The Effects of Social Media Generation on Teenage Filipinos

Introduction

Today’s teenage Filipinos live in an advanced and technological generation. They are commonly connected and committed to the world of social media. What is Social Media? –Social Media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, exchange and comment contents among themselves in virtual communities and networks. Furthermore, social media employ mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms via which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content. It introduces substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities and individuals. In this type of socializing, teenage Filipinos find it as a solution of their vanities and their way of communicating with people they know. With all the access and media, it gives teenage Filipinos more easier ways to connect with one another.

Summary

Since 2012, Philippines already have 106.4MM mobile subscribers and 10.8MM internet users. The Philippines was connected to the Internet only in March 30, 1994 until its use increased from 1996 up to now. And as of for now, Philippines ranked #6 in the Top 10 Most Engaged Countries for Social Networking having an average of 8.7 hours per month of internet socializing after also being tagged as the “Social Networking Capital of the World” in the year 2008. The average web user in the Philippines is just 23 years old, while almost 6 out of 10 social media users are below the age of 24. That considers teenage Filipinos part of those social media users. In the Philippines, 94% of the Filipinos penetrate on mobile devices, 32% on Internet, and 28% on other social media. That’s a fact for mobile devices are really more common to Filipinos especially on teenagers. In this generation, mobile devices is not just a way of communication by text or call, it can now give access to the Internet world using applications installed in their devices. Because of this continuing changes brought by technology, some Philippine customs and practices are also slowly fading. Too much attention to social media is one of its reasons. The influence of social media affects mostly Filipino teenagers. Their times are now more occupied in giving attention to social media than in keeping their customs and practices.

Social media has advantages and disadvantages when in use. Some of its advantages to a teenager are: (1) It can be their way of communication to friends or family members from across the globe or country; (2) It helps giving different information about certain things or person; (3) For students, it can help them in social constructivism, it can be there breadth of knowledge, and it can help them in technological literacy; and more. While some of its disadvantages are: (1) It causes cybercrimes and cyber bullying; (2) It can be a negative influence in a student’s productivity; (3) It can damage someone’s reputation; (4) It can be a distraction to students; (5) It can be a teenager’s portal to sex education; and more. Even with those advantages and disadvantages, social media is still one of the priorities of a Filipino teenager. But because of the continuous increase of negative effects of social media to the community and the crimes committed using it, a local media company in the Philippines recently launched the campaign “Think before you click,” which aims to raise awareness on responsible usage of social media among Internet users. Also the Philippine Congress enacted the Republic Act No. 10175 or the “Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012”, this is an act defining cybercrime, providing for the prevention, investigation, suppression and the imposition of penalties therefor and for other purposes. It was approved by President Benigno S. Aquino III on September 12, 2012. Minors are commonly referred into cyber bullying having 47% in the majority of cybercrimes in the Philippines. The effects made by those bullying and crimes are very serious because it can damage one’s reputation after and decrease their self-esteems. Some Filipino teenagers still doesn’t mind about the cybercrime law because cyber bullying still continues in their age bracket. However, if they do think before they click these negative effects of using social media could be prevented and stopped.

Social media only gives us the chance to expand our visions and communication to others. So if one is wise enough to use it in the right way, social media will always keep on growing and developing with us in our generation.

Reflection

As a fellow Filipino teenager who has knowledge about social media, I think that it is really great to be engaged at it. Social media is simply, my way to express what I feel, what I think, and what the things that occur in my life meant to me. Through social media, I can have faster access to people I know, especially my friends, family, and relatives. I can even communicate faster with them by having social media. And for me with social media, the creativity of one’s mind could enhance. Even my language skills also enhanced because of social media. I, also as a social media blogger, prefer social media most for me to share and post my thoughts. I even can say that I couldn’t live without those social media sites be updated and be full with my earned thoughts in life, captured memories, and filmed adventures. But still I consider out the different disadvantages I could have because of social media. I can reflect with this topic because I also was once or more times had been judged, discriminated, bullied, and became a victim of those who use social media in the wrong way. I also even knew people who were also became victims and suspects on this cybercrimes and misused of social media. Even how fun and enjoyable giving my full time in just updating up my social networking sites, I still know that not everything from it is good. I became addicted to it and that give me less time of sleep every night, which is bad. Mobile devices though also very important to me because it is my way to communicate with my friends and schoolmates, still had also given me an experience that shattered my feminine thoughts. That was when my maybe-a-pervert cousin tried to record a video of me taking a shower using his mobile phone with a built in camera. I would have lost my feminine side by his pervert mind but luckily I noticed his phone hidden in the pile of unwashed clothes and thrown it out the bathroom afterwards. Social media could really be dangerous because there are more numbers of different crimes committed from it. Cyber bullying is one of the common crimes I know that is committed using social media. It is when people produce insulting edited pictures and share private stuffs about a certain person using social media. I knew this girl who is popular in our province and also in some popular social networking site I’m fond to visit in the internet. She got this great voice that I, too, am so jealous about. When she posted this video of her singing and making a cover of a song, people started to comment insulting things about her delivery of the song in the video. Some started to share it to other profiles or accounts and then gathered few more insulting comments on the girl’s video. I felt sorry for her because she’s a very nice girl. That was only one of the example of the effects I think social media had brought to our generation. I never meant to say that I am against social media. I, too, am fond of using social media. But I just want others to reflect also about not just the good side but also the bad side that social media is bringing. Social media is helpful and useful but if others will not use it the right way and the way it really are meant to be used to, it will really effect not just one person but also the rest of the people involved to it. The right use of social media also depends on us. If we are aware of what effects it can cause us, we could have the chance to manage and decide on how to use it. I, as a social media user, want not just myself but also everyone to use social media in the right way.