Lecture 2

CULTURE
Culture is the characteristics and knowledge NORMS
of a particular group of people, encompassing Cultures differ widely in their norms, or
language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music standards and expectations for behaving.
and arts. Norms are often divided into two types,
It encompasses religion, food, what we wear, formal norms, and informal norms.
how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, Formal norms, also called mores and laws, refer
what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at to the standards of behavior considered the
the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave most important in any society.
with loved ones, and a million other things. Mores are the most specific, clearly stated,
The word "culture" was derived from a French and strictly enforced norms that carry
term, which in turn derives from the Latin corresponding
"colere," which means to tend to the earth and punishments for those that break them or
grow, or cultivation and nurture. fail to follow them.
Examples: Rules in school,
The Philippines is a country that has varied offices, society, etc.
cultural influences. Most of these influences are
results of previous colonization, deriving mainly Informal norms, also called folkways and customs,
from the culture of Spain and the United States. refer to standards of behavior that are considered
Despite all of these influences, the old Asian less important but still influence how we behave.
culture of Filipinos has been retained and are
clearly seen in their way of life, beliefs and Folkways are patterns of repetitive behavior
customs. which become habitual and conventional part of
living, but these norms may be easily broken
ELEMENTS OF CULTURE and don’t have serious consequences.
Culture combines many elements to create a Examples:
unique way of living for different people. • Taking a bath/shower
• Praying after waking up
SYMBOLS • Brushing teeth after meals, etc.
A symbol is anything that is used to stand for
something else. People who share a culture Taboos are very strong negative norms. These
often attach a specific meaning to an object, refer to the prohibition of certain behavior that is
gesture, sound, or image. so strict that violating it results in extreme disgust
For example, a cross is a significant symbol toand even expulsion from the group or society.
Christians. It is not simply two pieces of wood Examples:
attached to each other, nor is it just an old Incest
object of torture and execution. To Christians, it Cannibalism
represents the basis of their entire religion, and Pre-marital sex
they have great reverence for the symbol. Another To be a homosexual/gay
example is Mano or Pagmamano. Eating pork among Muslims, etc.

LANGUAGE
It is a system of words and symbols used to
communicate with other people. This includes full
languages as we usually think of them, such as LAYERS OF CULTURE
English, Tagalog, etc. But it also includes body The national level: associated with the
language, slang, and common phrases that are nation as a whole
unique to certain groups of people. Another The regional level: associated with ethnic,
example of how cultural languages differ beyond linguistic, or religious differences that exist
vocabulary is the fact that eye contact within a nation The gender level: associated
represents different meanings in different with gender differences (female vs. Male) The
cultures. generation level: associated with the
Examples: Lip Pointing, Nodding and raising differences between
eyebrows with a smile, Silent looks. grandparents and parents, parents and
children
The social class level: associated with
VALUES educational opportunities and differences in
It is the culture’s standard for discerning what is occupation
good and just in society. Values are deeply The corporate level: associated with the
embedded and critical for transmitting and particular culture of an
teaching a culture’s beliefs. It helps shape a
organization. Applicable to those who are
society by suggesting what is good and bad,
employed.
beautiful and ugly, sought or avoided. Values
often suggest how people should behave, but
they don’t accurately reflect how people do POPULAR CULTURE
behave. Values portray an ideal culture; the It is also called mass culture and pop culture)
standards society would like to embrace and live is generally recognized by members of a
up to. society as a set of the practices, beliefs and
objects that are dominant or ubiquitous in a
society at a given point in time. Heavily
The term bahala na, which can be translated
influenced in modern times by mass media, this
to whatever happens, happens, is one of the
collection ofideas permeates the everyday
more familiar phrases used in the country and
lives of people in a given society. Therefore,
is perhaps the most representative of how
popular culture has a way of influencing an
Filipinos value adaptability and quick thinking.
individual’s attitudes towards certain topics.
It exemplifies one’s belief in a higher power
and submitting one’s fate to elements that
ETHNOCENTRISM vs. CULTURAL RELATIVISM
cannot be controlled.
Despite how much humans have in common,
cultural differences are far more prevalent in return—so that undertaking their tasks and
than cultural universals. responsibilities become much easier.
It is the belief or attitude that one’s own Sometimes this is called “community spirit.”
culture is better than all others, and should
therefore serve as the standard frame for Filipinos value traditions and culture. For
reference. Some called it “cultural ignorance”. Filipinos, traditions in their home and in their
It is the idea that a person’s beliefs, values and family are important. They usually set aside a
practices should be understood based on the specific day for a certain celebration like
person’s own culture, rather than be judged festivals, birthday parties, reunions, etc. And of
against the criteria of another. course, every gathering is dedicated to
ETHNOCENTRISM keeping up with each other over sumptuous
An example of ethnocentrism in culture is the food.
Asian cultures across all the countries of Asia. Filipinos love to eat.
Throughout Asia, the way of eating is to use Aside from breakfast, lunch, and dinner,
chopsticks with every meal. These people may Filipinos manage to squeeze in a little meal in
find it unnecessary to find that people in other between, too. Whether they eat every hour or
societies, such as the American society, eat every three hours, they savour every bite.
using forks, spoons, knives, etc. Since these Filipinos have the longest Christmas
countries use chopsticks to eat every meal, celebrations.
they find it foolish for other cultures to not use Even as early as August, you can hear
utensils similar to chopsticks; however, they do Christmas songs and jingles being played in the
accept the fact that they use different utensils malls or in the restaurants in the Philippines.
for eating. This example is not something The mood becomes festive, with many people
extreme that could lead to genocide or war, but shopping and in good spirits. Christmas
it is a large enough gap between these cultures celebrations last until around the first or
for people to see their way of eating as the second week of January.
natural or best way to typically eat their food.
Filipinos love to sing.
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
This is the reason why karaoke has become so
For example, if a person believes that abortion is
morally wrong, then it IS wrong -- for her. In other prevalent. As part of their recreation, Filipinos
words, it would be morally wrong for Susan to havespend some quality time with their families or
an abortion if Susan believed that abortion is always friends singing or belting out new and old songs.
morally wrong. Etiquette & Customs
Initial greetings are formal and follow a set
What are the common Filipino culture and values? protocol of greeting the eldest or most important
Filipinos are very resilient. person first. Use academic, professional, or
In times of calamities and catastrophes, Filipinos honorific titles and the person's surname until you
always manage to rise above the challenge. Instead are invited to use their first name, or even more
of wallowing, they manage to pick themselves up frequently, their nickname.
and smile. Filipino Family Values
The family is the centre of the social structure and
includes the nuclear family, aunts, uncles,
The culture of the Philippines comprises a blend of
grandparents, cousins and honorary relations such
traditional Filipino and Spanish Catholic traditions,
as godparents, sponsors, and close family friends.
with influences from America and other parts of
People get strength and stability from their family.
Asia. The Filipinos are family oriented and often
As such, many children have several godparents. It
religious with an appreciation for art, fashion, music
is common for members of the same family to
and food.
work for the same company.
Filipino Concept of Shame
Filipinos take pride in their families. In the Hiya is shame and is a motivating factor
Philippines, it is family first. So whether you are behind behaviour.
part of the immediate family or you belong to the It is a sense of social propriety and
fourth generation, you are treated as a family conforming to societal norms of behaviour.
member. Sometimes, even the closest of friends Filipinos believe they must live up to the
are considered family, too. accepted standards of behaviour and if they fail
to do so they bring shame not only upon
Filipinos are very religious. themselves, but also upon their family.
In all corners of a Filipino house, you can find One indication of this might be a willingness to
brazen images of crosses and other religious spend more than they can afford on a party
paraphernalia. They go to church every Sunday, or rather than be shamed by their economic
sometimes even twice or three times a week. circumstances.
If someone is publicly embarrassed, criticized,
or does not live up to expectations, they feel
shame and lose self-esteem.

Filipinos are very respectful.

If you are invited to a Filipino's house:
From the moment they are born into this
world, they are already taught how to be
respectful by using these simple catchphrases The best time to arrive is 15 to 30 minutes
—po and opo, words that end sentences when later if they are invited on a large party.
addressing elders. Dress well. Appearances matter and you will
They have a culture of pagmamano, which is be judged on how you dress. Compliment the
where they raise the backs of the hands of hostess on the house.
their elders to their foreheads as a sign of
respect. MEDIA
Refers to the groups that
Filipinos help one another. communicate information and news to people.
More popularly known as bayanihan, Filipinos Most Americans get their information about
help one another—without expecting anything government from the news media because it
would be awareness, exploration and even definition.
impossible to gather all the news Popular culture is in question considering that
themselves. the country is a Third World country, a
Media outlets have responded to the increasing developing nation, with may indigenous
reliance of Americans on television and the groups, still un-urbanized and with long history
Internet by making the news even more readily of colonization.
available to people. Two layers of cultural influence in the country:
There are three main types of news media: print the Spanish and the American and the less
media, broadcast media, and the Internet. discernible but deeply assimilated Chinese and
Print Media other Asian cultures.
The oldest media forms are newspapers, magazines,
journals, newsletters, and other printed material. COLONIZATION
These publications are collectively known as the SPAIN – 375 years (1521 – 1896) UNITED STATES –
Print Media. Although print media readership has 48 years (1898 – 1946)
declined in the last few decades, many Americans
still read a newspaper every day or a
newsmagazine on a regular basis. The influence of Mass media generated culture also known as
print media is therefore significant. Regular readers the popular culture is of recent phenomenon
of print media tend to be more likely to be politically in the
active. Philippines.
In the Philippines , colonized by Spain for 375 years (
Broadcast Media are news reports broadcast via 1521 – 1896) , by the United Sates for 48 years (1898-
radio and television. Television news is hugely 1946) and within the US influence through economic
important in the United States because more dependence and the media, the question of culture
Americans get their news from television is complex. It is not only overwhelmingly
broadcasts than from any other source. westernized , but also multilayered.

Popular culture, according to National Artist for

The Internet literature
The Internet is slowly transforming the news media Bienvenido Lumbera in his book Revaluation: Essays
because more people are relying on online sources on Philippine Literature, Theatre and Popular
of news instead of traditional print and broadcast Culture (1984), is highly different from the Folk
media. The web also allows for a more interactive culture and National; culture of the Filipinos.
approach by allowing people to personally tailor the Popular culture in the Philippines was created and
news they receive via personalized web portals, used by Spaniards to the native Filipinos or Indio’s
newsgroups, podcasts, and feeds. via plays and literature to get the heart of the
Weblogs—known colloquially as Blogs—have natives and win it. The colonial origins of popular
become very influential since the start of the culture in the Philippines can be traced by looking at
twenty-first century. the salient developments in Philippine literature.
Leading bloggers write their opinions on a variety
of issues, and thousands of people respond on FOLK CULTURE - The way of living in a place in a
message boards. Although many blogs are highly specific time an portrays the practices of a certain
partisan and inaccurate, a few have been people, and how they cope to survive with nature.
instrumental in breaking big stories.
NATIONALIST CULTURE – is the culture created
Relationship Between Media and Pop Culture through colonial resistance with the collective
Culture in the developed world is spread of a people on a given place and time.
through mass media channels.
Cultural products and their popularity can influenceThese two are DIFFERENT from popular culture
which media channels people prefer. The media play
which can be traced even in the period of
a critical role in informing citizens, influencing
attitudes and even touting the latest trends. TheHispanization of the Philippines.
media's role in our everyday lives is critical because
often the information they provide shapes public Folk Culture in the Philippines
opinion and influences our choices — from what The Aetas, pronounced as eye-tas are among
music we choose to purchase to the candidates we the earliest known migrants of their population
elect. managed to keep their cultural practices and
traditions.
INFLUENCE OF But sadly, as one of the indigenous groups
Television thriving in the country, they also face
Radio challenges such as displacement,
Music marginalization, and poverty.
Online recreation [games] Aetas are characterized by their skin color,
height, and hair types. They mostly have dark
to dark-brown skin, curly hair, and are usually
What is the role of media in culture? below five-feet tall.
They are hunting and gathering indigenous
Mass media is communication—whether written, people. Thy are also the most skilled when it
broadcast, or spoken—that reaches a large possess tools and weapons. While they're
audience. nomadic, they are able to build temporary
Mass media is a significant force in modern houses made of sticks.
culture, particularly in America.
Sociologists refer to this as a mediated Indigenous Groups in the Philippines
culture where media reflects and creates The term indigenous refers to any ethnic
the culture. group that resides in its original location,
practices a traditional culture, and speaks a
Lecture 3 minority language.
Some indigenous groups may have lost their
Philippine Popular Culture
traditional language, but are otherwise
Popular culture in the Philippines was of recent
considered an indigenous ethnic group.
Other ethnic groups may have been displaced Nationalistic Culture of the Philippine Spanish Era
from their original According to Lumbera, popular culture in the
homeland but have retained most of their Philippines was created and used by the Spaniards
indigenous culture. to the native Filipinos or Indio's via plays and
The very term indigenous peoples is confusing literature to get the heart of the natives and win it.
because most people in the world are Forms of popular theatre and literature such as the
“indigenous” to their countries in the sense of pasyon, senakulo, and the korido ensure
having been born in them, being descended acceptance and spread Christianity, and the
from people who were born in them. komedya and awit did the for the monarchy.
Indigenous people are group of individuals sharing
common bonds of language, customs, traditions, and American Era
other distinctive cultural traits. Indigenous peoples Popular culture is defined here as popular
claim their lands because they were there first or written literature and broadcasting, popular
have occupied them since time immemorial. music, popular dance and theater, certain
They have thus been subordinated by or decorative arts, sports and recreation, and other
incorporated in alien states which treat them as cultural aspects of social life distinguished by
outsiders and, usually, as inferiors. Since they had their broad-based presence across ethnic, social,
not developed their own states and are not integral and regional groupings.
to the states that now actually or potentially rule
over them, indigenous peoples are often referred to
as “tribal.”
The phrase tribal peoples is unfortunately imprecise.
Nowadays it is used as a kind of shorthand to refer Popular Culture at Present
to small-scale, pre-industrial societies that live in The concept of popular culture is not just “of the
comparative isolation and manage their affairspeople” but of the massgenerally understood to be
without any centralized authority such as the state. urban and industrialized.
MASS MEDIA-GENERATED culture in the Philippines
LUZON “ IGOROT “ promotes popular culture.
Igorot is the general name for the people of the The Filipino popular culture is now adapted and
Cordillera region, in the Philippines island of Luzon. practiced by many Filipinos. We can all agree
The word "Igorot" is an eponym, derived from the that it has positive and negative effects in our
archaic Tagalog term for "mountain people" (formed identity and country. We just have to look at
from the prefix i-, "dweller of" and golot, "mountain the brighter side the history has given us.
range").
The Igorot peoples are Austronesians. They were
The present socio-economic state is
known in earlier days for their wars and practice of
predominantly agricultural,
headhunting.
semi-feudal and neo-colonial with the presence
The Spaniards forcibly partially subdued them
of multinational
during the colonial occupation of the Philippines,
corporations and economy
that
process being completed during the period of dependent on foreign economies. Determining
U.S. hegemony. what is popular in the Philippine context is not
an easy task.
Ethnologists distinguish about 10 main ethnic
groups, each with its own dialect and culture.
Philippine Modernity and Hegemony Cultural
hegemony refers to
BONTOC
domination or rule maintained through
It is a group of former headhunters that has
ideological or cultural means.
traditionally lived by hunting, fishing and farming.
Bontoc comes from the word buntuk, which It is usually achieved through social institutions,
means mountains and refers to the people of which allow those in power to strongly influence
Mountain Province. Those living in the capital the values, norms, ideas, expectations,
town of Mountain Province often speak Bontok, worldview, and behavior of the rest of society.
and many speak Ilocano as well. Modern technology has changed our lives in
ways we cannot begin to imagine.
Satellite, television, the fax machine, the
Traditional religion remains strong among the personal computer, the internet, the cellular
Bontoc, especially spirits associated with the phone and the whole amazing culture of
dead. “texting” which is now “chatting” just to take
These spirits, known as anito, lives in a spirit the most recent examples, have massively
world in the mountains that is not unlike the one altered the way we experience and look at
people usually people live in. Their population is the world, and relate to one another.
spread over 10 municipalities and 137 barrios, HEGEMONY (hegemonic):
and each village has its own distinct dialect, The processes by which dominant culture maintains
some of which are Sadanga, Guinaang Bontoc, its dominant position: for example, the use of
and Bayyu. institutions to formalize power
Simple example: the student government leadership
They consult on all characterized matters in a school.
and relay their answers through bird calls.
Lumawig is their supreme deity. MODERNITY
Both men and women traditionally covered The term we use to a mode of experiencing the
their bodies with tattoos, although the men world as an environment of ceaseless change.
were only allowed to after having killed MODERNIST is the term we apply to those who
enemies in inter-tribal conflicts. thrive and make themselves at home in such a
Women wear bright red hand-woven skirts, world while,
and used distinctive pieces of snake skeleton TRADITIONALIST refers to those who are
as hairpieces. intimidated by the new and derive comfort in
Today, many of the Bontoc cultures and nostalgic recollections of the past. Modern
traditions are rarely practiced and slowly technology has changed our lives in ways we
disappearing. cannot begin to imagine. Satellite, television, the
fax machine, the personal computer, the internet,
the cellular phone and the whole amazing culture another, to live in faith and to build a home.
of “texting” which is now “chatting” just to take the TRADITIONAL POLITICS
most recent examples, have massively altered the More than the family or the church, however, it is
way we experience and look at the world, and the traditional politicians who have prevented
relate to one another. our people from fully taking up the challenge of
modernity.
MODERNIST
TRADITIONALIST Language Focus: Denotation and Connotation
Passive Modernist are caught in the swirl of a world
they cannot hope to control; theirs is a life of Lecture 4
constant coping under pain of isolation.
Active Modernist in contrast, try to assert control THE HISTORY OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION
over some aspects of their situation by anticipating PRE-INDUSTRIAL AGE (BEFORE 1700S)- People
events and planning ahead; theirs is a life of discovered fire, developed paper from plants, and
adaptation, non-stop forged weapons and tools with stone, bronze,
experimentation and passionate copper, and iron.
engagement. Examples:
Passive Traditionalist retreat into their cocoon • Cave paintings (35, 00 BC)
of memories and become grumpy classicists – • Clay tablets in Mesopotamia (2400 BC)
they measure everything in the venerable • Papyrus in Egypt (2500 BC)
canons of the familiar. • Acta Diurna in Rome (130 BC)
Active Traditionalist, on the other hand, • Dibao in China (2nd Century)
take up the ideologies and worldviews of • Printing press using wood blocks (220 AD)
the past and invest them with eternal
INDUSTRIAL AGE (1700S-1930S) - People used the
meanings – they power of steam, developed machine tools,
organize constituencies against modernity established iron production, and the
and strive to return humanity back to the manufacturing of various products (including
fold idealized past. books through the printing press).
Examples:
Modernist Four Important Channels The • Printing press for mass production (19th
School century) • Newspaper- The London Gazette
The Market (1640)
Mass Media • Typewriter (1800) Telephone (1876)
Overseas Work • Motion picture photography/projection (1890)
The School • Commercial motion pictures (1913) •
The Market • Motion picture with sound (1926)
Mass Media • Telegraph
Overseas Work • Punch cards
ELECTRONIC AGE (1930S-1980S) - The invention of
The School the transistor ushered in the electronic age.
Filipino parents know that only formal People harnessed the power of transistors that
education can rescue their children from led to the transistor radio, electronic circuits,
the vicious cycles of poverty. and the early computers. In this age, long
distance
It is formal education that has created
the Filipino middle class. communication became more efficient.
The Market Examples:
We are a nation tireless shoppers, and • Transistor Radio
fondness for imported goods is legendary. • Television (1941)
We often see it as a colonial hangover, but • Large electronic computers- i.e. EDSAC (1949)
in many ways, our receptiveness to and UNIVAC 1 (1951)
foreign things is what makes us so open to • Mainframe computers - i.e. IBM 704 (1960)
the modern. • Personal computers - i.e. Hewlett Packard 9100A
Mass Media (1968), Apple 1 (1976)
Television, in particular, has exerted a profound INFORMATION AGE (1900S-2000S) - The Internet
influence on the way we live. paved the way for faster communication and
the creation of the social network..
The pervasiveness of English, we are a natural
market for American programs and movies, which Examples:
are most effective carriers of modernity. • Web browsers: Mosaic (1993), Internet Explorer
Overseas Work (1995)
• Blogs: Blogspot (1999), LiveJournal (1999),
If one examines Philippine social history, one would
WordPress (2003)
be hard-pressed to find any other phenomenon that
• Social networks: Friendster (2002), Multiply
has had as dramatic, as deep, and as
(2003), Facebook (2004)
comprehensive impact on the collective fate and
• Microblogs: Twitter (2006), Tumblr (2007)
private lives of Filipino overseas employment.
“Makabagong Bayani” • Video: YouTube (2005)
• Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality
• Video chat: Skype (2003), Google Hangouts
Modernity has been impeded by three basic (2013)
forces: • Search Engines: Google (1996), Yahoo (1995)
THE FAMILY • Portable computers- laptops (1980), netbooks
The Filipino modern family consists of father and (2008), tablets (1993)
mother, who, oftentimes, are both part of the • Smart phones
working sector while the children are left in the • Wearable technology
care of either a nanny or grandparents. Parents
• Cloud and Big Data
are more focused to provide for the education
What Does Media Do for Us?
and future of their children.
Entertainment
THE CHURCH
Public Forum
The church is important to every Filipino family. The
Information and Education
teachings provide inspiration for them to serve one
Media fulfills several roles in society: •Flexibility
• Entertaining and providing an •Engagement
outlet for the imagination, •Cost effective
• Educating and informing, •Time effective
• Serving as a public forum for •Interactive
the discussion of important •Targeted Marketing
issues, and
• Acting as a watchdog for
government, business, and other
institutions. Lecture 5
Media Literacy
A Brief History of Mass Media and Culture •The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and
• Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing create media in a variety of forms.
press enabled the mass production of media, •It aims to empower citizens by
which providing them with the competencies
was then industrialized by Friedrich Koenig in the (knowledge and skills) necessary to engage with
early 1800s. traditional media and new technologies.
• These innovations led to the daily newspaper, Information is a broad term that covers processed
which united the urbanized, industrializeddata, knowledge derived from study, experience,
populations of the 19th century. instruction, signals or symbols.
• Transitions from one technology to another Literacy is the ability to understand, interpret,
have greatly affected the media industry, create, and communicate using printed and
although it is difficult to say whether technology written materials.
caused a cultural shift or resulted from it. Information Literacy
• The ability to make technology small and The ability to define
affordable enough to fit into the home is an problems in terms of their
important aspect of the popularization of new information needs, and to
technologies. apply a systematic
• After World War II, television boomed in the approach to search, locate,
United States and abroad, though its
apply, and synthesize the
concentration in the hands of three major
networks led to accusations of homogenization. information and evaluate
• The spread of cable and subsequent the entire process in terms
deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s led to more of effectiveness and
channels, but not necessarily to more diverse Efficiency.
ownership. COMPONENTS OF INFORMATION LITERACY
• In the 20th century, radio allowed IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA AND INFORMATION
advertisers to reach a mass audience and LITERACY
helped spur the consumerism of the ✔Become a smart consumer of products and information.
1920s—and the Great Depression of the 1930s. ✔Learn to think critically.
Legacy / Traditional Media ✔Recognize point of view.
•Old media, 1900 media, or legacy media, are the ✔Identify the role of media in our culture; and
mass media institutions that predominated prior ✔Understand the type of influence made by media and how
to we can make informed choices.
the Information Age; particularly print media, film TECHNOLOGY LITERACY
studios, music studios, advertising agencies, • Technology literacy is a term used to describe
radio broadcasting, and television an individual’s ability to assess, acquire and
• Old media institutions are centralized and communicate information in a fully digital
communicate with one-way technologies to a environment.
(generally anonymous) mass audience. • It refers to a familiarity with digital information
•Traditional media, also known as old media or and devices, increasingly essential in a modern
legacy media, consists of print media, film learning environment.
studios, radios, newspapers, and televisions. • Technology literacy is similar to digital literacy,
•Traditional media marketing is often referred in that an individual who is technologically or
to as outbound marketing, as it is done through digitally literate is well-versed in thinking
traditional media platforms and sends out critically and communicating by utilizing
messages to the customers instead of initiating technology.
conversations. • These individuals understand how to consume,
•The target audience of traditional media is a create, authenticate and share digital content,
largely anonymous mass audience and such kind and can easily adapt to new technologies.
of marketing can be described as one-way What are the similarities / differences between
communication. media literacy, information literacy and
New Media technology literacy?
• New media can best be described as digital
channels that have gained popularity in the HOW TO SPOT FAKE NEWS
advertising space in the last decade or so. Consider the source
• As more and more consumers rely on their cell Read beyond
phones for everything, new media has become Check the author
an increasingly effective way to advertise. Supporting Sources
New media encompasses internet-based forms Check the date
of Check your biases
advertising such as banner ads, social media, Is it a joke?
and Ask the experts
apps. This form of media can be highly targeted,
even allowing businesses to reach consumers as Lecture 6
they enter their store, for example, using cell SEMIOTICS
phone • also called semiology, the study of signs and
push notifications. sign-using behavior.
• It was defined by one of its founders, the Swiss
Why people prefer new media? linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, as the study of
“the life of signs within society.” the company created the first 176 emojis
for cell phones, which was initially used
Emojis and Emoticons – Their Birth and a Brief only on the NTT network.
History 2007 – Emoji becomes Mainstream
✔ Here the entire mood or the tone • Emojis became mainstream throughout the
of the conversation is created by globe only when Google included them in their
the emojis, devoid of which the Gmail and
entire conversation would seem 2011 – Emoji Meets iPhone • Emojis went on to
become a truly global phenomenon only when
quiet formal and curt.
Apple enabled an emoji keyboard on the iPhone
✔ The emojis here provide a more Gchat.
friendly and casual speech like Our favorite Filipino expressions in Emojis
quality to the text which makes Semiotics of Emoji: The Rise of Visual Language
it more of a direct extension of in the Age of Internet – Laura Kerslake and
speech. Rupert Wegerif
EMOTICON • Emoji are primarily used to add emotion to
• is made from the two words ‘emotion’ and digital communications.
‘icon’. • They tend to add a positive tone to messages,
• is a typographic display of facial expression seen by their users as ‘fun’ (p. 179).
like this one :-) or :-( which found its first • This is an important compensation for the
appearance in the 1980s in America relative lack of contextual clues in online
communication of the kind that are so important
EMOJI to guiding interpretation in face to face
• is a Japanese term where e stands for picture communication.
and moji stands for character or letter • Emoji used online can play a similar role to
• are much more fleshed out versions of facial expression and gesture and are often to
emotions which resemble pictograms and they undermine seriousness with a sense of shared
were not just limited to facial expressions but humanity.
also included a pantheon of • The adaptability of human communication is
objects, activities and events along with the likely to prevail, and the continued use of emoji
facial expressions. will depend considerably on the form that new
• came much later in Japan technological development takes as much as any
inherent value in emoji communication itself.
Emoticons and Emojis – Are they the same? Key Points:
• Emojis literally meaning picture characters, How do you express emotions when you send a
are images that one can select to accompany text message? With emoji, of course!
or replace a text in instant The first emoji set came out in Japan in 1999. It
messaging, social media and emails. included a few faces, some weather icons, and a
variety of objects you’d see around the city.
Since then, hundreds of images have been
• Emoticons are typographic characters like this added, andEmoji has become its own language.
:-) :-( ;-) or even :-D, which actually have to be Is Emoji a universal language? Though a smile is
typed out. a smile in every corner of the world, other
• Emoticons can be called a text based images aren’t as clear cut. Are you joking or
precursors to emojis which came about much flirting when you send someone a winking emoji?
later in the 1990s in Japan. Emoji are sometimes used as a secret language
<3 or code.
Both performed the same function though emojis Close friends use emoji to express inside jokes.
brought in a much more variety. Secret codes aren’t always harmless
1887 – An unpleasant proposal Some critics say that the use of emoji is a big
AOL created a range of 15 emoticons on this step backward for mankind. After all, humans
basis 1982 – The Joke Marker moved from communicating with pictographs to
• Ambrose Bierce, An American developing spoken and written language after
• A computer scientist Scott Fahlman of learning the limits of drawings. Isthe fastest-
for their chat rooms which are as follows: growing language making humanity lazy?
poet, journalist, and writer of satirical essays Despite these criticisms, emoji are not going
and short stories, who is best known today for away anytime soon.
his collection of misanthropic In 2015, Oxford Dictionary named an emoji (Face
definitions, proposed the smiley face and other with Tears of Joy) its Word of the Year.
simple emoticons be added as new punctuation
characters in his essay, “For Brevity and Uses and Gratifications Theory in
Clarity.” MOBILE LEGENDS
the Carnegie Mellon University realized his What Is Uses and Gratifications Theory?
words were failing him when communicating • Uses and gratifications theory asserts that
with others on a forum, he found that it was people use media to gratify specific wants and
difficult to convey that some posts were meant needs.
to be taken as a joke. • Uses and gratifications characterizes people
• He then proposed to the University’s message as active and motivated in selecting the media
board to include a colon, a dash and a they choose to consume. • The theory relies on
bracket :-) as a joke maker. two principles: media users are active in their
selection of the media they consume, and they
1995 – The Birth of the Modern Day Emoji are aware of their reasons for selecting
• In 1995, a Japanese telemarketing different media options.
company called the NTT Docomo
created a heart symbol for their What Is Uses and Gratifications Theory?
pagers and the world’s first • Uses and gratifications theory asserts that
integrated mobile internet service people use media to gratify specific wants and
called the i-mode and paved the needs.
way for the birth of the modern • Uses and gratifications characterizes people
as active and motivated in selecting the media
day emojis.Shigetaka Kurita, commonly known as they choose to consume. • The theory relies on
the father of the emoji, who worked for
 two principles: media users are active in their • The games which are products of variety of
selection of the media they consume, and they cultures (Tupas, 2016) remain the number 1
are aware of their reasons for selecting pastime of the younger generation.
different media options. • But even if it is still played today, the study
shows “To be modern is to open ourselves to the
History of Mobile Legends in the Philippines possibilities brought about by the unending flux
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (aka Mobile Legends, of innovation and obsolescence. It is to welcome
ML, or MLBB) is already a five year-old game, change, and to be at home in it, rather than to
and yet– it does not show any signs of slowing sneer at the new from the vantage point of
down. romanticized past, but to be modern is also to
Initially released in November 2016, the Moonton- grow in freedom with time, to strive to reduce
developed mobile multiplayer-online based our vulnerability unsettling events and
arena (MOBA) game grew to become one of the phenomena, and to discipline and form ourselves
biggest mobile esports games in 2021. In early into a confident, stable, peaceful nation.” -
2020, ML had over one billion installs with an Marshal
average active player base of around 100 million
per month. In particular, there are over 100
million registered users and 25 million monthly
active users in the Philippines alone.
As of March 2021, ML has 78 Million monthly
players logging in to the game. Its massive
popularity and influence have been so consistent
that the mobile title was even among the games
chosen for the first medal event eSports
competition at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Related Research: Mobile games on the basis of
uses and gratificationsapproach: A comparison
of the mobile game habits of university and
highschool students
It was found that, compared to high school
students, university students were more inclined
to believe that mobile games were produced
for marketing purposes.
The study revealed that high school and
university students played mobile games to
gratify the following motives:
✔(1) self-realization/personal gratification (34.754%),
✔(2) rivalry/excitement (8.765%),
✔(3) social interaction (5.482%),
✔(4) addiction (4.995%) and
✔(5) escape (4.783%).

Factors: Self-realization/personal gratification,

rivalry/excitement and social interaction), it was
found that male participants played mobile games
more than female participants did.
Female students played mobile games to escape
from their problems more than males did It was also
found that there was a decline in their tendency to
play mobile games to gratify their rivalry/excitement
motive beginning from the second grade in high
school education.

The study revealed that mobile gaming to satisfy

self realization/personal gratification needs was
more prevalent in the first and second years of high
school education.
It was also found that 12.4% of the participants
paid money to play mobile games or to pass to
a higher level, while 87.6% of them preferred
free games.
It should be highlighted that young people are
inclined to play mobile games in search of self-
gratification. Overuse of technology shows that
young people turn to the cyber world to build a
relationship or communicate. Given the
increasing popularity of mobile learning, mobile
games could serve as educational tools.
The responsibility of parents for the changes in
their children’s attitudes towards living in the cyber
world should also be reconsidered.
The Traditional Filipino Games: Status Check
AmongGeneration Z - Joel Asuncion Asian College of
Technology International Foundation
• In conclusion, even with the availability of
technology among the participants, they still chose
to play traditional Filipino games.
• With 56.66 percent of the participants who still
play the game which is part of the Filipino
culture and heritage, it can be deduced that the
Filipino Games even with the new generation
(Generation Z) are still alive.