WoonShin - Portfolio

Media Portfolio
Woon Shin Wong

Media Portfolio - Woon Shin Wong
1
Contents
Radio Podcast Samples
Snapchat – A Documented Reality over Real Life?
................................................................................................2
Technologically Facilitated Learning – Boon or
Bane? ....................................................................................3
Print Samples
Profile Piece on comedian Dan Ilic..........................4
Profile Piece on Linda Jaivin......................................6
Feature Article on Tinder............................................9

2
Radio Podcast One: Snapchat – A Documented Reality over Real Life?
URL Link: https://soundcloud.com/shin-246565243/mdia3003-portfolio-
podcast-1-snapchat-woon-shin-wong-z3437063?in=shin-
246565243/sets/mdia3003-radio-podcasts-for-portfolio
In this podcast, I explore Snapchat’s meteoric rise to fame, and how the
concept of ephemerality has seen an exponential rise in popularity amongst
young adults worldwide. However, this trend brings along several worrying
implications; could we be living in a society where the meticulous
documentation of our lives takes precedence over actually living them?

3
Radio Podcast Two: Technologically Facilitated Learning – Boon or
Bane?
URL Link: https://soundcloud.com/shin-246565243/mdia3003-portfolio-
podcast-2-technologically-facilitated-learning-woon-shin-wong-z3437063
The use of technological aids in the classroom is not new; in fact, it’s been
around for years. However, with technologically facilitated learning being
steadily implemented in schools across Australia, it opens up a working
discussion about its effectiveness. Does it have a significant advantage over
rote learning, and if so, what are its potential drawbacks? Woon Shin Wong
explores in this 3-minute radio podcast.

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Print Sample One – Profile Piece on Australian comedian Dan Ilic
By Woon Shin Wong
Australian comedian Dan Ilic has publicly advocated gay marriage and
criticised the television industry for “catering to the lowest common
denominator”.
Going against the Liberal Party’s opposition towards same-sex marriages, Ilic
said that “hopefully gay marriage will be passed in the next three years”.
“I think there’s enough public support for it, and I’d like to see Tony do it,” said
Ilic.
That topic was one of several others which Ilic addressed in a media
conference with media undergraduates at the University of New South Wales
on 12th September.
Born on 20th November 1981, Ilic has been known for his parody work and
satirical content that often deals with political issues.
He is no stranger to controversy, with his parody of Tourism Australia’s “Where
the bloody hell are you” advertising campaign provoking threats of legal
action.
“I feel like it’s to do with trying to make a difference, change minds, tell a
story in an entertaining way,” said Ilic on his motivations for infusing comedy
with his work.
“I love playing in the public domain.
“When you make people laugh, all of a sudden they’re disarmed to the idea,
and if you can disarm someone away from their thinking, maybe they can
think about an idea in a different way.”
However, Ilic admitted to hurting people through comedy, citing his role on
Network 10’s talk show Can of Worms as an example.
“If Can of Worms does go again, I don’t think I’ll do it because it actually hurts
me to go out into the public and make fun of other people,” said Ilic, adding
that it was like “Q&A for bogans”.
“Embarrassing is a strong word, and for me, I have very little shame in what I
do.
“If I hurt someone with my comedy, I feel very ashamed, and that’s when I
get very embarrassed.”

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Ilic also said that television was a necessary evil, adding that it was necessary
for stations to cater to the “lowest common denominator”.
“You have to do the dumbest shit possible to get your idea across,” said Ilic.
“It’s very frustrating. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
Ilic commented that the news cycle was going at a rapid pace, with viewers
being bombarded by images and ideas “so fast and furious” that there was
insufficient time to digest them.
He was open with his admiration for media mogul Rupert Murdoch, terming
him as an “amazing individual” and an “incredible, incredible Australian”.
Ilic shared his view on Murdoch’s backing of the newly-elected Prime Minister
Tony Abbott, rationalizing it as a “silly thing”.
“I think when you’re beholden to no one, you do silly things,” said Ilic.
“I think one of those silly things was endorsing Tony Abbott.”
On his personal stance towards politics, Ilic said that he was “pretty much a
centrist”, and would “hit anyone who’s an idiot”.
Ilic also shared his perspective on the future of journalism, saying that it was
going to be interesting and significantly more decentralised.
“I think the big media companies are going to cut a lot of costs and focus on
digital,” said Ilic.
“People are going to be paying for a lot more journalism in that aspect.”
Ilic advised those actively seeking change in Australia to firstly get involved.
He encouraged them to join communities like Vibewire and volunteer for
organisations like GetUp! and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC).
“The tools for democracy are at your fingertips. You’ve got them on your
laptops, you’ve got them on your phones,” said Ilic.
“You guys are participants in this world. You are no longer consumers.”

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Print Sample Two – Profile Piece on Linda Jaivin
Honest and candid, Linda Jaivin is a breath of fresh air. Photo taken from
Linda’s website.
By Woon Shin Wong
In our contemporary society, the idea of not using some form of social media
might seem ridiculous and outlandish to most.
Well, Linda Jaivin begs to differ. In fact, the author of comic-erotic
international bestseller “Eat Me” denounced social media as “the enemy of
good writing” earlier today.
Jaivin sure isn’t one to mince her words. And neither does she expect you to.
In an interview conducted at the University of New South Wales, the
American-born translator and novelist was candid and forthcoming with her
answers.
Jaivin, whose maroon dress perfectly accentuated her red hairdo, said that
good writing requires thought and consequently, requires time.
With her novel “The Infernal Optimist” being shortlisted for the Australian
Literature Society Gold Medal in 2007, Jaivin certainly knows what is defined
as good writing.
Honesty was a key trait that the award-winning author emphasised as being
instrumental in facilitating her creative process in writing.

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“What you need for good writing, especially for long-form writing, is focus and
concentration. Social media is the enemy of that,” said Jaivin matter-of-
factly, referring to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
“It’s too quick, it’s fast food.
“The danger is that people become addicted to ultra-short form, where
inexpression becomes an acceptable norm.”
Jaivin, who uses internet-blocking software when she writes, likened the use of
social media to being subjected to abuse.
Her scathing review of social media reflects the broader concern about
individuals using social media; that prolonged use could stifle expression and
leave them with inadequate social skills.
The essayist and political activist also spoke at length about her initial foray
into erotic writing.
“One day, I just sat down and wrote a filthy story for my own amusement,”
laughed Jaivin.
“I love the idea about writing about sex as an exploration about human
nature, in all its weirdness.”
When asked about her opinion towards other works of erotic fiction, Jaivin is
forthcoming with her criticism, especially towards a certain novel by British
author E.L James.
“I think Fifty Shades of Grey is so badly written,” lamented Jaivin.
Honesty is not in short supply when this lady is around, that’s for sure.
Neither is eloquence, as Jaivin showed no sign of caution or nervousness
when answering questions from the audience.
Of course, that might be due to her publicist, who was keeping a watchful
eye on the proceedings.
However, Jaivin firmly denied experiencing any censorship or pressure from
her editors and publishers, saying that they have always been offering “a
strict show of support”.
That will be a relief to hear for fans of her erotic works. Her 2009 release, aptly
titled “A Most Immoral Woman”, was reviewed as “a most engaging, clever
and memorable romp” by the Sydney Morning Herald.

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Jaivin summed up her motivations for writing erotic fiction succinctly through
a swift retort.
“Isn’t everyone fascinated by scandal and rebellion?” asked Jaivin, to
agreeable laughs from the audience, which mostly comprised of journalism
undergraduates.
Jaivin urged the audience to follow their passions, and not to worry about
whether it would be useful for their future jobs.
“I write about my passions,” said Jaivin with a broad smile.
“Ideally, you could do a bit of useful and useless stuff.”

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Print Sample Three – Feature Article on Tinder
Tinder – A Kindler of Online Dating?
Have matchmaking apps like Tinder shunted out traditional dating? Photo by
Emma Gillespie.
By Woon Shin Wong
In the game of love and relationships, it can be hard to find a match, let
alone the right match.
Not for Natalie*, who has a whopping 450 matches and counting. Even so,
the 20-year-old makes light of it, saying that she has “a friend who has over
3000 matches”.
Over Tinder, that is.
The location-based mobile matchmaking app’s premise is simple: “Swipe
right to like or left to pass”. Users browse through photos of other users within
their vicinity, and either approve or reject them based on their aesthetic
appeal.
In other words, whether they look good.
“(Tinder) encourages people to look online and judge people by their looks
rather than meet people in real life,” says Natalie, who is well aware of the
app’s shallow nature.
While most people view Tinder as superficial, its streamlined and intuitive set-
up has struck a chord with many, with its number of daily active users recently
attaining an all-time high of 10 million.

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A main part of Tinder’s appeal lies in its convenience and simplicity, whereby
it allows users to bypass the awkwardness and possible rejection of asking
someone out in person. Tinder co-founder Jonathan Badeen has said that
“simplicity is in our blood”, and that “we’re all drawn to the mobile
experience”.
However, this has resulted in a trending phenomenon exacerbated through
the increased usage of mobile dating apps, which is the perception that
such apps are mere platforms for casual hook ups.
Natalie agreed with this mindset, revealing that she was not “looking for
anything serious” and that “neither are most people on Tinder”.
“It encourages hook-ups more than anything I think,” said Natalie, sharing her
experience with a match who started a conversation with “nice legs, when
do they open?” as a case in point.
“I think it is an easy way to take out the challenge (of finding a partner).”
Lamar*, 20, also agrees with this preconceived stereotype, lamenting that
Tinder “kind of takes away from dating” by turning it “into a game”.
“It kind of creates a trivialisation of relationships,” said Lamar, pointing out
that he would not want to date someone properly from Tinder.
“It doesn’t have the same romantic vibe as meeting someone in real life.”
This perception has proven unpopular with a certain group within the
demographic of users, specifically those looking for a serious relationship.
Kenny*, 23, voiced out his increasing disillusionment with Tinder, saying that it
seemed to “reinforce the perception that looks are all that matters when it
came down to relationships”.
“People do not attach much weight and importance to relationships as they
would have done so in the past,” groused Kenny, who has given up on
finding “serious love” over the matchmaking app.
This issue is one that Tinder and similar matchmaking apps will have to
address, in order to remain competitive in the dating market.
Tinder’s rise in popularity since its launch has been exponential, with the app
winning TechCrunch’s Crunchie Award for the “Best New Startup of 2013”.

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This reflects a possible shift from traditional modes of dating to a more
impersonal, online experience, which ties in to with the relatively faster pace
of contemporary society.
In fact, romance seems to be turning into a second screen experience.
“It eliminates the hassle of time, of spending money in order to weed out
potential suitors from the general populace,” agreed Kenny.
Weighing the general sentiment of Tinder users, it illustrates how users sacrifice
their emotional investment in exchange for a streamlined and accessible
dating experience.
Tinder has displayed an attempt to change this sentiment, recently launching
“Moments”, an ephemeral photos feature similar to Snapchat’s concept that
CEO Sean Rad says will “help users to get to know their matches better”.
It remains to be seen whether this added function will truly aid in bridging the
gap between Tinder users.
As it stands, users such as Natalie and Lamar have discovered that one’s
online persona does not necessarily equate to their real selves.
Lamar shared his experience with someone who was “super funny and witty”
over Tinder, but was “the most boring and unfunny person I had ever met”.
“He was the complete opposite to what he was on Tinder,” stated Lamar.
Upon meeting her match in person, Natalie felt that he did not match up to
her initial expectations as he was “different”.
“Not a bad different, but his pictures didn’t really depict how he actually
looked,” laughed Natalie.
“He came across (as) very confident online but he was quite awkward in
person.”
Even though such misrepresentation of one’s actual personality might not
seem significant, such a trend could be exploited by sexual offenders to find
victims easily.
“When you think about it, (it) can be kind of scary,” said Natalie.
“You really don’t know anything about this person except that you liked the
way they looked in five or less photos.”

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Just this May, the Daily Mail ran an article revealing how investigators posing
as a 13-year-old girl were immediately “inundated with sexual messages”,
drawing attention to how children could possibly be placed at the mercy of
sexual predators.
Tinder’s code of conduct, as displayed on its webpage, provides a list of
activities that users are forbidden from carrying out, such as to “harm or
exploit minors”.
However, what are the odds of every user perusing through Tinder’s Terms
and Conditions?
According to a Fairer Finance survey, less than one third of people actually
read the fine print of companies. In addition, only 17% of those that do
actually understand it.
A Tinder spokesperson revealed that in order to “protect young users” aged
13 to 17, they are only able to connect with others within the same age
range.
However, circumventing that safeguard is all too easy, with nothing stopping
Tinder users from faking their age online.
Should Tinder not address this security flaw, not only does it run the risk of
losing user confidence, it could also be implicated as an intermediary to
underage sex crimes.
For good or bad, Tinder’s significant influence on the dating landscape
cannot be denied, with Natalie affirming that it has “definitely changed” the
dating world.
“It used to be normal to approach someone in the street, but now it would
be really weird and awkward,” said Natalie.
As it stands, the general consensus among those interviewed is that Tinder is
used to supplement one’s dating experience, not to replace it.
“I wouldn’t call dating Tinder, and Tinder dating,” said Lamar.
“I still think meeting in real life is better than Tinder.”
Kenny shared the same sentiments as Lamar, saying that there was
something about reading a date’s facial expressions or body language that
enhanced the physical dating experience.

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“That is something which cannot be replicated through the usage of
matchmaking apps,” said Kenny.
Regardless of whether Tinder is fulfilling its intended function, the widespread
popularity of the app makes it apparent that it is in for the long haul.
Of course, not everyone is sold on Tinder’s ideology towards dating.
“After all, there’s got to be more to them than the witty one-liners plastered
on their profiles,” joked Kenny.
“Oh, that reminds me, time to get down to deleting my Tinder account!”
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

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