Communication lift will boost Macao’s position in Bay Area: Experts
Macao can better integrate into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s development by enhancing communication among cities in the virtual space, experts said at the launch of Communication Week at the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST).
Pang Chuan, vice-president of MUST, said with the Bay Area’s development framework in sight, the university should place Macao’s young people on a stronger footing for employment and entrepreneurship in the area.
“We would like to break through the restrictions posed by three different political systems and seek a new form of communication for the cities and people under the new communication environment. This would build a more harmonious urban community and acquire better opportunities for Macao,” he said.
Themed “Digital City & Virtual Space”, Communication Week was organized by the university’s Faculty of Humanities and Arts to mark the department’s 10th anniversary. Scholars and media professionals were invited to share their insights with students at forums, seminars and workshops.
At the Communication Summit Academic Forum, themed “Connectivity: Macao’s Urban Communication and the Greater Bay Area”, Agnes Lam Iok-fong, a member of Macao’s Legislative Assembly, expressed concern over Macao’s position in the Bay Area’s future development.
“When we talk about the development of the Bay Area, we need to cooperate with regard to the nation’s needs and contribute the strengths of the city. But, Macao is such a small city with a small population. What’s our strength?” she asked.
Macao is recognized as a services platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as the “World Center of Tourism and Leisure”. But, Lam wondered if Macao is capable of acquiring a new identity to compete in the region, with Hong Kong positioning itself as a “super-connector” bridging the Chinese mainland and global markets.
Addressing Lam’s concerns, Hu Zhifeng, dean of the School of Arts and Communication at Beijing Normal University, reckoned that Macao’s small size presents both advantages and disadvantage.
“The congenital advantage of Macao is that its facilities are very concentrated. In terms of marketing, the Bay Area will provide Macao with a giant market for promotion,” Hu said, adding that the new linkage will be set up between Macao and the mainland.
“The tastes of Macao would be closely shared by mainland people, while Macao will enjoy the advantage of the mainland’s huge population and space,” he explained.
Hu predicted there will be institutional obstacles that need to be overcome in future, but the linkage would provide great opportunities for Macao.
Besides discussing Macao’s position and the size of its media market, new communication technologies that could surpass the city’s geographical limitations were reviewed.
Brian Yecies, senior lecturer in communication and media studies from the University of Wollongong in Australia, suggested that more virtual reality contents to promote Macao should be created.
“VR is here — it’s the new tool in communication. I would encourage everyone to try and experience it,” he said.
Yecies described how VR films could allow users to explore the world without borders and how it could influence the new digital communities. Yet, very few VR contents about Macao could be found on the internet.
“Different from the traditional movie watching experience where the audience can share the communal screen watching synchronized pictures, VR devices allow users to explore
Transforming financial data
the film freely in their own time and private space,” he said.
According to Yecies, the technology is still in its infancy in development and dizziness is unavoidable for users of VR devices. However, he predicted that the technology will be more widely used in filming, gaming or even medical care and public services as VR devices advance in future.
He also noted that China is now the major player in the VR industry, and more emphasis should be put on the evolving technology.
At a seminar, Lee Miller, senior editor at Bloomberg News, shared his experience in transforming financial data into valuable visual assets, while Professor Liu Yuli of the Department of Radio and Television at Taiwan’s Chengchi University, discussed the online media’s impact on the legacy media’s business model with MUST students.
MUST researcher Kim Young Soo discussed the “Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Communication” with students at a workshop. A postgraduate students’ forum was hosted by MUST Assistant Professor Guo Yu to examine Macao within reality and virtual space.
Communication Week is held annually by the Faculty of Humanities and Arts at MUST. New themes are chosen each year based on trends in various fields.
The department has more than 2,000 students enrolled for Bachelor of Arts courses in journalism and communication or Bachelor of Arts in art design.
MUST currently ranks 28th among China’s tertiary educational institutions.