It is important for migrants to be able to assimilate without losing cultural identities. However, assimilation can lead to language deaths or cultural genocide that affects a person’s moral development.
This paper examines how Diaspora and assimilation has threatened the existence of dialects in Singapore. In an attempt to foster a common identity amongst the various ethnicities, the government launched a campaign that severely decreased the use of dialects, forcing a divide amongst the generations in Singapore.
The paper introduces my research in progress as an example of how design can educate and counteract cultural genocide and language obsolecense. Connecting Dots, which is a proposed outcome of my research, is a Personalised Interactive Web series that endeavours to promote and revitalise the vanishing heritage and multicultural dialects of Singapore. It introduces Singaporean preschoolers to academic lessons and holistic values such as social consciousness and emotional intelligence. Through interactive music, storytelling and craft, it will provide an avenue for learning and self-discovery.
The research proposes to promote holistic learning through an online multimedia system that allows users to personalise elements of interaction. Fleming’s VARK and Mayer’s Multimedia Design Principles will guide Connecting Dots’ interface and content design. The paper will present how Connecting Dots is developed and enriched through an analysis of its prototypes.
Connecting Dots may serve as a springboard for others to develop ways to preserve heritage and culture within other shared communities.