Sunday, June 24, 2012

How Social Media is creating the Filipino Community

What is social media? In common speak, social media is where people gather together and express themselves using the Internet platform. 


In the Philippines, there is now an estimated 33 million Internet users, of which 26 million goes online to chat, update and tweet using Facebook. In my estimation, I think 33 million is not the exact figure. For one, I consider those who have cellphones and are using these contraptions to communicate with their friends through Facebook and Twitter as part of the growing community of users.


In the social media sphere, there are three kinds of people who engage themselves in this: one, everyone of us is a user. All who engage in social media are users of the platform. We are all creators of content. 


However, there are some creators who develop platforms so that users like us would experience more interactivity than what we are used to. These are the applicators. They are users but transcend their status higher than others because they have the technical know-how.


Lastly, there are those who dominate the sphere by being creators and applicators. They are a unique kind. They understand the language of the sphere and create platforms themselves for their creations. I call them "dominators".


As technology becomes more user-friendly and simole, more and more users are becoming both creators and applicators. What is unique in the social media sphere is the fact that you can become an applicator without inventing an application--by merely using the present platform and create a model or a more defined one you become an applicator without realising it.


Wordpress users know what I am talking about here, same as Blogger platform users. By transforming a mere layout into a personalised one, users become creators of appplications.


Now, what is entirely delicious at this point is the slow but sure creation of a distinct community in the netsphere---the Filipino's.


Yes, some may say, this Pinoy community is partially racist because it always trumpte the Pinoy success each and every time. But, that, my friend, is normal. In every developing community, the obvious assertion or affirmation of distinctiveness is really racial by nature. 


As we all become engaged by technology, we consciously or unconsciously are becoming part and are engaging in the creation of a community which we call our own. Every single voice out there expressed in tweets and updates on FB is part of a growing consciousness that slowly emanates whenever the situation calls for it. 


What is profoundly delicious is the observation by many, that this community is expressing itself in globalist form. We are distinctly Pinoy without using the vernacular. We are differentiating ourselves from the rest of the world without overly doing it. 


What is more---we are dominating the conversation by being Pinoy. And the world is loving it.

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