My publishing professor surprised us today with an exercise he called the “15-minute term paper.” We were tasked to create a Twitter thread regarding our insights from our lecture in only 15 minutes. The moment he announced it, my body froze for a good 5 minutes. It’s nothing new for me. I usually buckle under pressure because my mind is only as clear as the skies on a rainy day. On top of this, I was sleep deprived, so while I certainly did listen to our discussion, my mind was still very unorganized. Despite this, I had no other choice but to push through.
I ended up composing the following tweets!
As mentioned in today's discussion, the audience generally has a much shorter attention span online, which makes it necessary for web content to be packaged in a more digestible format. I myself am admittedly one of the people with an attention span of a goldfish.#CAMPUBLA53pic.twitter.com/KrS1TSyujD
Anyway… there's a plethora of content available out here, and it is necessary for writers and content creators to utilize methods that can capture the audience's attention and constantly engage them.#CAMPUBLA53pic.twitter.com/qWeSuUfhA5
I’m not sure how these tweets may appear to other people, but I think it’s pretty evident that I simply wrote the thoughts that were top-of-mind. Under normal circumstances, though, I usually ponder on a tweet far longer. It’s probably because I care too much about what other people might think. I’m afraid to make mistakes, or be perceived as dumb. So I try to make sure that everything is correct and perfect before I put it out into the world. While it is generally positive that I think carefully about my words or actions, I just wish I would also have more courage to express my inner thoughts. That’s what I did today, but as expected, I couldn’t stop comparing myself to others. It seemed to me that my classmates’ threads were much more creative, articulate and cohesive.
I guess it’s precisely because there is so much going on in my head that I’m having these difficulties. When it comes to writing anything, for whatever medium it may be, clarity of mind is really important. It will allow you to focus better on the things that you need to think about and get done. Sometimes we have to mute our harsh inner critic, especially when it no longer helps us grow and develop healthily. This isn’t exactly a new realization for me, but one which I often forget, and thankfully this exercise reminded me of it. Well, for what it’s worth, the most important thing is that I tried nonetheless and that the words I spoke were sincere and true. I guess these two are enough starting points.
Social media is one of the most important byproducts of the digital revolution. It has successfully altered the existing communication models and changed the entire media industry forever. It further democratized the media and provided the audience more opportunities to become active participants. While this is generally a positive development, it also has its fair share of downsides. Along with the rise of the popular medium also came a whole new set of challenges that the industry is confronting today.
Findings from a recent study suggest that there has been a change in the dynamics between publishing companies and advertisers. It is important to note that majority of the prominent media organizations in the country operate using a hybrid of the democratic and commercial organizational forms of media that were distinguished by Raymond Williams in his book. While they function mainly to be of service to the public, the revenues which they use to sustain themselves still comes mainly from advertisers and investors.
Considering that the media has now been democratized, business owners no longer have to rely solely on media advertising. They now have social media which is a much cheaper alternative platform they can use to promote their own products and services. In turn, they also end up becoming competitors vying for the attention of the same audience that the media is trying to capture. This places a huge weight upon the shoulders of news and media organizations with limited resources and leaves them in a serious predicament.
Credit: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images
The most imminent threat, however, is the multiple attacks being launched against the press. Because of this, we rank only 136th in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, which is very alarming. Unfortunately, the digital media landscape has a lot to do with this. The waging war both caused and resulted to the ‘weaponization’ of social media. The most widely used online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, which used to be completely democratic spaces in which people can freely express their personal thoughts and exchange ideas, have now become a breeding ground for fake news. This issue has effectively sowed public distrust of the news and the media, tarnishing the reputation of journalists and prominent organizations. It has also put the lives of media practitioners in danger, who only seek to tell and side with the truth.
Now, more than ever, our society is in need of a flourishing media industry, and we cannot let it die out nor should we let our right to free speech be curtailed for whatever reason or issue. A free press, after all, is considered to be a cornerstone of democracy. The media serves as a basin of information and a channel for good communication which allows the broad masses to connect with one another. Without it, we will be left divided and in utter disarray. I believe, though, that for the Philippine press, which has a fighting tradition and is a product of a turbulent history, none of these challenges are insurmountable. Time and time again, the media shall rise, but it is crucial that the audience takes part and join in the fight, so together, we can hold the line.
The news didn’t mean anything to me as a child because I never really understood it. Back then, my parents would usually tune in to TV Patrol over dinner, and I vaguely recall merely wishing it would end soon so I can finally watch the network’s prime time teleseryes like May Bukas Pa. The only time I ever concerned myself with the news was during typhoons, primarily because I wanted to know if there were any class suspensions. Who would have thought, that in the coming years, I would eventually develop a huge interest towards journalism, and the news would become a huge part of my life?
Today, I am now a Communication Arts major and how much I value news has increased significantly. I’ve gained a better understanding of the power that both the media and the news hold. Simultaneously, the rise of digital media has also pushed the field of journalism and the media industry as a whole to undergo a massive transformation. It changed our existing communication models greatly, for it allowed what used to be the passive audience to become more participatory, paving the way for the democratization of media. This is what I truly value the most with social media.
As I’ve mentioned, I used to rely on television in order to access news, but not too long ago I shifted to social media for my news consumption. It provides each one of us a democratic space, which allows us to be heard. We can now freely discuss news reports and issues that we deem important. It has returned the power of the people to actively contribute in shaping media and society. Hearing other people’s views and opinions has helped me in shaping and objectifying my own views, which clearly exhibits that it is also a space where we can interact and learn from one another.
Apart from this, it is also one of the most accessible mediums in the digital age, for it is relatively more convenient to use via our phones and laptops. News and information circulates rapidly within these sites, making it easier to distribute information. One downside to this feat which I noticed, though, is that I tend to get distracted by the multitude of content available online, which does not go well with my already short attention span. It’s hard for me to finish reading a news article in one sitting, and most days I don’t make it past the news headline. Because of this, I tend to favor posts with compelling images and videos that can sustain my interest.
While I use a variety of apps such as Facebook and Google News, the platform I utilize the most online is Twitter, for it seems to be a lot less congested than other SNS. It may have to do with the character limit for Tweets. In addition, it also has the “List” feature, which allows users to curate the accounts they specifically want to monitor on their feeds. I created a list of my own, which contains the accounts of my trusted online news sources such as Philippine Star, Rappler, PCIJ, ABS-CBN News, and many others.
But even with all these tools in social media that considerably make it easier for us to access news and information, I guess I still have a long way to go in order for me to be a more active news consumer. I realized that I don’t normally go out of my way to visit news sites on my own volition and usually just settle for whatever pops up on my timeline. I also put off reading often, which I justify by telling myself that I can always go back to them any time anyway. Reading regularly is definitely a habit that I need to build with commitment.
When I try to imagine the media landscape without social media, it seems kind of bleak. Looking at it now, my entire journey of discovering and consuming news through social media has allowed me to find my own voice. Since the medium encourages our engagement with society, it has helped me understand how I relate with others and my surroundings better. It has also introduced to me the value of truth and how essential it is for each one of us. This heightened social awareness, urges me to develop my principles and morals every single day, so that I can become a better person.
Somehow, it’s often our firsts which seem to last the longest in our memories. Perhaps it’s because they mark the moments in which we go off course–when we try something completely new and different that completely impacts our lives. Apart from their longevity in our minds, we are often driven by them too. Our need to experience something fresh that would spice up the mundanity of life is something that keeps us going. Fortunately for me and the entire Generation Z, we came around in the midst of a pivotal era. As we were growing up, the digital revolution waged on, and it paved the way towards many firsts in various industries, and in turn, our daily lives. The recent technological developments gave birth to what we call the digital media, among many other innovations, which contributed to our unique childhood experience. We were given a glimpse of the no
Because I’ve gotten so used to the existence of everything digital–television, computers, smartphones, even clocks–and practically rely on gadgets every single day, I never really got the chance to look back at how it all started. So one late evening, I grabbed the opportunity to do so with my good friend, Rosita Marcelo, through a video call, and I’ve found that her experiences are not much different from mine.
My video call session with Ros.
I believe that for most of us, Generation Z’s, our very first encounter with digital media happened when we were just little girls and boys. This holds true for Ros, who used the computer for the very first time when she visited her dad’s office at the age of 7. She recalled how she felt amazed and curious at the time, and how the feeling was similar to seeing a new doll at the toy store. She badly wanted to try those Y8 games that always came up in her friends’ conversations, and the moment she did, she was “absolutely hooked.”
As children, unsurprisingly, our first bouts of engagement with digital media were mostly latched to entertainment. The internet served as a virtual playground for us which we can easily access at home. However, in our coming of age, how we see or value digital media in our lives also changed. As Ros grew a little bit older, logging onto social media became her new favorite online activity. “YouTube? Daily; Twitter? Every hour; Facebook? Not my cup of tea but yes!” she playfully told me. Being friendly is definitely one of her most apparent and admirable personality traits, so it came as no surprise to me when she explained that she loves interacting with her friends on these sites. The internet eventually became a platform through which she can socialize. Apart from this, she also mentioned that digital media became an educational tool for her, for it helped her in acquiring new skills and knowledge which she can apply in her daily life.
“I was always insecure growing up, but since digital media bridged the gap between my friends and I, as well as videos and posters about self-confidence and loving yourself, I was able to gain the former and perform the latter,” said Ros.
A shot I took of Ros in DLSU.
While her first encounter with digital media was generally positive, she regards its impact on our generation and society as a whole, bittersweet. She explained that although these innovations have provided an avenue for people to connect with one another regardless of distance, it may have also pushed us farther away from one another due to our tendency to be engrossed in the virtual world, thereby neglecting the physical world.
True to her nature, though, she still chose to highlight the self-enriching aspect of digital media in our conversation. Ros appreciates how it had brought about so many new experiences and opportunities for her peers, family, and everyone else.
“I know so many people who have started their own online business to earn, as well as others who are taking the time to learn new skills. It’s helping a lot of us reach our futures faster than we’ve ever thought,” she explained.
This aspect of digital media, for her, has helped our society progress faster. Undoubtedly, digital media has effectively impacted our lives, both on a personal and a collective scale. The power that the platform possesses lies mainly on the content that it houses, which the audience consumes, and how fast it can be circulated all around the world. It is, therefore, important to keep in mind that we must not use it to control nor should we allow it to control us. Ros shares the same sentiment and imparts the message below as a reminder to the public with regards to how they interact with digital media.
From this point forward, there will only be more firsts to come, especially with digital media, and it will further contribute in the shaping and reshaping our lives. And as we venture into these new places, we must be ready to adapt and remold ourselves along the way.
idle gizelle 
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