Social Media as a Medium of Political Youth Participation in the Philippines

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through the use of information and communication technologies. Through those technologies, the organizations are able to fulfill their purpose of making meaningful contributions to the development of social justices, political processes, and environmental stability around the world. Denning (2001), enumerates the five general modes of Internet communication by social movement activists as the following: collecting and providing information, publication of said information (which assists action and mobilization), dialogue, coordinating action (which serves as an outlet for expression), and lobbying decision makers. Gibson & Ward (2000) on the other hand, utilize similar modes as well, such as: campaigning for recruitment, generating resources, building links between organizations, and promoting participation in political processes. One could note that social media has proven to be a vital tool in bringing together a multitude of organizations with a similar goal, but one should also note that although the Internet can bring these organizations together through their exchanges of information, it is up to individuals themselves to truly participate in supporting a cause offline instead of on their devices.

Another important aspect of cyberactivism is the collective identity it provides for the activists. Collective identity is described as a “continuous, dynamic, and self-reflexive process defined by its multiplicity of interactions, negotiations, and conflicts among fellow participants” (Shaganpour et al 2011). The Internet creates a network of networks, reinforcing solidarity among groups. The nature of the Internet itself does not only affect the way by which a movement may communicate its objectives, but also the geographical scale and reach, organizing structure, and collective identity of the movement. The collective identity of an organization defines the boundaries of the group, what the group believes in, and how the group sees the world. This establishes trust among members, which is essential is getting members to take actions that may be time consuming, inconvenient, or even dangerous; which is common in mobilization of activism itself. Collective identities among organizations help in the recruitment of new members, and the sustainment of old ones, helping in maintaining a healthy turnover of members within a group.

The Philippines is no stranger to revolutions. The country has revolted against multiple higher powers, from the Spaniards and the Americans, to fellow Filipinos like Marcos and Erap. More often than not, activism has been characterized by acts of mild violence, destructive actions such as the burning of chairs, vandalism of property, protests full of angry people outside government buildings. Although collective action can be effective in pushing for change, others may question the efficiency of these forms of activism. Many believe that although there are still many issues to address in our far from perfect society, there are more civilized, and less chaotic ways to address these. There are still advocates of peace and justice, but they choose to push for their causes with as little friction as possible. In this day and age, many think that the wild, aggressive form of activism should be reevaluated. Instead of putting the blame on the government or other institutions, activists could try other forms of two-way communication, and let others be informed of their ideas in a peaceful manner. Collective action is not a bad idea, and at times it could be the key to winning a revolution, but it is certainly not the only way to address issues in society. Information regarding pressing issues can be disseminated to the general public through a far less aggressive way, and this is can be accomplished through the practice of cyberactivism. Although this has no immediate impact in the physical world, as this is quite an idealist strategy, spreading awareness and information is the first, and maybe the most vital step, in effective activism.

Activism in the Philippines has always progressed at the same pace as the development of technology. When the Spaniards occupied the country in the 1800’s, the printing press was the tool of Filipino revolutionaries, printing books and newspapers to expose the nation to the harsh truths of society. During the Marcos dictatorship, telephones, photocopying machines, and fax machines were vital in strengthening the revolution. The very first edition of Amado Guerrero’s Philippine Society Revolution as well as the Ang Bayan were mass produced on mimeograph machines as well. (Tech Wire Asia, 2010). Slowly, through the steady spread of information throughout the country, the dictatorship was overcome. In the same way, when Joseph Estrada won the presidency, the common Filipino responded through the spread of numerous jokes on text. Photographs and videos of the then-president’s mansions appeared, as well as photographs of him with his women, or him gambling, or both. Not soon after, the graft issues came up, and eventually came the president’s impeachment trial. Senators who were supporters of Estrada voted against further investigation, but the Filipinos were prepared to revolt.

Technology will always be a tool to the Filipino activist, a key to national progress. New advancements come, as well as new issues to address; such as tax reforms, new administration, poverty, and the like. Not only has cyberactivism been a factor in throwing out government officials (such as the cases of former presidents Marcos and Estrada), it has served as an aid to humanitarian efforts in the country, reaching out to social media users and gathering support for the many typhoon victims in the country during the time of Ondoy. Filipinos have immersed themselves in social media, the sharing of information and ideas through photos, tweets, posts and the like; monitoring the events happening in the real world, and responding to these accordingly.

The evolution of the utilization of social media and cyberactivism is definitely not limited to the Philippine context. On a global scale, most especially in the United States, cyberactivism has been used to tackle several societal issues, even having popular “hashtags” for social media users to tag their posts with. #GivingTuesday was created by 92Y and the U.N. foundation, an initiative to counteract Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Several charities used the hashtag in their calls for donations, and in #GivingTuesday’s first run alone, the initiative generated more than 10 million dollars in donations. In support of one of America’s largest minority groups, the African-Americans, #BlackLivesMatter was born. What began as a hashtag following events of police brutality, racial profiling and inequality against the African-American community evolved into a “chapter-based,