Statement:
With no ghost, no supernatural phenomena that can not be explained by science, no horror sound effects, and no bloody violent scenes that use to exaggerated the performance, the fourth season of Goosebumps continues its typical psychological horror by connecting five irreverent small stories using interlude personal narrative. Famous Japanese director Kôichirô Miki directed the fourth season of TV series Goosebumps in 2008. Symbolized by utilizing lack of embellish science fiction element and dramatize special effect, he builds uncanny and unfamiliarity in real life scenario to make everyday place no longer common. Movie setting that look exactly like the housing cross the street easily bring viewer in and create a strong sense of substitution. Even though this TV series are not as visually stunning as some other so-called American horror movie, the degree of terror it triggers is much more powerful by solely relying on the disturbance of phycological and emotional state. Director Kôichirô Miki twisted daily life scenes that we experience every day by emphasizing the craziness of the human psyche and dark side of humanity, which often tend to be suppress and deny by people. In all Goosebumps series, he uses ordinary scenarios that can happen around any of us to create discomfort which arise questioning in people’s own sanity and perception on surrounding reality. Patterns like stalker equal to bad and victim equal to good stack to our head. However, the opening story in the fourth season presents a reversal drama that twists the normal role of victim and stalker. The uncanny shows by broking the conventional idea that links beautiful women to the victim and despicable homebody to the stalker. Unlike being possesses, hurts or kills by the male stalker that is physically stronger like any other horror movies that involve the element of stalking, the victim eventually becomes the murder who stands up and fights back when she could no longer bear the monitoring any more. Comparing to the psychological insanity shown by the victim during the enecation, harmless monitoring and spying by the stalker base on simple affection seem to be acceptable. The twisted ending flips the typical role of victim and stalker, which fail to match with what we imagine. The disconnection between imagination and reality is what makes people rethink and doubt their understanding on reality. My adaptation will switch the harmless secrete peeking and stalking that remains unknown to the victim till the very end to an online harassment that tormented the victim by persecuting her emotional state step by step. Begin with following the victim on Instagram and posting evidence of stalking, to directly sending picture of her door, the cyberstalker in my adaptation slowly approach his prey for entertainment. I want to break the familiarize pattern of the use of stalking element and applied an innovative use by incorporating contemporary idea that adapted to changing time. By switching the setting from typical Japanese neighborhood to a dorm at boarding school, I want to reduce or eliminate actual contact and connection between victim and stalker in real world to build up the sense of suspension. By gravitating more towards cyberstalking in digital age, I want to add more contemporary element to show that the stalking in the era of social media can be unprecedented dangerous. Social media provide an enormous amount of information. Nowadays, the digital footprint, like regular instagram posting and tweeting, left by a person is enough for a distant stranger to monitor its social relations and activity, or even address. Though social media can be a great way to share one’s life with family and love one, it also facilitate the process of stalking by making it exceptional easy for stalkers to get personal information about a potential victim. In my adaptation, the uncanny will be gradually built by breaking the fixed image of social media as a helpful tool to make friends and express ideas. I want to make my victim particular vulnerable to social media spying because she is addictive to instagram. By showing how easy can harmless social media following can turn in to a serious criminal offense, I want to warn my audience against pathological internet use and the danger of wrong use of technology and social media. Additionally, my movie may incorporates periodic silence and intentional lack of dialogues to highlight the soundless approaching of a cyberstalking that can not be escape. Overall, I want to explore the logic behind stalking while incorporate the wrong use of high technology in digital age, showing criminal behavior that advanced with development. In a fascinating twist of events, it is the victim who becomes the bad guy rather than the stalker. I want to change the typical omniscient narration, which was adopted in the original TV series, to a first person limited insight which only showed the reaction and emotional state of victim after a sudden realization of being stalk. Limited understanding on stalker shows his ability to hide behind the screen and hide through the anonymity of social media account. Profound messages like “ knock knock, who’s the next” left space for wilder imagination. Instead of a typical physical confrontation and sexual harassment between victim and stalker, I will build up suspension by notifying the approaching of an intangible stalker and the hopeless reaction to it. My adaptation intend to show how cyberstalking by an online anonymous stranger highlights the inescapable nature of social media which victimize a group of social media addict . As a result of having access to personal information, criminal act like online stalking depraving our perception of personal privacy. To protect everyone from becoming a potential victim, I want my viewers to rethink their use of social media after aware its danger. The gap between what we believe to be harmless following and creepy stalking is smaller than we imagine. An array of powerful tool at stalker’s finger tips make action that may cross “the line” easier than it ever had been before. |
Research Summary: Stalking in the Age Of Social Media
Oftentimes when movie involves stalking element, it used as a warning sign for women who easily rendered herself as unfortunate victim. In comparison to this kinds of stereotypical idea that adopts widely in western worlds, a director from eastern country Japan seeks an opposite route which seems to be incompatible, however perfectly work in this case. In the forth season of Goosebumps TV series, it adopts traditional stalking idea by having male character to be the stalker and female character to be the victim; meanwhile, flips ending by making female character’s psychic incompatible with her weak appearance. She suffers greatly under the psychological disturbances of her neighbor who, even though, stalking and peeking her everyday without any harmful behavior. After her intolerance drained by the continuation of stalking behavior, she gradually becomes a paranoid psychopath who killed her neighbor with relieve and smile. Even though I was satisfied with the main theme of retribution and revenge for wrongdoing, however I think physical stalking weaken the idea of “the eye hidden behind is watching”. In my adaptation, I will be emphasizes how modern technology facilitate stalking through an abuse of social media, shifting physical stalking to cyberstalking. In my research, I mainly focus on two ideas: how social media further render women as an easy target by providing private information at stalker’s finger tip and people’s fear of fast growing technology in general. By adopting element from both cyberstalking and realtime stalking, my adaptation highlight the intangibility of the anonymous watcher that hide behind the screen. Annotated Bibliography: “How Social Media Has Forever Changed Stalking” This article from Study Breaks News focuses on how social media simplify the process of stalking by sharing private and personal information and reduced stalking from physical presence to access those information to simply searching the victim’s name online. As the field of social media grow, Kelly Keglovits argues that, “ the decrease in privacy has acted as an all-access pass for cyber stalkers, making it easier than ever for them to get as much information as possible on the subject of their interest”. Her argument on the danger of cyberstalking as being a even more serious issue than physical stalking make perfect sense since the criminal is hiding back behind the screen which might makes action against them more difficult. Since the victim basically constructs an online data base by posting everything online without knowing how much information they provide, victims rendered themselves as an easy target that exceptionally vulnerable to strangers. This will provide background information for my adaption as I portray female victim as an active social media user. “In the Mind of Stalker” This article from Psychology Today reveals the five different kinds of stalker by examining diagnosed stalker in hospital. The first type “ rejected stalking” individual usually “experienced the unwanted end of a close relationship”. As their want for reconciliation fail, they tend to seek avenge from their former lover or current partner for their lover. A “intimacy seeker” and “incompetent” individual both “behave as if they are in a relationship with that person”; however, the former type “carry the delusion that their love is reciprocated” and the latter acknowledges that they are complete stranger to their victim (Muller). The other two types focused on revenge against victim rather than relationship. In my adaption, I want to shape the male character as a unrealistic fantasy who dream a relationship with female character, yet, remain calm and reason to achieve his goal by gradual manipulation. This article inform my adaption as I portray the mind of a manipulative psychopath. “Technophobia Is a Fear Related to the Loss of Control” This article examined human’s fear to advanced technology as an historical record that happens whenever a major change happen. Even though humanity had been benefit so much from advancing technology in today’s world which allow human race to evolve with a speed that is compatible with several centuries combined, we feel uneasy and anxious because “new technology makes us feel out of control”. In arguing the history of fear to technological development, author Lisa Fritscher claims that, “It's human nature to want to be in control of our environment, and it's scary to think that we might not have as much control as we had hoped” (“Technophobia”). By furthering the idea of technology had gone wrong, my adaptation is inspired by this article in a way that link the original work to contemporary element. The uncertainty of high technology that gradually grow out of control leads to all kinds of abusive action causing potential criminal behavior and offenses. “Cyberstalking, a New Crime: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Current State and Federal Laws” * This article published by University of Missouri School of Law Scholarship Repository focused mainly on how state and federal legislation try to “ fill gaps in the law” after the recognition of newly emerging crime cyberstalking arise with growing use of social media. The internet is a powerful tool for getting information which can goes both way. Aside from all kinds of facilitation that it provide, the use of electronic technology has broadened the ways stalkers can harass their victims. Similarities between offline stalking and cyberstalking exist to a certain extent which they both has “ a profound effect on victim” by their “ desire to exert control over victim”; however, differences between them highlights the danger of cyberstalking because it interaction with computers with allow “ instantaneous and anonymous” message that will cause disturbance and uncomfortableness for victim (Goodno, “Cyberstalking” 127). Also, cyberstalking is more terrifying in a way that it cannot escape with the “unlimited reach of the Internet”. By incorporating the ubiquitous nature of cyberstalking, this article will use as an inspiration as I use Instagram as the platform for stalker to extract personal and private information about his victim, “How Cyberstalking Affect Victim” This article from NBC News points out that even though Internet to us seems to be illusion and far from reality, however, victim seems to suffer more fear and terror from cyberstalking compare to physical stalking. Although cyberstalking sometimes does not result in physical harassment, the long lasting effect for victim have even stronger effect. Responding to the voice that contends cyberstalking as non criminal behavior since it have not create serious effect on victim, Leslie Meredith critiques that, “people who have been stalked in their own environs returned to their normal living patterns, but cyberstalking victims continued to add self-protective measures” which suggests that “ the cyberstalking condition tends to build and become more severe over time” (HCAV). In my adoration, using information from article above, I want to incorporate the the lasting psychological trauma that resulting from cyberstalking which, for me, is even more dangerous and horrifying than physical injuries that can heal rather quickly. “Technophobia: The psychological impact of information technology” * This academic article takes a closer examination on the relationship between advanced technology and people’s reaction to it. Three variables “gender, self-efficacy and cognitive style” are often study when talking about the effect of technophobic on society. Some negative reaction towards technology is not technophobia, the fear for any use of newly developed equipment,. In contrast, it is rather a hesitation or “ slightly stressed by the growing importance of technology”. Attitude towards technology as hold back or “ prove it” is not “anti-technology”. It seems to be a reactionary view that resist anything new or different (Rosen, “ Technophobic” 249). From another perspective, this viewpoint can simply be a prudent scrutinize towards something unfamiliar and potentially not under control. In my adaptation with the incorporation of social media as the primary tool for criminal act, I want to express my stand point on technology in my movie by criticizing the abuse of social media while covey my appreciate for its convenience and facilitation. |
Works Cited
Fritscher, Lisa. “Being a Technophobe Means You Are Afraid of New Technology.” Verywell Mind, Dotdash, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-fear-of-technology-2671897. Goodno, Naomi, Cyberstalking, a New Crime: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Current State and Federal Laws (2007). Missouri Law Review, Vol. 72, 2007. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1674176 Keglovits, Kelly. “How Social Media Has Forever Changed Stalking.” Study Breaks, 24 Aug. 2017, studybreaks.com/culture/how-social-media-has-forever-changed-stalking/. Meredith, Leslie. “How Cyberstalking Affects Victims.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 12 Feb. 2013, www.nbcnews.com/id/50787128/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/how-cyberstalking-affects-victims/#.XA55fafMzs0. Muller, Robert T. “In the Mind of a Stalker.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-trauma/201306/in-the-mind-stalker. ROSEN, LARRY. "Technophobia: The psychological impact of information technology." Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, June 2001, p. 249. Business Collection, https://link-galegroup-com.ursus-proxy-10.ursus.maine.edu/apps/doc/A76552194/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=a7cc0940. Accessed 10 Dec. 2018. |