Reaction Paper on the Future of Media

Maria Fatima R. Vitug

2012-63127

Reaction Paper on the Future of Media

                Technology made life easier. In a country like the Philippines which is an archipelago, people are connected through media. It became the voice of the people in times of crisis in the government. The advancements in technology has not only reached new discoveries but achieved a social sense of importance in a society. In a forum held in TechnoHub which is entitled The Future of Media, the speakers talked about the wide range of influence the media has affected the countries specifically the Philippines.

                Media such as the internet, television, radio and newspaper is the source of information and communication of the people. It has two types which are the new media and old media. The new media is the internet. It has a broader and wider range of audience. Under this could be social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, email and video chat rooms. It is a powerful tool because it could connect not just the nation but the whole world. In this form of media, people are given the voice. They use this to speak out on whatever may be happening around them. According to the forum speaker Inday Espina-Varona, without it, the Tacloban earthquake victims would not have been able to receive aid and foods. According to her, one person went to a social media site to report the situation of the victims and it immediately spread until it reached the officials in charge of offering help. The new media is also a way for people to give criticisms. Malou Mangahas, the co-founder of Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and one of the speakers in the forum, said that “criticism is good citizenship too.” Criticisms may have a negative connotation but it is essential for people to do improvements on whatever they are lacking in. However, in the country like the Philippines, not everyone can have access to these new media. The old media such as the radio and newspaper are still the sole source of information in provinces, and their communication can be still through telephones and chit chats.

                The forum emphasized on the importance that these two types of media should work together. It was said that the new media may be powerful but it is only accessible to people with the means to pay for it. Thus, it made the old media still a prevailing agent for communication and information since it is primarily used by people from the beginning. In the Philippines, the old media could reach the people in small communities of provinces. With the convergence of new media, there will be a wider and bigger audience. Through this forum, I was able to realize that having access to these social media is a big responsibility because I could be a part of something, an advocacy. The social sites I signed up for like Twitter and Facebook is not something to just kill time for but to be a part of a growing community of speakers. Older generations may see us young generations as too dependent on technology, but through the media, we were able to connect to others and show that we care.