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| Friday, June 26, 2009 |
| cyberactivism |
rallies and mobs are nothing new to me. housed in a university known for student activism for four years, the imbibed spirit of activism resides within me, a stroke of resistance and a mind for political and nationalistic stand, firm with precision.
i've been in a few rallies. the first experience was a surreal blur. imagine a mass crowd of individuals, jingles and chantings provided the background music. everyone was sweaty, standing hours and hours under the scorching heat of the sun while listening to fiery words the speaker is throwing to heat up the mob. yet the there is that strange feeling, of exhilaration, of joy and of freedom. am swelling with pride having the ultimate chance of screaming for my right. the right to express my self. the gift of democracy. the feeling that every muscle ache and every drop of sweat on my forehead and at my back were gift for my country. and offering and contribution for my fellow Filipino youth and the entire nation.
but times are changing. little by little, mass of youth declines in the attendance of street march and staged rallies. the definition itself of activism has long been twisted and used for political intention. the noble signifance, stained by selfish motives. and a number of people changes their perception with people marching, chanting slogans, painting the town red with their bold placards, streamers and other gimmicks. the term activism got equated with peace disturbance. even terrorism.
all thanks to mrs. arroyo's contribution. her intelligent choice of words averted people's senses with fearsome terms. no more declaration of martial law; only the passing of Presidential Proclamation 1017 which basis is the same used in marcos era. no more seizures, trials and imprisonments for members of the leftist group; only silent killings, or shall we say extrajudicial killings. newspapers bore the headlines 'armed rebel killed in military encounter.' no-permit-no-rally policies, cameras installed at rally points, mrs. arroyo or rather his appointed minions watching leftist people like a hawk. the country is now hardzone for activists.
that is when activism also has to keep up with the change. and what more better tool to employ for a country struggling to shape itself in a computer age, 'course there's the Internet. the cyberspace transcends boundaries of streets. it downplays the timelimit set to stage a protest. no more police barricading holding shields and woods, armed with teargas, behind a waiting firetruck. a new strategy is needed. cyberactivism is born.
networkedpublics.org defines cyberactivism as "a means by which advanced information and communication technologies, e.g. e-mail, list-serv, and the world wide web of the Internet, are used by individuals and groups to communicate with large audiences, galvanizing individuals around a specific issue or set of issues in an attempt to build solidarity towards meaningful collective actions." basically, the prime component of cyberactivism is the new technology itself. the internet or the cyberspace being the world's venue today for exchange of information becomes the new perfect place to mount protest, reaching a vast number of faceless people.
probably, we can trace back the history of cyberactivism in the Philippines during the genesis of edsa dos. text messages flooded, mostly among the youth encouraging everyone to get out on the street and lament for the defeat of truth, slammed by a brown envelope. the chain of messages turned to a chain of people marching off the street. more text messages sent, more people came. this use of the recent technology during that time created a bigger impact. and that is the reason why the youth sector comprised the biggest chunk of crowd gathered in edsa shrine that ousted joseph estrada.
with the growing influence of internet, the trend changes. facebooks, twitters and blogsites were in! discussions with the current political state mounted in the world wide web. no one has to go out of the confinement of their comfort zone. oppositionist lawmakers micro blogging while engaging a sizzling debate on the house' floor. online protest group were formed, open for everyone to become a member. information received - no sweat at all. its unstoppable!
with all its popularity and being mighty comes its down points. admit it or not, not everyone is taking this seriously. unlike street marches, having the will power to stand up for hours and all the other inconveniences is really saying a lot! writing blog entries, joining discussions and threads and even signing up for advocacies and protests group online - then what? what happens now after this? what is the next move? 'course it's all good and dandy. knowledge is power as manong ernie would put it. and being informed is definitely a good start, but forgetting the keypoint which is the action part shouldn't be missed. we have to use that acquired information in order step of, move forward and lead for the better change.
cyberactivism is indeed powerful! the Filipino youth, being the main patronizer of it should be responsible enough in taking advantage of all its good qualities. shaping and re-defining activism to fit the challenges of modern world is a task given to us and must be taken seriously. cyberactivism might not be all good like any other. but given the right motive and the right steer, then we're definitely hitting the right track, a major step towards a glorious change.Labels: cyberactivism, definition of cyberactivism, internet activism, protests at facebook |
posted by lorderik @ 6:54 AM  |
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