Through time, a lot of changes have been happening around us---changes that we may or may not notice at all. In my generation, born into the world of emerging technologies and evolution, media has been seen to have evolved and flourished.
With the emergence of computers and ITs, computers and the web has invaded more lives as time goes by. This invasion brings changes into the current system of things. The rise of Social Networking Sites (SNS), for instance, has led to high interactivity on the web as well as the mainstream media.
Social networking websites may be defined as sites that allow users to build a profile that will be made public within an enclosed system. (Acquisti & Gross, 2006) From the formation of the first SNS, Sixdegrees.com up to the bloom of Friendster in 2002-2003, more SNS has risen and has become popular. Myspace and Facebook are said to be the most reputable companies in the industry. According to Cassidy, these social networking services have been created with the intention of linking small communities. A study released by Universal McCann has declared the Philippines as "the social networking capital of the world," (83 percent of Filipinos surveyed are members of a social network). As I see it, over time, these services eventually served more purposes and have become part of media convergence.
In Convergence Culture, Jenkins said that convergence is “…the flow of content across media platforms, the cooperation among multiple media industries and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kind of entertainment experiences they want.” As we can observe, these SNS have gone from the internet to other media like TV, radio and even mobile phones. Various television and radio programs create their own accounts and pages in Facebook, Multiply and Twitter. Aside from this media convergence that Jenkins is talking about, “participatory culture” and “collective intelligence” are also evident in this phenomenon of what I call “SNS bloom”.
Roughly 80% of the Philippine population are mobile subscribers and the rise of 3G phones has paved the way for telecom companies to draw profit from internet subscription via mobile phones. Now, anyone who has a phone can now “tweet” and post their “shout-outs” anytime, anywhere. The mainstream media then, maximizes this as more and more programs enc
ourage feedback from their audience via these SNS (e.g. ABS-CBN’s news and current affairs programs Bandila and TV Patrol). These sites are also used by some programs for online voting in their games and promos like the Pinoy Big Brother’s Multiply site where fans were asked to vote for their favorite team presentation during it’s last season.
Some say that the internet poses a threat to the traditional mainstream media but this convergence phenomenon somehow gives light to the future of media amidst these innovations and development. Ben Bagdikian in his book The New Miedia Monopoly said that the internet has demonstrated its mass effects in news, in general information and in its growing impact in a large portion of the population and it also has a significant influence in the traditional media. The traditional media now relies on the internet, even more so on the SNS, for some of their news and video and graphics files. (e.g. Ondoy, elections, show business-artists tweets, Facebook status)
The Philippine telecom sector is also said to be contributing over 10% of the country’s GDP. The continuous bloom of internet, particularly through mobile phones, can contribute a lot in our local economy.
The rise of Social Networking Sites and media convergence may create a social and cultural divide between those can access and those who cannot access the internet which can affect the exchange of ideas in the so-called “public sphere” but through the opportunities opened by mobile phones, telecom companies, internet cafes and mainstream media, almost anyone can understand and participate in the contribution of knowledge and experiences even in the new digital and modern era.
Sources:
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/history-of-social-networking-websites-1908457.html
Ben Bagdikian’s The New Media Monopoly (Roll Jervis Manahan BC 180 report. August 4, 2010)
Convergence Culture Where Old and Mew Media Collide by Henry Jenkins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_in_the_Philippines
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