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The Sining del Pilar 2012 - Cheche Lazaro lived up to its promise. Through the entire event, I was able to see how the Broadcast Department uses the academic pursuit of knowledge to critique and produce. 

Personally it was amazing to see the department move as a unit because faculty, staff and students were involved in every step of the event. The set-up was also innovative that encouraged discussion between the audience and the presenters in both physical and conceptual aspects. An atmosphere of collegiality was generally present and the reactors always gave respectful, constructive criticism to the presenters. I think that these factors were essential in making Sining del Pilar what it is - a celebration of art and critical thinking among peers. 

The video rant series by the BC 128 class of Prof. Jun Austria caught my eye because I found myself admiring the productions. In less than two minutes, my fellow BC students showcased their wit and humor in creative yet meaningful video rants. Topic were diverse ranging from procrastination to the confusing behavior of parents. Despite this, all the rants had a message, some more outright than others,  and were effective in driving their points home. Overall, I'd say that Sining del Pilar 2012 was a success, despite minor glitches and delays. The "festival" was able to make visible the fruits of labor of the BC department and grant them the recognition they deserve. 

Long live BC Week! 

-Nico Pablo

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The Fan CLUB

Broadcast Krtika: Ann Curtis, AnnBisyosa – studies about Anne Curtis

Two studies that interest me was about the famous Local celebrity here in the Philippines, Anne Curtis. It is, no doubt, an interesting topic as we talk about media and the people. Fandom has been an interesting study since it involves a certain behavior of the audience. 

One thesis concept paper presented by the Broadcast Communication students was about consumption due to advertisements of Anne Curtis. It made me think over fandom and how it extends to new media. Internet, though not always limitless, has been an arena for people to extend further their interest on particular objects or events. Giving for example, Anne Curtis, her fans need not just wait for her next commercial, Tv or mall show. They can have fan pages in Facebook, websites, blogs, they can have video and photo streaming. Places where they can share sentiments with other people whom of the same interests. One of the concepts presented by Henry Jenkins is transmedia navigation which is “the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities.” Transmedia navigation is very much applicable in internet. The question of how people will follow through if internet’s timeline moves not just twice ours. 

The UP Broadcast Department’s Kritika presentations opened new interesting topics for future studies.

Links: http://librariesandtransliteracy.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/henry-jenkins-fandom-literacy-and-scholarship/

- Angeleen Jimena

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real? real? real?

Alalang-alala ko pa noong unang beses kong mapanood ang Matrix. Kasakasama ko pa noon ang mga kaibigan ko at bumili pa nga kami ng pirated VCD sa Baclaran (wooo miss piracy!) 2002 na noon ng una ko itong napanood. Siyempre, manghang mangha ako noon sa mga stunts at visual effects. Grabeh lang ang beauty ni Trinity at wishluck ko rin maging ganoon at makipag kissing kissing kay NEO (gush reminisce ng kaadikan kay Keanu Reeves)! Ngunit tulad sa mga pelikulang napanood ko na sa oras na matapos ito ay muli na akong lalabas ng bahay upang makipaglaro na hanggang sa pagmamalaki na lamang sa mga kaibigan na napanood ko na ang mga eksenang ginagaya gaya lang namin. Grade five lamang ako noon at walang kamuang-muang na isa pala itong pelikulang babagabag sa aking kaisipan sa tuwing haharap ako sa makinaryang kaharap ko habang isinusulat ko ito.

WELCOME TO THE DESSERT OF THE REAL

Kamaikailan lamang ng ikuwento ng aming guro ang tungkol sa Virtual Reality, na parang isa itong decaffeinated na kape. Kape na hindi naman talaga kape. Ang virtual reality tulad din nito, isang realidad na hindi naman talaga realidad, isang espasyo na hindi naman talaga espasyo.

Kaya naman laking mangha ko lang ngayon ng makita ko ang mga website tungkol sa MATRIXISM. Ito'y mga website na binubuo ng mga sumasamba at patuloy na sinasamba ang pelikulang MATRIX. Isa itong religious movement upang paniwalaan ang propesiya ng pagdating ng messiah, ang THE ONE.

Kung titignan e hindi naman nauna ang Matrix na magkaroon ng ganitong mga organisasyon. Nariyan ang mga tagasubaybay ng Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings at kung anu-ano pang pelikula at literatura na sinasamba ng kanilang mga tagahanga. Kaya naman ay hindi na ako magtataka kung isang araw ay may simbahan na sina Bella Swan at Edward Cullens.

Ngunit bakit lumalaganap ito sa internet? Anong pwersang panlabas man o panloob ang humihila sa mga taong ito upang magbuklod-buklod at lumikha ng isang relihiyon na may sariling teksto, dasal, propesiya at kung anu-ano pa? Ito na ba ang sinasabi ni Nietzche na "THE GOD IS DEAD!"

Na maski pa rin pala dito sa Pilipinas ay magkaroon din pala ng mga tagasunod ang mga palabas tulad ng ecantadia.

Malamang ay hindi ko masasagot ang mga katanungan na ito ngayon. Ngunit isa lamang ang hinula ko. Hangga't hindi balanse ang mundo, anu mang salik ang naiisip mo mapa ekonomiya o kasarian o kung anu pa may relihiyon at  relihiyon na lilitaw at lalabas upang turukan ng anestisya ng kalamanan ng sanlibutan upang panatilihing itapak ang kanilang mga paa sa burak na kanilang kinalalagyan. Ang internet daw ay may kakayahan magbuklod ng sanlibutan. Ngunit, anong pagbubuklod ba ang kaya nitong likhain? Tulad din ba ito ng decaf na kape? 

==Everything that has a beginning has an end" 

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Internet: Like a cocaine hit right in your brain

Enormous.

That’s the word to describe how the internet has influenced every aspect of human nature and how it continuously do so at present. In the Episode 4 of Virtual Revolution, all the effects of internet and other evolving ones were presented, discussed and dissected in a way. It did not just salvage-pointed facts but also, it tried to trace how internet has venomously penetrated into the entirety of our lives – in business, relationships, culture, education, politics, etc. – it has poisoned us and our future. And come to think of it, even the coming generation’s physiological make-up. Surprisingly before it can actually happen, it has been given a name - Homo interneticus.

For experts saying that web is on its way to change the physiological aspect of human beings, I think for now, I can’t totally agree with them. Maybe this episode of the virtual revolution has not yet been enough to convince me about that particular matter on physiological evolution of humans as caused by internet usage. Should we rather say, we are changed into puppets with brains meshed in the chains of the internet. It makes itself dragging so we could find it hard to unleash ourselves from the “alarming” convenience it gives to us. Having trapped by the internet knot - our way of thinking, working and getting information changed, and changes.

Given the genesis of enormous changes internet has introduced into our lives, it is now up to us whether we classify their effects as positive or negative. As for me, to say that internet has positively affected us is to forget that a coin has two sides. Of course, we cannot claim here that it has an entire halo in the eyes of humankind. Internet, though it has given as a wide avenue of possibilities to connect, to gather information and to share a part of us, it still lead our lives to a hollow of dependency, impatience, fast-way-preference and many others. The internet continues to tickle our curiosity far beyond where it should be only. And its usual target? The young generation. They may be growing slowly in terms of physical manifestations but their minds - they grow as fast as the internet evolves. No one can tell when and where internet influence will meet its dead end.

As it evolves, it leads us to a spectrum of superhighways. Maybe soon, National Bookstore, Fully Booked or any other bookstore will no longer have consumers for people will resort instead to internet for information. There will be no need for post offices, mail envelopes or stamp for email will be soon the most convenient way to reach out to distant people. There will be no need for pens and notebooks in school for there can be laptops or iPADs to be used to take down notes. There would be no need for blackboards or whiteboards for it is more convenient and more creative to use Prezi or Microsoft Powerpoint to present reports or to facilitate discussions. Or, get sample reports from the internet.  There are a lot more. They could even be  “awesomely worst” forms.

 The episode of Virtual Revolution indeed gave me the alas to have these thoughts be conceived. But of course, nothing beats learning from empirical experience. The online campaign of Obama during the US Presidency elections reminded me of the Student Council Elections in UP Diliman. I remember a rule for campaign materials that there should be no picture of the candidate printed alongside the name. It is because of the rationale that student leaders run not for physical publicity, but for the principles and character they carry that are not so much meant to be just divulged, but moreso for them to be trusted in delivering success through projects and calls. And so the political parties they belong with used online media campaign to post their pictures alongside their names, for face-recall. It has been, I think, a great help for the candidates’ campaign machineries because students don’t remember just names, but their faces also. And besides, online media campaign stays even after school hours, where students can take time to search for their credentials and such, and where campaign teams of candidates can continue to do their work.

In general, I am one with Zuckerberg in saying that if we are better informed, we make better decisions. If we will apply it with the given example mentioned regarding the Student Council elections, if we are better informed about the credentials of candidates as provided in online media campaigns, then we can better decide who among the candidates deserve our vote for the vacant council positions. This can as well be applied to other situations involving the use of the internet. But just as how Primetime Bida has Mara and Clara and University List has UP and Others, of course the internet has positives and negatives. But just as Aleks Krotoski said, let us hope that the internet, no matter what it can give us in the future, may it evolve on the framework of changing human nature for the better.

-Mots Venturina

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For better or for worse?

We now exist in a world improbable without technology. Internet in particular has slowly and pervasively infiltrated our daily lives. We rely so much in it because life is very much easier with its help. But with the way the younger generation embraces this budding new media, is it really for the better? Or is it changing us for worse?

South Korea, the most wired country on Earth, introduces the use of internet to its people at an early age in school. This is what Korea holds in claiming that they have the brightest people and soon enough, they will be able to produce a generation who is more intelligent than them. It is not new that internet provides us every bit of information that we need. The kind of education that Korea gives could possibly provide its young people the empowerment through their intelligence.

It seems all good. But it’s not all that. We are gradually changing and what’s more daunting is that we barely notice it. Every sixty seconds of our time we spend facing the screens, we actually trade up to a minute we could have spent socializing and personal interaction. We are slowly evolving from humans fond of personal communication to humans preferring screen interactions or Homo interneticus.

Yes, we have the internet to help us and make life easier for us, but we must always remember that the information we get from this new media does not equate to the intelligence of a person. We could get insights from the internet but for me, nothing beats the insights coming from a real person talking in front of you. Also, real intelligence for me is not just getting and absorbing necessary information but also analyzing and opening yourself to continuous learning in the world outside - in the real world.

  -Sajea M.

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Who Are We Becoming?

One of the blogs I've read about Virtual Revolution questions what kind of people we are becoming in this digital age. Funny, the next thing she said was not to search for the answers online. I guess with that she has already answered the question for us.

Jeremy Rifkin once said that "the greatest turning points in human history are often triggered by changing conceptions of time and space." We now live in the era of computers where 24/7 we are multitasking and relations and thoughts are virtual and portable. Thus, the conceptions of time and space have changed significantly from dating back to the old days where some households down even own a home telephone.

We have evolved to a species of Homo Internecticus. Maybe way more than we care to admit it, our lives heavily depend on our virtual realities. But it doesn't stop there -- many more issues emerge after admitting that certain level of dependence.

Is the web, with its instant connections and access to information, having an impact on our relationships and possibly even the way we think and behave?

I think what we are going through (or what our parents, and the internet immigrants are) is a certain kind of panic. A panic by the future panicked by what they think the young ones are doing. But if we can actually control this phenomenon more than it is controlling us at the moment, the the question should not be who we are becoming, but who do we want to become. The future of this Virtual Revolution and all the advancements that will come after will largely depend on how we will be able to handle it as humans. Even though we've already allowed our lives to be largely dependent on it, it's very success is dependent on us.  

Read more:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/virtualrevolution/makingofprog4.shtml

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Hum-man

What I find amazing in the 4th of the Virtual revolution is that for one moment there, it made me realize that maybe the internet does not only employ a virtual reality where my virtual identity can exist—that is, separate from my material reality—but that the internet has made me consume and create something in accordance with the culture it presupposes which distorts the material reality I hold on to offline. It gives me an opportunity of a space where I can exist and create the things where there aren't consequences at all and if I may choose so, withhold my identity for the virtual identity I have created. In my mind I will be living a beautiful, free world with limitless possibilities, and slowly the self that’s staring right through the computer screen will succumb to addiction and will slowly disintegrate along with my neglected life and human connections I use to manage offline.

I must agree, the internet is fast on its track in changing how we function. For the most part, transactions and communication have revised ways and strategies to make everything wired and connected and for everything to be convenient and easy. What we’re losing here however is something that is personal. And now, I can say that the ease of reach has weakened the intimacy of certain human connections. While talking with a person on video chat may serve the same purpose I reserve the sentimentality of valuing the significance of talking with someone face to face.

It is in the relationships and the acquisition of phenomenal numbers of connections that superficiality arises—to have tons of facebook friends without knowing much about them. There’s a form of affirmation and “constant action and reaction to friendship” that should always bounce back from one online friend to the next for everything one posts or create especially in social networking sites. Just as psychologist Sherry Turkle says it, it’s like “bringing people into the loop of feeling your feeling.” And with this we can assume the power to have a say at almost anything and without restraints do we voice these out in sync with the humming of the machine.

-Yani Royulada

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The 'Computer' Think

While absorbing the information from the fourth episode of the Virtual Revolution, I was simultaneously introspecting, asking various question I haven't thought of for the past years of using the internet. How do I process information now? To what extent is my dependence on internet in accomplishing my daily activities? Am I conditioned to perpetually seek social sympathy with the loop at play?

I have read several studies on the physiological impact of the internet to our brains, that it is slowly changing its form to adapt to the way information is acquired through the internet. In fact, one study in Columbia University claims that Google drastically alter how individuals retain information now. Google was said to be the external memory source of human memory, or worst case scenario, even the new replacement for memory. The said study showed that most people, especially of the generation Y, tend to make less effort to retain information because of the fact that they can google it later anyway. I agree, that the internet has indeed penetrated human physiology, possibly shaping the way we perceive and react to reality based on the various studies I  have encountered. Children, who are born in a generation which can't function without the aid of new communication technologies, are the latest wave of the cyborgs, a product of the blurring line between the virtual and the real. The shift to associative thinking has necessitated the disjunct between this generation to the older liner-thinking generation, thereby the standards and systems which makes society work and progress is now inapplicable and obsolete. The social structures, such as the educational system, needs to be reformatted to address the needs of the 'computer' thinkers.

As much as there is a negative general perception towards this phenomenon, I think there is still room to be optimistic. After all, it is the internet which deconstructed which seemed to give the world a balance, the existing power relations and accepted truths about space, freedom, and society. It made us rethink our capabilities and empowered us to be more engaged with issues clouding the society and the academe. With the free flow of information and unconstrained nature of the internet (as long as SOPA and ACTA are not passed), we are limitless.

- Fatima Gaw

Link to the mentioned study about google and memory:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/15/google-memory-study-columbia-university_n_899730.html

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For the digitally-dependent youth

As the old saying goes, you can say that you're getting old if you're comparing your generation to that of those younger than you. Then, I can say that I'm getting old.

As I watched the fourth part of BBC's Virtual Revolution, I realized, so much has changed. With the vast developments in technology, the preference of younger generations shifted from the real world to the virtual one. What bothered me was the fact that internet users get younger and younger as time goes by. In South Korea, for instance, children aged 3-5 years old use the internet, and youngsters use it up to 18 hours per day.

The pervasiveness of the internet seems to develop a new kind of society --- a society that is dependent on the internet.

More and more students rely on online sites than books in the library when it comes to research. More and more kids play video games and practice their mental skills than spend time with friends while playing under the heat of the sun. More and more friends spend more time on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to communicate.

Indeed, there is a shift of preference among younger generations.

The advancement of technology and developments on the internet seems to affect this change. Aside from the fact that it serves as a status symbol that sets one's position in the social spectrum, its accessibility and ability to make work easier appeal to the younger internet users. One can connect with a long-time friend despite the distance between them. One can make friends with a stranger without seeing the other person. One can assume the position of an army rebel killing opponents with a gun without using a toy gun or release a lot of sweat running under the sun. Because of this, more and more children and teenagers resort to the internet.

We can just look around us here in the Philippines. When it comes to making our own papers for a class, we choose Google as our search engine --- all we need to do is to type what we need to find and, after a few seconds, everything we need is right on our own computer monitors. We don't need to spend much time roaming around the library to search for something --- we can get everything we need in just a click.

The use of the internet among youngsters affect them so much. Because of their exposure to the internet, it makes them rely much on the internet. It seems like a drug to them --- they cannot function well without internet access.

As Jenkins puts it, there are both positive and negative effects on using the internet. It is up to the users how to use it. As with internet usage among younger generations, maybe all we need is moderation --- do not use it too much so as nto to get addicted to it.

- Mhai Cabujat

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Connected

We are the Homo Interneticus, species specially geared to use the different and constantly changing technology around us. The period? Virtual Revolution.

It’s interesting how experts use the word revolution to describe the current fixture we are in. A struggle. Struggle for and against what? Struggle for whom? Struggle to what end? I have found books, online posts and the like that talk about how the web is drastically changing the way individuals establish their relationships with other people, how it manages to “rot the brain” (as what was mentioned in the four-episode BBC documentary, Digital Revolution) of the new generation by “destroying children’s sense of reality.” And honestly I don’t think this is what we should focus our attention to.

For me, the internet is like money, not that you can trade it for something else, but it’s because the internet is neither a boon or a bane, a gift or a curse—its significance is based on how one uses it. The internet is a medium. The person sitting in front of the screen, typing, clicking away… that’s the creature who has the power on what to do with the internet, the one who can manipulate its content, and ultimately, the one who can steer its effect on people. If only we can teach each and every human being in the world on how to properly use the web, on what content to put up, on how to use this space in nurturing information sharing and forming relationships (and nourishing offline relationships in the world wide web). 

The content is still what keeps the internet going, the materials that determine the effects that would subsequently crystallize in the way humans behave. The internet magnifies these changes through its pervasive and far-reaching capacity.

I can only hope for a future where everyone is enlightened on the many positive uses of the internet, and stays on utilizing these capacities for the greater good. 

“More connection. More possibilities.” So let’s stay connected. Let’s keep on educating each other about the internet. That, for me, is the true revolution we should be participating in… in this digital era.

  To know more about the Digital/Virtual Revolution, go to http://bbc.co.uk/digitalrevolution.  

-Reeneth S.

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The Rise of the Planet of the Homo Interneticus

The year is 2012. 3-5 year old toddlers spend 8-9 hours a day surfing the internet and majority of the youth devote ¾ of their day (18 hours) to the internet. With this kind of lifestyle, how can we ensure that the line between our physical and virtual space is drawn? Is the internet starting to distort our reality?

Facebook is the leading social networking site to date. According to Dr. Krotoski, if it were a country, it would be the third largest country next to China and India. The secret to Facebook’s success is its network effect—meaning, the more people that sign up and add friends, the larger the network is. The system then becomes self-sustaining and self-fulfilling. This is, by far, Facebook’s greatest and most effective way of commodifying human relationships.

According to experts, one of Facebook’s downsides is that it makes friendships meaningless. The label friends is attained not only by lifelong buddies but also by total strangers. Friendship then becomes a one-click-away deal instead of a series of give and take relationship.

Dunbar theorized that only a maximum of 150 people can be confidently labeled friends by an individual. Ironically, most Facebook users nowadays have at least 150 friends on Facebook. Despite Facebook’s attempt to offer constant action and reaction to the friendships it has helped bridge through the development of status updates and news feeds, studies still show that most of the active users actually interact with only 5-6 people from their friends list. Therefore, despite the huge role played by the internet in our daily lives, friendships made over the internet still hasn’t taken the place of real friendships established in the physical world.

The planet of the Homo Interneticus may have already risen and changed the way we live our lives but what’s more noteworthy is how the internet changed the way we think. Instead of knowledge production being a linear process, it has transformed into a loop. The process is much more fast-paced, more interactive, more widespread. A challenge is posted to us not only as wiser consumers but also as better producers.

-Roxy S

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INTERNET IN BETWEEN

In BBC’s episode on Homo Interneticus, more explanations, different perspective, we can see how the internet changes how things work in our daily live, may it be just as simple as never missing a day without updating your facebook status. A statement repeated in the scenes of the film. I agree with some points raised by the experts.   We just wake up one day not realizing how the technology and the internet are embellished in our daily tasks. One psychologist mentioned a good example. She said that when we feel something or we need something there is reaction inside us that tells us we should post whatever we feel, whatever we need in our social networking account like twitter and facebook. I also agree with the view that idea and collaboration work hand in hand in the internet. We are no longer limited with our resources. We now have the opportunity to share our own opinions and ideas, be heard. That probably won’t always happen outside our internet world.

                Positive or Negative? I am half way there, deciding on whether everything else in the internet affects us users, positively or negatively, especially the young ones. I am still in the hope of reviving new media literacy. That since internet is commonly available to people of different ages, it’s time to find its purpose to our advantage instead of suppressing it which lead to rebellion and such. South Korea’s schools that promote internet actually has a point. They guide the children in using the internet. In that way, they are able to create early on awareness to the children’s mind. That internet comes with learning. If this would be our perspective, then maybe we can use the internet in the Philippine setting as well. Yes, there many out-of-school youth, but admit it or not, they usually have access with the internet. Thus, it’s to get ahead, explain to Filipino youth the 5 Ws and 1 H of internet and its use. As I agree with the opinion on human relationship, same could be applied to the Philippines. There are certain things that will occur the same as before. Example is Filipinos tradition in marriage and marriage proposals.  Posting videos about marriage proposals and plans become a hit by the end of 2011 and start of 2012. There are new ways, more creative, more romantic for us Filipinos. But the very essence of courtesy and romance Filipinos put to marriage will be kept maybe unnoticeable.

                The way of thinking is another concern in the internet.  Because as said in the film, people used to think linear but now they think through associating. It is vital to understand David Nicholas’ point that nobody stays on a page for long. Slowly diminishing in number those who loves to read long articles, books and such. Now, people want information instant. I think this is one notion that we should brea away from. Because new media will not eliminate the traditional media such as print and broadcast, instead there would be convergence. People should think this way: I will read more internet resources to further enhance my knowledge about my favourite book, or film.

Do I agree or reject the idea? As I’ve mentioned earlier, I still have that fear. The fear coincides with Stephen Fry’s opinion that children must still experience the ‘traditional way”.  By traditional, I mean the way children use to play when the technology of computer and internet are not yet existing. For me, experience is still vital to our humanity. That it would be okay to have as many friends as you want in facebook, to tweet every event in your life, considering that you never neglect your life ahead of you.

  So where do these changes may lead us? The fast innovation of new media is a proof that what will happen tomorrow is unpredictable. But some experts’ opinions are right, all that is sure is that people will never stop seeking new information and new ways to gain access to these sources of information. People will continue to collaborate in creating new tools for self expression and fulfilment. New horizons will be opened yet what is our nature will always be projected whether good or bad.

-Angeleen Lou DS Jimena

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Connection Established: Reflections on the Homo Interneticus

The Homo Interneticus episode of the BBC documentary "Virtual Revolution" presents us with the premise that the Internet is changing every aspect of our lives - from culture to politics, from economics to entertainment, from the individual to society. This radical notion, according to the documentary, has transformed the way we live and perceive the world and ourselves in just 20 years.

The film presents a balanced point of view on the implications of the rise of the citizen today so immersed in the Internet. First, the film states that we are fostering a culture dependent on screens. We become so attached to what we experience through our monitors that there is a prevalent fear that this generation, and the ones following it, have lost sense of reality. Susan Greenfield who is studying the effects of the Internet on child development says that the Internet provides children an environment wherein there are no consequences. Internet addiction is also a possibility and has afflicted a significant number of South Korean children so much so that treatment centers have been established in the country. The film also argues that Facebook uses human relationships as its commodity. Reality becomes a tricky subject; should I feel what I want to feel because you liked my status update? The need for validation is fed through the immediacy of social networking updates.

On the other hand, the documentary also argues that the Internet isn't changing relationships. The Dunbar's Number was used to propose that individuals can only create a maximum of 150 stable relationships. Facebook may seem to counter this idea but the reality is that users only interact with around 5-6 friends daily. Drawing from the studies of Vannevar Bush, the Internet is seen as information overload and that the brain copes through association. Conversely, it is argued that the Internet was also derived from this way of cognition. To summarize, human nature is mirrored by the Internet and today's generation is challenged to evolve and evolve with the Internet.

I find myself agreeing with the episode's speculations. While I cannot speak of physiology, I can account for the change of cognition and psychology that is happening. I find my attention span growing shorter, I leave so many tabs open on my browser and I lack the patience to read blocks of words online. If our brains haven't changed then we have changed ho we use them. Instead of relying on our long term memory to remember lengthy details, we remember where we can look for them instead. Using the fame of memes, 9GAG, Tumblr and Youtube as proof, I can see how images instead become more powerful especially if they can be exploited or remixed, open to the creativity of reworking and collaborating present in online communities. 

The assignment of positive or negative values to the effects of the Internet is a contentious area. The older generation tends to be cynical about these things, highlighting and blowing up cases of piracy, cybersex, identity theft, etc. with the aid of other institutions such as the mass media. Of course, it would be foolish to assume that the Internet is a perfectly safe place but the potential good can and will outweigh the dangers of virtual life provided that the Internet is used wisely. Like any other technology, the Internet was created to improve the quality of life and to dismiss it as a bane rather than a boon is a blind reaction. Whether it be for good or for worse, the Internet has undeniably changed the way we live and the documentary aptly summarizes this by describing us as Homo interneticus.  On the one side, political activism, creation of groundbreaking content and the organization of like minded people towards one goal has allowed youth all over the world to revolutionize the way they handle information and the means to produce it. On the other, cyberbullying, excessive surveillance, exploitation of free labor also exist among other threats that continue to hound the youth. 

These changes are forcing us to adapt to this information saturated world where updates happen by the second. There are a myriad changes that come with this progression but it all boils down to how we are coping with the sudden awareness that we can be connected (notice terms such as "Net", "link", "Web") or share anything with virtually anyone and no one (the concepts of disembodiment and the invisible audience come into mind here). Just like any phenomenon, the reactions are diverse and are never homogeneous. One thing is clear: We have found a way to make collective intelligence accessible to the individual. 

For example in the local context (and perhaps on a level that drives my point home), Facebook groups exist for every conceivable subject and project. Students and teachers alike recognize the convenience of online communication and have therefore adjusted accordingly. Discussions, instructions and submissions no longer need to occupy a physical space. Even while discourse occurs in these groups, the individual still has in his hands the ability to access other points of information by simply clicking on another hyperlink. Similarly, as shown in the documentary, activism and campaigns have found their homes in Facebook. Online campaigns are said to have been responsible, at least partially, for the outcome of the May 2010 elections. Blogs have also become the staple product of the Filipino Netizen. Rants are almost always present and the author of the blog is aware that people can read his/her texts without really knowing who his/her audience is. Almost all functions of the Internet has been appropriated by the Philippines. 

Overall, I think that the documentary embodies a sentiment I believe in. We are becoming heavily dependent on the Internet but at the same time, we shape how the Internet works. Human agency can be removed from the picture because we are not passive creatures. Like our ancestors before us, we have fashioned tools to help us survive in this changing world and with this survivability comes wisdom and experience. The Internet does not merely reflect our current society; it also arms us with the possibilities to change it in ways that couldn't have been possible before. 

-Nico P. 

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Generation Web = Generation Ebb?

In the fourth installment of BBC's The Virtual Revolution, Aleks Krotoski defines the present generation as one that not only consumes the web, but more importantly, a "generation that is consumed by the web."

This only proves that the Internet is no longer a mere technological advancement, but a necessity in not only communication and information, but moreso in living the daily lives of people. And I agree that the lifestyles of the kids of contemporary times are at stake here.

However, what I don't agree with is the notion that a tech-savvy generation is a hopeless generation. I disagree with the statement not because I believe that the new media will yield a better set of citizens, but more because of the fact that there's still not much to compare. New media is, after all, new (duh!); and we can't really tell how much its influence is over the succeeding societies.

So is the "traditional" generation better than the present one? Well, I say, we can never be too sure. But I can't wait to find out.

-Jyle S. 

[digikids]

UPCAT and Facebook, reaction and evolution

A simple status update can earn the ire of a hundred. The administrator of the Facebook fan page of the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) had to learn this the hard way. Early this month, the administrator posted:

Lumabas na pala ang results ng USTET, walang thrill kasi madali lang naman nun. Last week pa ng February ang results ng UPCAT – walang kasing hirap kaya sulit ang paghihintay! ;)

The post quickly started a chain of responses, likes and shares and culminated in its deletion. The administrator was quick to issue an apology, stating that it wasn’t his/her intention to hurt anyone and that he/she admitted to impulsiveness. The administrator also shared that the Facebook page was initially for a project in one of his/her general electives (namely Comm 3) which quickly grew into a community that shared information about the UPCAT.

One can see the nature of social interaction from this issue in two ways. First, the immediacy of reaction online cannot be understated. Disgruntled Netizens quickly showed their disgust at the arrogance that was being displayed while others tried to reason out why neither should be put on a pedestal. Still, others expressed their admiration for the quick apology of the administrator. All this happened in just mere hours.

Second, the communal nature of the Internet is highlighted when a page like the UPCAT evolves to take on the function of something other than its initial purpose. One can speculate that the accumulation of people liking the page and thus, receiving updates from it led to either an unconscious or conscious effort to satisfy a communal need (in this case information on the UPCAT). Since Facebook is accessible to the youth and the UPCAT page already existed, it isn’t surprising that this evolution of function happened. 

Link to the article: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/up-vs--ust-entrance-exams--netizens-weigh-in.html

[digikids]

UP, top searched University!

UP is not only an acclaimed university in the Philippines, but also is the top rank in list of the most searched tertiary education institution in the Philippines, according to Sydney-based academic search engine, Four International Colleges and Universities (4ICU).

The University of the Philippines Diliman website took the first spot among the sites of other Philippine universities and colleges, as well as that of other UP constituent campuses. Coming second is De La Salle University's website. The 4ICU claims that the data was based on an objective, unbiased algorithm from three search engines – the Google Page Rank, Alexa Traffic Rank and Majestic Seo Referring Domains.

UP is indeed famous in the cyberspace, but it isn't something to be entirely happy about. In another list, the most searched Asian Universities and Colleges, UP was not even on the top 100. As much as web searches are not a valid ground for judging the performance of a university, somehow, it goes to show how far other Asian universities has achieved when we talk about prominence and visibility in the international academic scene. Possibly, the lack of funding, therefore less research and improvement of academic resources, made UP less popular that other universities abroad. On the bright side, UP still is the dream university of many young Filipinos and it proves that it is still the cradle of academic excellence in the country.

-Fatima Gaw

Link to article:

http://technology.inquirer.net/7681/up-is-most-searched-philippine-university-on-internet-says-search-engine/

[digikids]

SOPAng Nakakaloka!

11:40 ng January 18 2012. Tumambal sa aking ang nakakalokang protesta ng Wikipedia. Well before this balak ko pa naman sanang manood ng Community, kaya nga ang KaGandahan gumorla sa google at typeness ng "community season two." Wala naman akong ibang ninais kundi malaman kung ano ang episode title ng S02e01 na papanoorin aketch. Nang biglang tumambad sa aking facelak ang nakakawindang, nakakajirita at nakakawarlang BLACKOUT ng Wikipedia.

Hellloooooo (with matching tili pa!)

Tignan mo nga naman talaga kung gaano kasaSAMA, ubod ng SAMA, suksukan ng SAMA ang mga pulitikong gustong lamunin ang internet (particularly itong Lamar Smith na founder yata nito, please lang sa mga taga district 21 ng Texas a pakipatay naman po ang inyong congressman!) Naku pasalamat U at waley wikipedia ngayon kundi i-tsu-tsuk-tsak-chenez ko talaga ang mga kagagawan mo! Naku next time talaga pag-aaralan ko nang mag vodoo, at mga ganitong tao talaga ang uunahin ko!

Powerful na nga gusto pang maging EXTREMELY POWERFUL! SOPA SOPA SOPAin ko kaya ang mga leeg nila (pati mga co-authors at mga boboto for this). Kapag natuloy itong billa na ito, kunwari, ang favorite kong site na btjunkie.org dahil nag pro-provide ng torrents at limpak-limpak na seeds ng Community. Ang NBC o kung sino mang owner ng kanyang intellectual property rights e malayang malaya, without any kahirap-hirap na sumulat to the so call authority (grrrrrr) para alisin ni google friend ang site gaya ni btjunkie. As in letter letter na lang waley na korte korte, suspension or what as in dedz agad sa first shot.

Bongga lang kadamutan TO THE MAX! Masama na bang manood ng mga shows nila. pasensya na po kung hindi customizable ang programming sa ibang bansa lalo na sa amin country na isang kayod isang tuka at kada kayod ay 25 hours kaya nanood na lang po kami kapag may oras! Pasensya na po kung worth isang linggong baon ko na ang manood sa sinehan o bumili ng album para lang makinig ng mga kanta, pasensya na po kung wala sa library namin ang mga libro ng mga magagaling niyong writer, as in pasensya na... grabeh kapag tinanggap mo ang pasensya, kapal mo dear (para kina smith at lahat ng may pakana nito)! Wat if kung kami rin here i-patent namin lahat ng resources na meron ang bansang ito? (siyempre hindi rin naman papayag ang mga puppies ng imperialista, pero mga hypocrite sila rin naman maapektuhan as if hindi nag down-download!) Kaya hello sa ating goverment and business sector try niyo dali para naranasan naman nila ang feeling na pinagkakaitan! 

"cooperation is more important than copyright!" - Woooooo Richard Stallman winner!

Hindi pa ba sapat na hulmahin niyo ang aming mga pag-iisip, na masama ang ginagawa namng SHARING, d ba tinawag niyo na nga kaming pirate, e kung tawagin ko kaya kayo ngayon linta? 

"society needs to encourage the spirit of voluntary cooperation."

Tapos tatakutin pa kami ni SOPA sa kanyang anti-circumvention na kapag napa gorla sa status ang pamimirata e obligated na kaming i-tsugi ni facebook o ng aming mga networking site. Wow naman so ngayon pa lang magsisindi na aketch ng mga candles para sa nalalapit na pamamaalam ni not-so-freedom of expression. Bakit sa inyo ang account sa inyo, sa inyo? 

Well maibalik ko ulit kay Wikipedia (and for the rest of the sharing website) Hindi man siya perfect, hindi man siya accurate at some point pero ito ang kung ano ang meron  tayo bilang tao, masasabi nating repleksyon itey ng kung ano na ang naabot ng generation natin. Maaring may nega side siya pero sabihin mo sa akin waley siyang tulong kung never mo siyang pinuntahan. Masasabi rin naman natin at some point na complilation ito ng kung gaano na kalayo ang narating ng ating pag-iisip upang ipaliwanag sa ating mundo. Kahit papaano kung may konseptong out of this world d bah nakikinabang naman lahat sa WIKIPEDIA na dulot ng mga taong nagbabahagi ng mga kaalaman.

Hindi ako umaangal dahil mamatay ang aking luho. Hindi ito usapin ng kung ano ang mawawala sa akin, kundi usapin ito ng patuloy na pangigiit sa karapatan upang magbahagi ng kaalaman. Puwede ko pa ngang sabihin na baka nga makabuti pa. Baka ito na ang hudyat upang maging super pokus na lang me sa kung ano na lang talaga ang makikita sa aming telebisyon. Ngunit umaangal ako para sa lahat ng taong nagsulat, nagbahagi at kung anu-anu pang chever na ginawa sa internet upang marating nito ang kasalukuyang impluwensiya sa mga gumagamit nito, kapangyarihan and every everything. Sa mga taong nakakita ng sarili nilang puwang upang maipahayag ang kanilang sarili, mabahagi ang kanilang nalalaman, mga espasyong pinagkait, at nilulupig sa kasalukuyang sistema ng lipunan. 

Bilang pangwakas, sabi nga sa Community the most important tool is respect. Tama, dati niyo na kaming binigyan ng limitasyon, mga bakod na hindi namin maaring tawirin pagkat nakakasama sa inyong kapangyarihan. Matagal niyo na kaming pinaiikot sa mga sistemang baluktot. Matagal niyo ng ginawang prostitute ang aming lahi. Ano bang mawawala sa inyo kung ibahagi niyo naman ang inyong kapangyarihan. Siguro nga maaring maganda na ito upang marating na namin ang aming full potential, siguro nga ay isa na itong dagok upang unti-unti ng mawala ang mga anesthesiang tinurok niyo sa aming mga utak. Huwag kayong mabahala pagkat ang buhay ay laging umiikot maski pa tatsulok ito. Pag kami naman ang nasa itaas ________________ ( kung sang-ayon ka i-imagine mo kung ano ang gagawin natin sa kanila). Kaya ikaw na nagbabalak panghawakan ang internet alam mong hindi isa kundi sandamukal ang options na maaring mangyari sa inyo, kaya esep-esep!

- teklaboo (" ,)