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DAY 7: NEWSPAPER

Newspapers are not as sought after as they were before because news is quickly accessible through the internet and social media, which can be accessed through smartphones. I, however, think that newspapers are still an important medium because not everyone has access to the internet and own smartphones like the majority. The newspaper is something that I am very familiar with since I have been a part of the school newspaper during grade school, high school, and now, in college. 

I have been writing for and submitting articles to Miriam College’s official newspaper Chi Rho. The content of my work has mostly been about local school news and topics in relation to the government. I’d like to think that in a small way I am helping my fellow Knollers by providing them with news that matter, that will help them make informed decision and opinions. 

Fake news may also be present through publications, as with any form of media; however, as Miriam College students we are taught to uphold and protect the truth, therefore it is my responsibility as a writer for our publication that I produce meaningful and truthful articles that represent the ideals that MC wants us to embody.

So that has been a week of documented media experience. I hope that this blog post helped you, dear reader, in some way and encouraged you to further develop your media and information literacy. During these trying times, it’s best that as a nation we use our minds and be vigilant. Always.

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DAY 6: THE INTERNET

The internet is a place where you can access millions of information in just a click of a button. I’ve always been amazed by the way the latter - and technology in general - has continued to advance in ways that we could not have even imagined. As a student, I often use the internet to research for school but for this blog, I will be talking about how I use it to do some research on the candidates for the upcoming national elections in 2019.

I just registered as a voter this year. It is a right that I’ve always wanted to exercise because I care about the state of my country; that’s why I want to do it right by voting for candidates that truly prioritize the Philippines and its people. I am now currently researching whom to vote for through the internet.

So far I have three candidates that I am eyeing on voting - Atty. Florin Hilbay, Samira Gutoc Tomawis, and Chel Diokno. They are running for the Senate and so far they are the only candidates that I feel have a clean record based on research; however, I have also been thinking about the reliability of the information I have gathered because the internet is the source of a wide variety of info, including fake ones.

Fake news and information is a rampant issue nowadays so it’s best to be discerning of the things you read online. In my case, it is important that I be critical of the info I see about the candidates in the upcoming elections because I want to vote people who are deserving in office.

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DAY 5: FACEBOOK & TWITTER

Facebook and Twitter are two other social media apps that I use aside from Instagram. I’ve been on these two for… almost a decade! They have truly evolved since they first launched in the mid-00’s - from a venue where people can share mundane content and play online games, they have been the platform for political debates and the sharing of opinions relating to economic, social, cultural, and political matters.

I myself have used the two platforms to share my opinions but I do not engage in debates with people because those things could get pretty heated and toxic when you clash with a close-minded person. I also use those two apps to educate people; for example, before I tweeted that Filipinos do not have the right to use the n-word because it’s exclusively used by Black people only. This is because I noticed that most Filipinos are not aware that by using the n-word they are being culturally insensitive.

I believe that Facebook and Twitter are social media networks that can encourage people to engage in healthy discourse and contribute to the mental growth of a person because they get to be exposed to different insights every day; however, the disadvantage is that they are also exposed to the toxic side of these platforms as well - the rude comments, close-minded people, bullies, etc.

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DAY 4: INSTAGRAM

Instagram is a social media app that focuses on the sharing of photos and videos. This is one of the top apps that I use on a daily basis because I love photography and enjoy viewing the work of other people. I also use the app to stay updated on what’s happening with my friends and acquaintances through their Instagram Stories.

I have two accounts, one personal and one photography account. The former is for my personal photos for the private viewing of my family, friends, and acquaintances; the latter is for my photography work and can be viewed by everyone. I use this app to exert my creativity by making my feed look cohesive and post my photography. 

I also use Instagram to document my journey of living a zero-waste life with the hope that I can educate others about the possible ways to live that kind of lifestyle and to encourage them to do embrace it as well. I myself was only influenced through the app by a fellow user, Kimi Juan. She is a digital creative and photographer but the content she posts also tackles the zero-waste lifestyle. Like me, she documents how she lives that kind of life and educates people as well by posting tips on her account. 

Instagram is one of the many apps that help people become connected and encourage learning through the content of others. It is also an avenue that allows advocacies to be known and promoted. However, it does get a bad reputation for also promoting unrealistic beauty standards and fake happiness. I think that it depends on how you use your platform - instead of posting for the likes and affirmation from others, post content that somebody could learn from, post to express yourself, and most of all post something that’s real.

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DAY 3: FILM

Films are a great way to get audiences to evoke certain types of emotions, deliver great stories, and encourage people to think critically. I watched Heneral Luna (2015) in the theaters after it was being threatened to be pulled out from cinemas due to lack of audience support. I enjoyed the historical biopic so I was happy to see that it’s now available on the streaming service Netflix because I get to watch it again without resorting to piracy

Watching the movie reminded me of how great it is to see films with great stories and content are becoming more mainstream and appreciated. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching a simple, good, entertaining movie as much as the last person; but in times like this, I think it’s best that people support those that get them to analyze and be critical of today’s current situation and future events from then on.

Let’s use Heneral Luna as an example. The movie is about Gen. Antonio Luna and the events that happened during the 1989 Philippine-American War. If you’ve watched the movie, you would see that the general was met with disagreement from some of his countrymen when he wanted to fight against the Americans for the freedom of the country. These men wanted to be occupied by the colonizers because they believe that its best for the Philippines (and for business). In the end, Luna was ordered to be killed and was murdered by his fellow Filipinos.

There was a scene towards the end of the movie that showed General Arthur MacArthur Jr. and Major General Elwell Otis laughing about the situation, saying that Luna was a “worthy adversary” and that the Filipinos “killed the only real general” they ever had. I think this is a symbolic scene that shows the viewers that us Filipinos are the ones often bringing each other down rather than standing together. Also seen in the film is the attitude of some Filipinos about foreign countries, especially America, thinking that they are better than us. 

The movie also featured the abuse of power present in our government, something that is still evident today. The aim of this movie was to show that true patriotism is not loyalty to those in power but to your values, principles, and country itself. Let us be like Gen. Luna and all our national heroes, and be passionate about defending our freedom and rights, calling out those in power who are a threat to the democracy our ancestors fought for, and promote equality for all. 

I also hope that the Philippine film industry continues to utilize their platform and produce quality films that not only entertain but teach people lessons and further open their eyes to the world around them through the stories that they show.

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DAY 2: TV News

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Every day I watch the morning news while I eat my breakfast and prepare for my day. I believe that this is a good routine because it is nice to be up to date with the news that early in the morning. Actually, it’s nice to be up to date with the news always.

I say this because being updated means you are aware of the current situation of your country - of the world, even - and that enables you to make informed decisions and opinions; for example, weeks ago it was reported that climate change has worsened and that we may have a few years left to change our ways so that our world could be protected from environmental destruction. This and other personal factors led me to be more intentional when it comes to doing my share of protecting the environment and practicing the zero-waste or low-waste lifestyle. 

Another example could be the inflation experienced here in the Philippines, which dominated the news for a few weeks back then. My family and I were aware of this because of watching the news and from then on, we began carefully choosing what to buy in the grocery and public market to adjust to the rising of prices.

The news we see on TV is indeed helpful; however, we must be discerning of what we see and hear because there is a chance that the information presented to us may not be the full truth or biased. It’s possible! We must always confirm the news we receive through our own research, which I personally do. It is good to always exercise critical thinking.

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DAY 1: PODCASTS

Hello there, internet! My name is Jessie and I am a Miriam College student studying Bachelor of Arts in Communication. In this blog post, I will be sharing with you my media experience for one week and together we will see how I apply media and information literacy in my daily life! Before we move on to that, let us first define media and information literacy.

Media and information literacy (MIL), in my own understanding, is the skill of a person to access and critically assess the information they get from different types of media in order to make informed decisions. It is also their ability to produce meaningful content.

Now without further ado, let’s get started!

DAY 1: PODCASTS 

Podcasts are digital audio files that are uploaded online to be downloaded and listened by its audience. These are often in the form of series or shows, where the audio files are referred to as episodes. The term “podcast” is a combination of Apple’s iPod and broadcast.

This week - or month - I have been listening to the podcasts Wake Up With Jim & Saab and Adulting With Joyce Pring on Spotify, the latter being the first show I’ve listened to. I was feeling a bit stressed one day and decided that maybe it would help soothe me if I gave Joyce’s show a listen. I have been a fan of hers for a few years now but this is the first time I took notice of her podcast. Adulting With Joyce Pring had only a couple of episodes uploaded but I was hooked on podcasts by then so I decided to listen to Jim & Saab Bacarro’s show Wake Up With Jim & Saab. The couple are part of the band Cheats and are the parents of adorable Instagram star Pancho Bacarro.

The hosts of each podcast are in their 20s and have had way more experience in life than me. They often talk about adult life and their experiences navigating it. They also give tips for their listeners and provide funny anecdotes as well. As a young woman who is going to be entering her 20s soon, it’s nice to hear their stories and their advice because I can learn from them. Podcasts, for me, are a great way to learn and be entertained at the same time, especially because it feels like you’re a part of the conversation.

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The Issue on Climate Change: What Now?

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released a report on climate change, urging governments from all over the world to partake in rapid changes to prevent the already-alarming levels of global warming from going up any further. According to the report, the planet might reach 1.5 degrees Celsius by as early as 2030 -- this would mean the possibility of “extreme drought, wildfires, floods, and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people”. One factor for the rise of global warming these past few decades is the greenhouse effect caused by human activities, such as the burning of coal and oil, clearing of land for agriculture, and industrial activities. Globalization can also be considered as a contributor to global warming. The concept of globalization stems from the idea of all nations operating under a similar set of rules and are united in common interests and goals. Economically, it supports the idea of international trade, where businesses and organizations interact and influence on a global scale. International trade and influence mean more consumers of products. Increased consumption of products means an increased production of goods and transportation, which lead to more industrial waste, pollution, and land intrusion – the building of transport infrastructure, covering land or natural habitats that could’ve been used for something else that is respectful of its environment. This negative impact of globalization on the environment and the current state of our environment, in general, has led many to call for solutions before it’s too late. But what can we do to address the issue of climate change?

The United Nations and governments all over the world have been taking steps towards addressing the issue, such as the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The former is an agreement between parties to the United Nations Framework on Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) to put an effort to achieve a sustainable low carbon future” and keep the global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and prevent the temperature from increasing to even 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve these goals, the parties agreed to enhance climate change education, spread awareness, and encourage public participation and transparency. It was also agreed that financial resources would be provided, as well as the building of a new technology framework, appropriate mobilization, and enhanced capacity-building in order to support developing and most vulnerable countries with the actions they want to take to combat climate change in line with their nation’s agenda. These are only some of the steps the Paris Agreement aims to partake in to prevent the worsening of climate change.  

The UN Sustainable Development Goals is also another action that tries to address the issue of climate change, as well as other societal challenges related to poverty, peace, justice, inequality, environmental degradation, and prosperity. According to the UN, the Sustainable Development Goals is the “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” But what is sustainable development? The concept talks about how as a community, we must be able to sustain economic development and way of life without depleting our environment’s natural resources. Going back, the UN Sustainable Development Goals present goals out of the 13 goals that target climate change and environmental degradation – Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Life on Water, and Life on Land. To read more about these goals, click here.

As individuals, we can help save the environment by practicing sustainable habits or living a sustainable lifestyle. Here are some tips that may help:

 1.      Reduce food wastage – billions of people are hungry every day, especially those who are from developing and most vulnerable countries, yet 1/3 of the world’s food ends up on landfills. Food waste not only adds to pollution but also harms agricultural livelihoods. Only take and consume what you can!

 2.      Avoid fast-fashion brands – fast-fashion brands are those who sell cheap clothes that only cater to trends. The fashion industry is the world’s second-biggest contributor to water pollution and the production of some of the materials it uses can also harmfully impact the environment. It is encouraged that people subscribe to slow-fashion brands instead that are ethical and sustainable. Sadly, there are very few brands like these available locally.

 3.      Practice a low-waste lifestyle – being low-waste or zero-waste means living a lifestyle that aims to avoid producing waste as much as possible. It is a movement that is eco-friendly and sustainable. From avoiding plastic to opting for sustainable tools, products and way of living, it is a small act but one that – if done collectively – has a big impact.  

 The UNIPCC report is a wake-up call. We have at least 12 years to change the way we live as a community in order to prevent the worse from happening. The planet Earth owes us nothing; rather, we owe everything to it. Man does not have to damage its environment in order to live and develop. It is possible to live harmoniously with the Earth. If we all just collectively worked together and became disciplined, responsible consumers and users of resources, and lived sustainable lifestyles, we may just have a chance. The issue on climate change is not one man’s issue – it is a global issue, and as one global community, we must put out our best effort to address the looming challenge ahead of us.