lars Rydquist, head librarian, Nobel Library of the Swedish Academy. (Pages 111-112 and 183-184) As gently as he can, he offers his question again. Lucy, my dearest, why dont you want to tell? It was a crime. There is no shame in being the object of a crime. You did not choose to be the object. You are an innocent party. Sitting across the table from him, Lucy draws a deep breath, gathers herself, then breathes out again and shakes her head. Can I guess? he says. Are you trying to remind me of something? Am I trying to remind you of what? Of what women undergo at the hands of men. Nothing could be further from my thoughts. This has nothing to do with you, David. You want to know why I have not laid a particular charge with the police. I will tell you, as long as you agree not to raise the subject agai n. The reason is that, as far as I am concerned, what happened to me is a purely private matter. In another time, in another place it might be held to be a public matter. But in this place, at this time, it is not. It is my business, mine alone. This place being what? This place being South Africa. I dont agree. I dont agree with what you are doing. Do you think that by meekly accepting what happened to you, you can set yourself apart from farmers like Ettinger? Do you think what happened here was an exam: if you come through, you get a diploma and safe conduct into the future, or a sign to paint on the door-lintel that will make the plague pass you by? That is not how vengeance works, Lucy. Vengeance is like a fire. The more it devours, the hungrier it gets. Stop it, David! I dont want to hear this talk of plagues and fires. I am not just trying to save my skin. If that is what you think, you miss the point entirely. Then help me. Is it some form of private salvation you are trying to work out? Do you hope you can expiate the crimes of the past by suffering in the present? No. You keep misreading me. Guilt and salvation are abstractions. I dont act in terms of abstractions. Until you make an effort to see that, I cant help you. He wants to respond, but she cuts him short. David, we agreed. I dont want to go on with this conversation. Never yet have they been so far and so bitterly apart. He is shaken. /- -/ Working as swiftly as he can, holding tight to Teresa, he tries to sketch out the opening pages of a libretto. Get the words down on paper, he tells himself. Once that is done it will all be easier. Then there will be time to search through the masters through Gluck, for instance lifting melodies, perhaps who knows? lifting ideas too. But by steps, as he begins to live his days more fully with Teresa and the dead Byron, it becomes clear that purloined songs will not be good enough, that the two will demand a music of their own. And, astonishingly, in dribs and drabs, the music comes. Sometimes the contour of a phrase occurs to him before he has a hint of what the words themselves will be; sometimes the words call forth the cadence; sometimes th e shade of a melody, having hovered for days on the edge of hearing, unfolds and blessedly reveals itself. As the action begins to unwind, furthermore, it calls up of its own accord modulations and transitions that he feels in his blood even when he has not the musical resources to realize them. At the piano he sets to work piecing together and writing down the beginnings of a score. But there is something about the sound of the piano that hinders him: too rounded, too physical, too rich. From the attic, from a crate full of old books and toys of Lucys, he recovers the odd little seven-stringed banjo that he bought for her on the streets of KwaMashu when she was a child. With the aid of the banjo he begins to notate the music that Teresa, now mournful, now angry, will sing to her dead lover, and that pale-voiced Byron will sing back to her from the land of the shades. The deeper he follows the Contessa into her underworld, singing her words for her or humming her vocal line, the more inseparable from her, to his surprise, becomes the silly plink-plonk of the toy banjo. The lush arias he had dreamed of giving her he quietly abandons; from there it is but a short step to putting the instrument into her hands. Instead of stalking the stage, Teresa now sits staring out over the marshes toward the gates of hell, cradling the mandolin on which she accompanies herself in her lyric flights; while to one side a discreet trio in knee-breeches (cello, flute, bassoon) fill in the entractes or comment sparingly between stanzas. References 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Argentina: Nearly Half of Argentines Demand End to Privatization. (2002, July 11). Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Argentina: Ten Years of Privatization Made a Crisis Worse. (2003, June 24). Interpress Service. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Baker, Dean, and Mark Weisbrot. (2002, April 16). The Role of Social Security Privatization in Argentinas Economic Crisis. Center for Economic and Policy Research. Retrieved from cepr.net/publications/argentina_2002_04.htm. (23 February 2007). 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cavallo, Domingo F. (1997). Lessons from Argentinas Privatization Experience. Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 50. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chisari, Omar, Antonio Estache, and Carlos Romero. Winners and Losers from Utility Privatization in Argentina: Lessons from a General Equilibrium Model.   World Bank. Retrieved from worldbank.org/html/dec/Publications/Workpapers/WPS1800series/wps1824/wps1824.pdf. (23 February 2007). 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Confronting the Social and Labor Challenges of Privatization: Multinational Enterprises in Telecommunications in the 1990s. International Labor Organization. Working Paper. Retrieved from ilo.org/public/english/employment/multi/download/wp90.pdf. (23 February 2007). 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Davis, Neal C. (1997, October 22). Electricity Reform Abroad and U.S. Investment: A Historical Perspective for Argentine Privatization Efforts. Retrieved from eia.doe.gov/emeu/pgem/electric/ch411.html. (23 February 2007). 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Galiani, Sebastian, Paul Gertler, and Ernesto Schargrodsky. (2002, June 30). Water for Life: The Impact of Privatization of Water Services on Child Mortality. Working Paper. Retrieved from http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/gertler/working_papers/Water%20for%20Life%20June30.pdf. (23 February 2007). 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hacher, Sebastian. (2004, February 26). Argentina Water Privatization Scheme Runs Dry. Global Policy Forum. Retrieved from globalpolicy.org/. (23 February 2007). 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Health Care Privatization in Argentina. (2001). National Center for Policy Analysis. Idea House. Retrieved from ncpa.org/. (23 February 2007). 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Multinational water companies desperate to get out of Argentina. (2005, December 18). Catholic New Times. 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   National Framework for Globalization. International Labor Organization. Retrieved from ilo.org/. (23 February 2007). 13.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Privatization Link. Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency: World Bank Group. Retrieved from fdi.net/index.cfm. (23 February 2007). 14.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Saba, Roberto Pablo, and Luigi Manzetti. (1997). Privatization in Argentina: The implications for corruption. Crime, Law, and Social Change, 25. 15.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Valente, Marcela. (2006). De-Privatisation Purely Pragmatic, Say Observers. Inter Press Service News Agency. Retrieved from http://ipsnews.net/headlines.asp. (23 February 2007).

Discussion document Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion document - Essay Example He believes in handling challenges head on and rolls up his sleeves to handle the same rather than delegating people to accomplish such tasks for him. He is the ideal leader because rather than him being a boss, he is a team player that has made him to earn respect among those that he works with and also those that he trains. Hal Bagley works mostly with his wife, Baadrea in the many training projects as both of them also head the LGT Executive Coaching. Both of them bring different skills to the table as she focuses on enhancing personal growth and interpersonal skills for clients, which is an essential part of the training program. Therefore, Hal credits most of his success to team effort as working alone can never be a key to achieving the major milestones that one seeks to achieve in the corporate world. Other than being involved in training the leadership of top performing companies and a number of non-profit leadership boards, the Bagleys also run a non profit organization that seeks to give stability to single parents together with their children. The organization is run by a group of about 200 volunteers headed by an executive director and board of directors, which is impacting the lives of hundreds in a significant way. Hal is not involved in improving the corporate world, but he also seeks to help those that that are the bottom of the ladder. So far Bagley’s results from the corporate trainings include influencing the streamlining of employees of an organization, which in turn has helped in simplifying audits by up to 5 times. Further, Hal helped with the integration of privately owned company with a Fortune 100 company, which led the 200 person, company increasing from $36M to $72 million in just two years. Additionally, this company through the guidance of Bagley was able to successfully implement HR systems, IT systems program management processes and AS9100 certification among a list of other

Accountancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Accountancy - Essay Example Budgets are derived from the long-term strategies of any company or organization. Reames (2010) states that â€Å"its always important to figure out those areas of your budget where you tend to spend exorbitant amounts or unnecessarily and cut those out†. The annual budgetary process is a very lengthy process that takes several weeks in order to develop a valuable plan that is used for the whole year and is not revised until the next year. Peterson and Fabozzi (2002: 245) state that â€Å"Annual budgeting is one of the most important, and sometimes most difficult, parts of financing†. It is really helpful for the companies as it lists all planned expenses and revenues for the current year. Annual budgeting process is not just about the budget; it’s also about the growth of the business and performance improvement. Kirk (n.d.) states that â€Å"forecasting an annual budget for your business helps you determine where your needs are not only for funding, but personnel as well†. The factors which are needed to be taken into consideration while making an effective budget include the number of budget participants, competency levels, interdepartmental dependencies, diversity of skills, and individual roles. To develop an effective annual budget for a company, following steps are of critical importance: 1. Determining the amount of money which the company has made by gross sales in the previous business year, because that money will be used in order to represent the expenses of the company in percentage form. 5. Multiplying upcoming years projected gross sales volume with the percentage for each expense category in order to estimate the expenses that will be encountered by the company in the coming year as a percentage of the company’s gross sales which will be based on the percentages from the previous business year. A budget plan helps in decision making regarding use of money.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Essay

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - Essay Example Most people find this depressing and confusing. The calculation of the ability to get aid based on individuals’ financial circumstances may limit some students in getting financial aid and therefore it should be on merit and not on the size of assets owned by individuals and their families. The FAFSA form does not consider the financial challenges that most families live in and therefore most family members find it intimidating. Therefore most families and students fail to go for higher level of education like colleges, since it has over hundred questions and most of these questions are base on the financial wellbeing of parents and families. This becomes a limiting factor to students in need of financial aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid process faces challenges because it is ineffective in ensuring college completion by the students because of the complexities involved. Due to lack of finances enough to sponsor education sector, the organizations using the FAFSA process imposes policies that make parents to start paying immediately the students are enrolled in the loans programme. This makes poor families strain even more and hence find themselves in a bad financial situation. Proposal have been made for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form to be narrowed down to be user friendly but instead more questions were added to the already existing ones to help asses financial situations of students seeking loans and grants in or4der to finance their education. This is a challenging factor because, even if the questions are answered, it does not put into consideration of the high costs of living in various states in the nation. The fact that the accessibility of loans and grants are based on the credit worthiness according to the financial position of the families, most poor families find it

Impact of Digital Technologies on Communication

Impact of Digital Technologies on Communication Abstract The present age in which we live has seen a massive proliferation of digital communication technologies and pervasive computing devices which have made an impact on all aspects of the way people live. Individual life styles have been changed and by extension, the society at large has evolved with changes being noticed in societal culture. Technology has brought about changes to the way people work, enjoy their leisure activities, get educated and interact with each other. Because the digital mediums for communications have become affordable and readily available to all, the manner in which individuals interact with others at the personal or business levels have also been transformed. Face –to- face meetings and interactions are becoming rather infrequent, with such meetings being reserved for special occasions and for special people. On the other hand, finding new people to interact with especially over the internet has never been easier. The neighbourhood has experienced chan ges with residents preferring to stay at home while keeping in touch with their community on the cyberspace. An individual can assume a different identity and experience a different reality in virtual space which can make it possible for them to take risks in relationships. The peripheral relationships of the virtual space can sometimes develop into friendships which can result in interactions in the physical space. Relationships which may have never developed or which may have disintegrated are made possible and kept alive through the use of digital technologies including the mobile phone, the internet and the fax. The community to which one belongs is not necessarily the physical neighbourhood but it may be a global virtual community. This paper attempts to take a look at the changing nature of interpersonal communications in the digital age which has transformed interpersonal relationships and the society at large. The electronic revolution and the digital age of communications started off at the end of the twentieth century with many advances taking place in the fields of telecommunications, computers, digital technology and information technology. The digital revolution resulted in the availability of devices such as the mobile phone, the personal digital assistant or the PDA, satellite communications and the digital television. Internet and the World Wide Web, with its email and conferencing capabilities, as well as the wireless local loop came to be widely used around the world. The availability and proliferation of these devices meant that individuals and the society at large were shaped by the possibilities for new forms of social interactions and social group formations through the medium of the available technologies. It was now possible to have a different sort of a community which could support rapid interactions using mobile and telephone conversation, email, SMS messages, teleconfer encing and videoconferencing, with participants either being on the move or living in geographically distant areas. Enhancements in technology meant that leisure activities were shifted to the home and it was not essential to go to the pub in order to fulfil a desire for social interaction (Wong, 2004). The availability of the handheld internet capable mobile phones has also brought further changes to society and the manner in which individuals interact because it is now possible to communicate through a number of mediums regardless of where an individual may be. Although the costs of having access to the digital communications and computing technologies had created a digital divide, the situation is getting better by the day with mass production resulting in reduced prices for hardware and a larger base of subscribers reducing charges for digital network connectivity. The availability of the digital devices of the pervasive computing age has meant that the manner in which individua ls interact has also changed because, although it is very easy to contact others, non-verbal signals are diminished as a result of the relatively higher costs associated with video communications. Also, the geographic distances between those involved in interactions may mean that there is a limited understanding of the overall picture associated with the locality or region and the communicators may not be in synchronism with each other. Usually physical proximity had been a requirement for individuals to initiate and maintain interactions and a stable dwelling place was required for the more intricate social interactions to be possible. However, the cyberspace has made it possible for an individual to have a permanent virtual address regardless of their physical whereabouts and this personal space is accessible as long as an individual has the capacity for accessing the internet (Geser, 2004, Pp 1-5). The added capabilities related to communications that have been made possible by d igital technology have meant that new commonalities can now be found relatively easily in order to drive interpersonal communications. This is, however, an evolving process and commonalities that have been developed as a result of personal interactions, culture, language, former association related to work or education as well as possibilities for mutual gain etc are still the drivers for the initiation of interpersonal communications. It is the length of interactions and the possibilities related to physical proximity as well as future interests that are the main drivers for more complex forms of interactions which can be aided by digital technology. Interpersonal bonds of solidarity and cooperation can be established with geographically distant groups and this process has been assisted by the availability of mobile devices which are an advanced evolution of the fixed line telephone as well as the internet. Whereas the fixed line telephone was more attuned to reinforcing the social integration of fixed and stable settings, the mobile phone provides greater freedom. The Theory of Communicative Action by Habermas states that society consists of participants who are attempting to reach a consensus. In the past, the participants in a society were restricted to those who lived within close geographic proximity because they were the only participants who could attempt to reach a consensus. However, the digital age has now made it possible for participants from anywhere to attempt a consensus if desired and the concept of society, friendship and acquaintances for an individual has been very much extended (Alexander, 2002, Chapter 4). Most of the communication that takes place using digital medium is not rich if the message is based on email, SMS or voice only communications. Media is ranked on its ability to carry information and hence the ability of a message to develop or change understanding within a period of time. Face-to-face communications are the richest form of communications while faxes, emails, written text and telephone conversations are considered to be less rich. Participants in interpersonal communications now have a choice related to the medium which they can utilise for their interactions and most initial or routine communications are usually conducted most effortlessly using the less rich digital mediums. With the continued evolution of digital technologies, the richer media will become more widely available and participants to interpersonal communications will be increasingly able to indulge in richer interactions effortlessly. Emotion is present in the less rich media which is prevalent today but it is embedded in text and symbols which need to be studied and deciphered. Individuals who have been used to the richer communications have to learn the intricacies of the new digital media in order to learn to express themselves better. The generation which was born in the digital age or the Cyber Kids seem to be more capable of interacting adequately on the new mediums as compared to the older generation. Richer experiences in communication are only undertaken if the participants have a desire to indulge in such interactions due to having a common past or the initial digital contacts seem to hold promise. Hence, on the surface there is an impression that the society has become more reserved with less socialising but there can be a lot of communication or activity that is not visible. Email communications encourages critical thinking on the basis of a greater level of equality because the social context cues are not present in the message. Social construction of reality and so cial structure is therefore moving towards a greater level of equality in being able to communicate and interact widely because of the availability of digital technologies at least at the initial levels of contact. There are no preferred hours for contact with the electronic text communications and it is considered to be acceptable to send in a message at any time which can be viewed and considered by the recipient. In the past, individuals thought it appropriate to meet in the most appropriate settings for an occasion that could enhance communications. Today they are likely to consider what medium they should select in order to communicate. The decision to select a medium for communication is likely to be based on how well the participants in the communication know each other and their experience with a medium. Social influence with participants in communications is likely to increase with the time that the participants have known each other. The use of email or electronic text can have subliminal messages attached to the text and may convey informality, urgency, authority as well as legitimacy, much like the body language in face-to-face communications. The ability to use web cams and add instant pictures to communications over the internet or when using a mobile phone can add to the level of richness and information that is being exchanged. Scanned documents containing handwriting or sketches attached to email text also add to the information content, but there can be doubts about their authenticity unless they can be verified. Because the existing knowledge base of an individual is employed in critically evaluating lean messages, therefore less rich messages can become meaningful if there have been previous inputs about the communicator. As a result of the massive proliferation of digital technologies, the society at large has started to use these technologies as a matter of habit, transforming the manner in which individuals interact (Alexander, 2002, Cha pter 5). Digital wireless communication technologies have been the greatest drivers for change and spatial mobility. The number of mobile phones has far exceeded the number of television sets and even the least developed African nations now have more mobile wireless phones then land lines. The capabilities associated with the modern mobile phones are being constantly enhanced and they are very likely to become mobile devices with multimedia capabilities that are able to replace mobile computers with a capability for exchanging voice, text, pictures and a lot of other content in the digital format. The feature rich prevalence of mobile phone technology is the highest in Japan which leads Europe and the United States. Those who are introduced to mobile phones gradually progress from emergency and routine use to the more expressive use for communications. Many â€Å"grooming calls† are made every day in order to maintain relationships which would have not been possible without the technol ogy. These calls are made to confirm that a relationship exists by expressing solidarity, sympathy, concern and affection. The cell phone is used along with a variety of other media including email, SMS, snail mail and face-to-face meetings. Social contacts for otherwise well adjusted individuals are possible even during absence due to work or other causes. Hence, established relationships can be continued and new ones formed quickly if there is a basis for their formation. Switching off a mobile phone may be an expression for indicating the importance that is attached to individuals who are in the current interaction. On the other hand, cell phones also enable the user to control relationships by being able to make choices related to friends. All digital technologies permit an ability to control communications along with making interpersonal communications more effortless. Unlike email communication, the mobile phone is less likely to assist in the creation of new relationships and mostly assists in the maintenance of the existing ones. Communalistic relationships that have existed are easily perpetuated over the mobile phones which can also be used for spontaneous gossip at all times. Women tend to use the phone much more often in order to spontaneously contact their friends then men. Mobile phones can act as an umbilical cord and present an alternative to the traditional ways of passing time. Older people usually prefer voice calls while younger people tend to use the text messaging feature of their mobile to keep up with their group using special symbolic and linguistic language. The mobile phone may be used for short business conversations and long personal intimate conversations with a higher level of certainty about the identity of the communication partner then can be possible with email. Role switching is possible with an office worker acting as a mother using the mobile from her office. The ability to selectively receive calls provides a high level o f control on who is admitted to the inner circle of friends. However, having a mobile means that there is a responsibility for being available and answering to those who attempt to initiate a contact, although the owner can switch off if they so desire, causing concern amongst those who may have tried to initiate a contact. Communication is, therefore, made possible when it may not have occurred due to the efforts that may have been involved in contacting an individual. In Japan, SMS messages are used to form complex and peripheral relationships in which individuals never meet and virtual girlfriends can be introduced through a phone, replacing friends in real life. However, such peripheral friendships mean that there is a tendency towards the development of a very formal society with individuals finding it difficult to form real relationships. Cell phones also make it possible to have fluid arrangements and have meetings at short notice. In South Korea, it is common for workers to have spontaneous parties after work that are arranged through the cell. Nomadic intimacy is made possible for individuals who are constantly on the move including sailors or international business people who can contact their friends at any port of call. In studies undertaken in Japan evidence has been recorded that the Cyber Kid generation which was born after 1985 with internet phones and modern digital communications may be loosing the traditional Japanese virtue of giving due regard to context and situation when communicating. Their preferred interpersonal communication technology is the internet capable mobile phone and this requires whatever is to be said to be communicated regardless of the situation. This is in stark contrast to the pre-war generation whose preferred method of communications is to have face-to-face meetings and written letters with all the regard for the person and the complexities of a situation. Hence, there is ample evidence that the evolving digital tech nologies have changed the manner in which individuals conduct interpersonal communications around the world (Geser, 2004, Pp14 -16) and (Wong, 2004, Pp 75-81). Because of the widespread use of the text-only digital communication technologies that are the most prevalent in the present age, the personality of the communicators changes when they enter the virtual space and send email or other text messages. Along with the personality of the parties to the interpersonal communications, the reality also changes from physical reality to virtual reality. Much more freedom is available on the internet when using email communications because it is possible to hide the physical identity of the communicators. Risks can be taken with what is being said and discussed. The virtual space provides an opportunity to interact with individuals of many different cultures and social backgrounds. The symbols and the text messages are easier to understand if the participants in the communications that are taking place in Cyberspace have a common understanding of the use of language and symbols as well as the expectations that are associated with the conduct of in teractions. The electronic medium which may have been selected imposes selectivity by amplifying or reducing various phenomenon of the world, but the choice of the medium says something about the kind of personality that the communicator wants to present. If sufficient effort is invested, casual encounters over the internet can develop into intimate relationships. This is, however, more likely in a situation where there is little of interest that is available in the immediate physical world. Because there is a growing trend for the modern digital communications technologies to be widely adopted by businesses and the society at large, the chances of physical interactions becomes diminished as compared to interactions on the virtual space. Hence, the manner in which interactions and communications used to take place in a society at large is changed by technology and so also is the manner in which relationships are formed and maintained (Leaning, 2004). Digital divides exist between us ers and non-users of a technology as well as the experienced users and those who are the relatively new users of a digital communication medium. Digital divides can also exist because of culture, limited earnings and levels of education. Women have a tendency of using the phone more frequently and a lower tendency to use the internet. New immigrants in countries with a well developed digital communications infrastructure, especially women have a tendency to shy away from using the communications technologies that are widely available and tend not to have access to computers, resulting in loneliness and a lowered capacity to integrate. Internet and mobile phone users and non-users are not the same set of people and tend to have infrequent communication between each other. The society, however, has a preference for a proliferation of the internet over the mobile phone with governments attempting to promote the proliferation of internet connections rather then subsidising mobile phone connectivity. Hence, interpersonal communication has indeed been transformed by digital technologies and those without access to these technologies have difficulties assimilating and interacting with others in a society (Rice, 2003). The neighbourhood today is no longer the place that it used to be. Studies have indicated that in North America, many neighbourhood communities do not interact across racial lines. As an example, African-Americans and White Americans who live in the Nashville area do not interact across racial lines, preferring instead to develop relations with friends outside the neighbourhood (Wellman, 2001, Pp 16). The community of workers that work for the same employer do not live in the same neighbourhood and car, plane, fax, mobile as well as the internet permit relationships to be maintained outside of a neighbourhood. Hence, a change has occurred in the society as a result of technology. Cheap transportation technologies and not just digital technologies have made interactions at the local level unnecessary and individuals are constantly on the move, changing their residence every so often. Neighbourhood ties are, therefore, weak ties and stronger ties are with family and old friends from th e younger years. These ties are maintained through digital technologies and not as a result of interactions arising out of living near by. The cities are very large settlements of people who are more interested in seeing to their economic success by working at well paid jobs and living in decent neighbourhoods. It is the communication technologies which make the modern lifestyle possible unlike the olden days when it was just not possibly have the freedoms that are available today. Community has, therefore, left the neighbourhood and may even exist globally. Community interactions do not take place in public places but have moved inside the home where emailing and phone calling as well as the use of web cams keeps the interpersonal relationships alive. The trend for neighbourhood socialising is on the decline not just in the Americas, but also in Japan and the Middle East. Although informal ties can exist with thousands of people, relatively few are close ties that are actively main tained. Technology provides an enhancement of choices related to the milieus in which individuals can participate. Most ties are now maintained with individuals who have shared interests and the personal support group could be widely dispersed. The choices related to the ability to select those in close relationships were simply not available in the past without the digital communication technologies. Parents and children often provide the strongest support in a family, although they rarely live close by when the siblings have grown. Communities are in constant flux and the migration from third world countries into the developed world has meant that there is a trend towards global interpersonal communications or contacts with friends or acquaintances of the same background. The internet has become an integral part of daily life and has broadened the community. Initial contacts by email can result in phone contacts or face-to-face meetings. Internet groups do provide support to membe rs, especially those who may be somewhat isolated in a new locality and this support has been known to reduce depression. Support is still provided to people who have weak ties with online communities and stronger ties are possible especially amongst those people who have previously met. Groups of people interacting over the internet can get more personal or intimate with the passage of time. High bandwidth wireless has made it possible to assume an internet identity which can be accessed from anywhere in the world, a new city, a hotel room or a new office and old relationships are maintained even with movements over vast distances. The power of the computer mediated person-to-person contact is set to increase with a tendency to invisibly maintain and strengthen community links of choice (Wellman, 2001, Pp 30-45), (Alexander, 2002, Chapter 6) and (Sessions, 2000). It can, therefore, be safely concluded that the evolving digital communications technologies have indeed transformed the way in which interpersonal communications are conducted and maintained, with even more surprises lying ahead. Because of changes that have taken place in personal communications, the society at large and its culture is also being transformed (Wellman, 2001), (Sessions, 2000) and (Wong, 2004). References / Bibliography Web Sources Alakeson, Vidhya et al. (2003). â€Å"Social Responsibility in the Information Society†. Digital Europe. April 10, 2005. http://www.digital-eu.org/uploadstore/theme_reports/social_report.pdf Alexander, Patricia Margaret. (2002). â€Å"Towards reconstructing meaning when text is communicated electronically†. University of Pretoria. April 9, 2005. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-08192002-155431/ Anton, Annie I and Collin Potts. (2004). â€Å"Requirements Engineering in the Long-Term: Fifty Years of Telephony Feature Evolution†. 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Terrorism and the Survival of the Species Essay -- September 11 Terror

Terrorism and the Survival of the Species Terrorism is simply a violent form of political communication. The message of September 11, 2001 ran as follows: America, it is time you learned how implacably you are hated. The airplanes used were the terrorist's version of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles aimed at Americas' innocence. That innocence, the terrorists loudly declared, was a luxurious and anachronistic delusion. A year after the attack, one is free to taste the bile of its atrocious ingenuity. It is already trite - but stringently necessary - to emphasize that such a mise en scène would have embarrassed a studio executive's storyboard or a thriller-writer's notebook ("What happened today was not credible," were the words of Tom Clancy, the author of The Sum of All Fears). And yet in broad daylight and full consciousness that outline became established reality: ten dollars worth of box-cutters produced ten million tons of rubble. Several lines of US policy were bankrupted by the events of September 11, 2001 among them national missile defence. Someone realised that the skies of America were already teeming with missiles, each of them primed and cocked. If the architect of this destruction was Os... ... from above will replenish the source of all terror from below: unhealed wounds. This is the familiar cycle so well caught by the matter, and the title, of VS Naipaul's story, Tell Me Who to Kill. Our best destiny, as planetary cohabitants, is the development of what has been called "species consciousness" - something over and above nationalisms, blocs, religions, ethnicities. During this time of incredulous misery, I have been trying to apply such a consciousness, and such a sensibility. Thinking of the victims, the perpetrators, and the near future, I felt species grief, then species shame, then species fear.