#acm4305

[aavitente]

The Raffy Tulfo Justice System

Before “Raffy Tulfo In Action” there used to be a show entitled “Face-To-Face.” Both shows may have different concepts but they do have similarities in terms of gaining audience by serving scandalous cases of people who are at each other’s throats. Schadenfreude or the pleasure over someone’s misfortune explains why a show like Tulfo’s keeps on getting millions of views. The misfortune of others such as their personal issues being publicized gives the audience the feeling of satisfaction and superiority—at the same time, pity or despise—because it is not them who is being humiliated. In addition, there is a segment from the show where they ask about the audience’s opinions about the cases which in return, gives the audience an opportunity to involve themselves more on the show.

    Even before watching the compilation of episodes, I have already watched some full length versions of the show. Nonetheless, I never liked the format because the show is a clear illustration of “trial by publicity.” Everyone who is convicted of a crime deserves due process and equal protection of the law and I believe that the show does the exact opposite because the decision is always based on Tulfo’s perspective even if he is not a judge nor a lawyer. Worse, he is a broadcast journalist who must have forgotten the first element of journalism which is “the obligation to the truth.” By that, journalists can be as transparent as possible about the sources of facts but not to the point of calling out an ordinary citizen in a national program as it deprives a person from their constitutional rights and places their dignity at stake.

NOTE: This is only an activity in compliance with our Digital Publishing subject under Sir Bert Apostol | @bertongbigtime

[ronaamaee]

“Digital Publishing Trends”

             During the first wave of the pandemic, governments of different countries implement lockdown, so people need to stay in their houses. People spend most of their time with their gadgets reading articles about COVID-19 and other kinds of stuff. Based on what I have read about the publishing trends, I believe that delivering information straight to our email and SMS will become more popular. For me, it is way more convenient because the information we need is delivered to us in a personal way. With this trend, we no longer encounter a volume of irrelevant and distracting information on the internet.

 I can relate to this situation when I want to search for something, lots of irrelevant information such as advertisements appeared. It is worst sometimes because I got redirected to another website, so delivering the information we need straight to our email and SMS are helpful. Aside from that trend, I think that the use of audiobooks will also become popular among Filipinos. Audiobooks are perfect for people who need to multitask because they will just listen to it and they will become updated on the latest news whenever they want. Also, Listening to audiobooks have good benefits like improving our listening skills that are important in our everyday lives.

Disclaimer: This is just an exercise for our Digital Publishing class. Thanks for your understanding.

[nykhaela-ackerman]

QuaranThoughts: A Glimpse Into My 2020 Psyche

     It seems like it’s almost been a year since everything suddenly changed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Overall, 2020 has been filled with one tragedy after another. Starting off with the eruption of the Taal Volcano, threats of World War 3, the pandemic crisis, issues of racism, government incompetence, and many more events that shook the whole world. As someone living through such seemingly historical events, I felt anxious of what the world will come to be in the future, as long as what could happen to me. There were even times wherein I felt so anxious and restless because not only did I fear for my own safety, but also for thinking about what the point is in all this.

     I felt sad and helpless for living in such a world wherein fighting will never stop, and that it only seems like a pipe dream for governments to be competent enough to deal with certain issues. Not just in the context of the Philippines, but for the world in general, it seems as though no matter what happens, humanity will always be at war with one another, regardless of there being weapons or not. “Humanity will never stop fighting itself until it shrinks to a size of one or fewer,” said Erwin Smith, though he may be fictional, I believe that his words hold the truth. Humans will always find something to fight about, no matter how insignificant a few things might seem and vice-versa.

     This world of ours is a dog-eat-dog world, you can’t really trust anyone, not even yourself at times. So, in times of global crises, who will you turn to? The government who seems to only prioritize maintaining the positions they hold? The church with their false promises of comfort? Your school or university that even rids students of scholarship opportunities due to fears of spending too much money despite being owned by a literal billionaire? Your family who you may or may not even feel comfortable living with, depending on your relationships with them? Your friends who you don’t even know if they truly care about you? Yourself, who’s not even sure about your identity or reason for being alive? All we know is that we don’t know, after all we’re just human beings who were suddenly thrown into this world and now have to deal with the chaos that comes with existence.

     Anyway, before I end up getting way too depressing or overshare too much of my personal existential crisis, let me go back to talking about the pandemic. So first of all, I would like to share my own personal experiences and sentiments about being in quarantine, before I delve deeper unto more meaningful thoughts in terms of its effect on society. As a lazy introvert who never liked going outside nor have never experienced going anywhere without any family members, I personally do not mind the thought of just staying indoors all the time. As a matter of fact, I even feel relieved that I don’t have to actually socialize or interact with anyone because of how socially awkward I am and how I just don’t feel comfortable with dealing with social cues and all that stuff. Also, one of the reasons why I prefer online classes is also because of my personal self-image and self-esteem issues.

     During online classes, I don’t have to show the rest of my body nor wear an uncomfortable uniform whose buttons could burst anytime while worrying about the weird looks I get from people. In addition, I can express my thoughts easier during recitations or presentations during online classes because I do not have to deal with the social anxiety that comes with having to stand in front of a crowd and think about things like maintaining eye contact or monitoring bodily gestures and such. I could also sit however I want more comfortably, while also not having to worry about using the bathroom during class because I can easily do it at home while wearing Bluetooth headphones so I wouldn’t miss out on class. However, the fact that I can think about all these things is a sign that I seem to be privileged enough to actually be able to consider having to deal with online classes instead of face-to-face classes as a better situation personally. This doesn’t mean that I don’t acknowledge the plethora of issues that others are facing because of it, I was just sharing things from my perspective.

      Upon observing what my fellow students have been posting on social media, along with the many news articles out there, I have been dragged back into reality. Not everyone is lucky as I am to have WiFi and gadgets at home to be able to comfortably deal with online classes. Many are struggling to buy load for their cellular data so they can attend classes, others are also suffering from how the pandemic crisis affected their families financially, causing them to likely even drop out and work instead of pursuing their studies. In addition, there are also those who have to deal with balancing the already exhausting mountain-loads of schoolwork, along with helping out around the house with chores or taking care of their younger siblings or ailing relatives. I then realize that there’s more to life than academics, and that there are bigger problems out there in the world that take priority.

      Also, upon further reflection, I have realized that not everyone has access to such technologies required for online classes, especially for those who live in far-off areas; those who go to decrepit public schools, those who live in tribal communities, and those who live with a seemingly inescapable sense of poverty looming over them. As a citizen of a third-world country who has been more exposed to foreign media, there were time s that I have forgotten that the educational norm for the Philippines is way different than that of those living in first-world countries. I have remembered how there are many people in this country of ours who lack capabilities to enroll in academic institutions for high quality education, along with not even having enough finances to even survive living in the slums, and yet they are expected to have the resources to deal with online classes. Also, what about children who can barely even read or write? Do they expect them to be able to send emails at the ripe age of five?

     I think the heads of such universities or schools are forgetting that students and teachers are also human beings in need of breaks and that just because we’re at home doesn’t mean we have all the time and energy in the world to just do nothing but deal with academics. Even machines can overheat or explode due to overwork, there needs to be a time to cool down, so that we may spend even just a little bit of time to be just people, to just be ourselves and live our life beyond the confines of stressing over exams, quizzes, modules, grades, and such. There’s more to life than just slaving away and doing what you’re told to do, school shouldn’t be a medium to train people into becoming tireless slaves who will always bend to the will of those in power. As a matter of fact, because of spending almost all of my time dealing with academics, I barely have anytime to explore who I am and what I want in life; I don’t even see a future for myself beyond graduation, I can’t even see myself as not living as a student. Just because I have seemingly good grades does not mean that a bright future is automatically guaranteed for me; how am I supposed figure out how to survive in the real world while I further continue to lose the will to live as time goes by?

     While I sit comfortably at home as I pursue my other hobbies or stress over deadlines of activities, many people out there are starving and struggling to look for jobs, and many are fighting for their rights to be treated as human beings instead of yet just another number in the ever-growing mortality rate due to the pandemic or even because the government silenced them for speaking against those in power. The world is at war with itself, and yet there are many of us who act like frogs sitting in a tub of water without realizing they are slowly being boiled alive. We’re not in a sauna or in a relaxing hot spring, we’re in a living hell where of everyone is exposed to the same amount of fire. They may say that we’re all in the same boat, but we’re actually in the same ocean in midst of a storm; we’re all on different boats, some may be lucky enough to have yachts or cruise ships, while others are struggling to stay afloat on a piece of driftwood. Even if this pandemic crisis someday comes to an end, the struggles of humanity never will.

      This then begs the question, “Why do we even try so hard to survive in such a cruel world? What’s the point in living? Why even try if we’re all just going to die?” Personally, there are many times wherein I contemplated just taking the easy way out and I still do; I know I’m still young but it doesn’t invalidate how tiring it feels to be alive, and how it will just continue to get even more tiring and difficult as I continue to live. Well, as Mikasa Ackerman puts it, “the world is cruel yet beautiful at the same time,” so if we truly want to see how such a world can show such beauty, we must continue to try to survive in this world we were born into so that we may find what it means to genuinely be free.  After all, as Eren Jaeger puts it, “if we win, we live. If we lose, we die. If we don’t fight, we can’t win. So fight. Fight,” so that we may be able to see a world worth living in. Fight, so that we may be able to live someday in a world where we no longer need to fight, as illusory or delusional as it may seem.

     Before I bombard you with any more Attack on Titan references or depress you with my own personal issues, it may be time to end this essay of mine. Overall, whether it be a global pandemic crisis or any other issues surrounding human conflict, it cannot be denied that this era we’re living in will be a part of human history for future generations to read about. Even if it seems that humanity’s cycle of hatred, greed, and incompetence  will never end, we must still strive to make this world of ours somehow worth living in so that we may alleviate suffering, as we continue to grow and evolve as beings aiming to find the meaning of being. No one may know which paths we may take, nonetheless, we should still try to break down these walls, overcome these barricades, and dedicate our hearts so that we may proudly keep moving forward as we fly with our wings of freedom towards the scenery of true liberty. If we just sit here, do nothing and just wait for our corpses to start rotting, what’s the point in living?

Disclaimer: This is just an exercise for our Digital Publishing class submitted to @bertongbigtime​. Thank you for understanding!

[aavitente]

Digital Publishing

Upon my observation since the quarantine has begun, the demand for anything convenient and fast has increased significantly since a lot of people are stuck at their homes with limited things to do. It is not only online delivery of food, clothes, and other stuff you can purchase online that has gained more popularity these days but even digital publishing since a lot of people want to stay updated about the COVID-19 news through their mobile devices. Upon reading the suggested article about the 7 digital publishing trends for 2020 and beyond, I can most certainly tell that I have adopted most of the stated trends. The main reason is that these trends are effective on acquiring information faster and these new approaches prevent me from getting tired of finding the same content and format over and over again. In addition, as a Communication student, I find it also interesting to try and study these new trends to see whether these are beneficial and effective for a better communication.

Among the trends, I believe that there are at least two that Filipino consumers will surely adapt to. First is the utilization of mobile devices since according to statistics, in 2019, there were nearly 169 million mobile subscriptions in the Philippines which is more than the population of the country. Undoubtedly, since nowadays, a person can buy a decent phone with internet or data connection that is relatively cheap unlike laptops or personal computers that cost around 30,000 pesos and above. Lastly, I think that Filipinos will definitely like the thought of just listening to any news articles or blogs instead of reading a lengthy post. It has always been an issue in the country about how Filipino netizens only read what is stated on the headline and never bother to read the full article so having to just listen to the audio, it would be possibly effective since it will be the same as listening to the radio.

NOTE: This is only an activity in compliance with our Digital Publishing subject under Sir Bert Apostol | @bertongbigtime​

[nykhaela-ackerman]

The Influence of Influencers

      For influencers, it may be considered quite essential to know how to actually reach out to audiences or else they may not even be considered as competent in their respective fields. In addition, not only is it important for one’s content to actually have a wider reach, but also for it to contain supporting sources, depending on the type of content being presented so as to provide viewers or readers with a seemingly higher sense of credibility when it comes to the things being presented in such digital publications. Moreover, it may also be vital to consider using strategies which may further optimize the fostering of engagement with audiences, such techniques may involve utilizing methods that may aid algorithms in boosting such content to more likely viewers or readers. By taking all of the aforementioned into consideration, influencers may end up building a more visible online presence and actually being considered worthy of being referred to as an “influencer.” After all in order to be perceived as an influencer, one must actually have the capabilities required to actually influence many people.

       In the online world, “cancel culture” seems to be quite prevalent, wherein public figure may end up being condemned or possibly even doxed by netizens due to committing certain mistakes; as such, influencers must take extra precaution when it comes to presenting content in order to avoid falling victim to being flamed by so-called “keyboard warriors” or “social justice warriors,” which may endanger one’s reputation and source of livelihood. In order to do so, influencers must learn how to appeal as decent human beings to their audiences by showcasing credible references whenever one makes certain claims, or even doing background checks on seemingly controversial companies before accepting to collaborate or do a sponsorship. Furthermore, when it comes to sharing other influencers’ content, it may also be good to ask for their consent to do so, especially if likely issues may arise if one chooses not to ask for permission before pushing through with something.  Speaking of sharing things online, in order to not seem too unreachable or pretentious, it may also be recommended to have a visible presence on social media so that audiences may relate more to such influencers without seeming too arrogant or self-serving. Overall, in order to be well-established influencer, content creator, or digital publisher, one must first learn about the ins-and-outs of what netizens may consider as worth their time or of excellent quality of content; not only is it important to have a wide reach but for the content itself to actually have a positive influence on audiences and oneself.

Disclaimer: This is just an exercise for our Digital Publishing class. Thank you for understanding!

[ronaamaee]

“Activity no 3: Spotify (YTL Episode 1: Love Scams & How to Avoid Them)”

 The episode one of ‘Yung Totoo Lang Podcast hosted by Tarra Quismundo on Spotify is all about love scams which often happens through online dating apps and social networking sites. In this romance scam, women are the most targeted wherein the romance scammers create fake profiles on online dating sites or social media and then they will try contact their victims. The romance scammers will tell lies to their victims and claimed to be in the military service, a doctor, or working in an oil rig until they build their trust and make their victims fall in love with them. Now that their victim fell with their sweet and flowery words, they will now make up a pathetic story and ask for large amount of money. After discussing the modus operandi of the love scammers, Tarra Quismundo gave an advice on how to avoid this kind of scam and losing money to a love scammer.

The pilot episode of the YTL Podcast was very informative and gives awareness to avoid exploitative people like the romance scammers that increasing especially when the love month arrives. Tarra Quismundo’s podcast is very helpful especially to the single women who are a fond of using online dating apps and easily to get fooled by the romance scammers because of their desire of having a love life. Furthermore, her platform which is podcasting will surely sell to the audiences not just because they can listen to it for free but they can also gain knowledge in media literacy and fake news. I believe that podcasting is an effective medium because it allows the users to save time by doing other things while listening such as cooking, cleaning, working out, and among others whenever and wherever they are. In addition, some podcasts are informative depending on what type of the program is and its listeners can have an access to it as long as they have an internet connection or while connected, they can download it to their devices to listen later.

Disclaimer: This is just an exercise for our Digital Publishing class. Thanks for your understanding.

  #ACM4305