Estilo

Blog Post #1: Seeing the World Through the Lens of Media

by Alethea Van Loren G. Estilo

They say in this age, TV is practically a mentor. That statement may seem humorous but it holds some truth.

When I was young, TV was like my best friend. I enjoyed watching local and foreign shows in this magical box of wonders. I also enjoyed watching the films that aired there for free broadcast. While it may seem harmless, letting an impressionable child consume media has its consequences. You see, at this age, we know nothing about the outside world. As such, what is being presented in television is perceived as a window to our society. In a way, it is. Media is influenced by various subsystems, one of which is the ideological subsystem. Media is often a reflection of the creator's sentiments and worldview. As a result, it may effort a limited perspective and incorporate personal biases. This in turn influences the perceptions of the viewers especially those that cannot distinguish what is being shown than what it is really happening. Growing up, I watched a lot of teleseryes that preached Christian values as well as the Filipino value of being family-oriented. Yet, in this present day, many of those who know me may say that I am not the type to uphold those values. What gives? How was I de-programmed?

The answer is simple, I merely watched other shows that displayed a contrasting perspective. I consumed a lot of media -mostly foreign- even at a young age with themes that question tradition and social norms. This broadened my worldview. Furthermore, I also watched shows that featured diverse representation which I barely saw in mainstream media. I learned about other religions outside Christianity and values outside Filipino culture. I learned about the lives of other people whose voices we barely hear in the world's chaos. Understanding this was confusing at first but thanks to the helpful pacing of many shows and films, I got to see things a lot clearer. This made me get a deeper grasp on who I want to be as a person and how I want to live my life.

Although consuming media from various sources can help enlighten you to the realities of the world and the depths of your identity, it is important to remember that the information presented there is filtered. It is an incomplete picture. The best way to understand the world is to experience it with your own senses.

References:

Croteau, D. & Hoynes, W. (2019). Media/Society: Technology, Industries, Contents, and Users (6th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.

Shoemaker, P. J., & Reese, S. D. (2014). Mediating the message in the 21st century: A media sociology perspective. Routledge.

Blog Post #2: Self and Social Media

by Alethea Van Loren G. Estilo

Social media has been a way for many of us to express ourselves. We share what’s on our mind through Facebook posts. We share our opinions and feelings through Tweets. We share memes that we relate to. We share so many aspects of ourselves that some of our online friends may consider them TMI or Too Much Information. It is almost as if social media is a mirror. But does it really reflect our true selves or the concept of ourselves we want people to see?

Social media is like a gallery of our “self’ that we personally curate. But what is the self? Is it real or conceptual? On the Internet, our self may be constructed as a project. We may be creating online personas, close to ourselves but with added flair or attitude. Maybe we want to be known as the resident funny man, as the class clown. Hence, we put effort in typing out the wittiest and cleverest thoughts we can come up with. We share hilarious posts and memes. We avoid sharing sad and tragic news. We just want our online domain to be full of comedy and good vibes.

Perhaps we want to be seen as intellectuals. As such, we write essays about the opinions we’ve formed and post it to evoke a reaction or engage in discourse. We avoid sharing lowbrow posts like those “silly, foolish” jokes. No, our account is only for exchange of ideas.

The ones you’ve read above are just examples of many personas a person can build online. They aren’t exactly fake personalities as they still reflect an aspect of the user. However, they tend to exaggerate that aspect and omit other aspects that don’t fit into their image. Sometimes, some social media users aren’t even aware they are building up a persona on the Internet. They think they are just being themselves.

It is always wise to reflect upon how you express yourself on social media. Add to that, we must understand what is this “self” we are expressing.

Reference:

Boy, J.D. and Uitermark, J. (2021). The dramaturgy of social meida: Platform ecology, uneven networks, and the myth of self. In H. David and S. Fisher-Hoyrem (eds). Social Media and Social Order. De Gruyter Poland Ltd.

Blog Post #3: Into the Rabbit Hole We Go

by Alethea Van Loren G. Estilo

When you find something that interests you on the Internet, it feels like that opening scene in Alice in Wonderland. You are Alice chasing after that curious-looking White Rabbit, in this case one of the many fascinating things on the Internet, and then you suddenly find yourself falling into a seemingly bottomless pit. For people who spend so many hours on the Internet over a fandom or a niche, it can feel like a bottomless pit constantly watching and engaging with everything related to that. You say to yourself, just one video, and then you find yourself on your twentieth video for that night. It's just so compelling!

For me, this is my experience getting into Vtubers, especially corporate ones. I find myself watching hours and hours of their streams. The fact that you can interact with them in real time definitely plays a part in how engaging they are. The live chat features of YouTube helps the content creator connect more with their audience. This also encourages the audience to be more involved with the content creator as they have the opportunity to participate in the streams.

It is not only in YouTube these Vtubers are active, they also have a strong online presence in Twitter. In Twitter, they can post outrageous Tweets that can catch the users’ attention. Whether it is an extremely ridiculous joke or an unpopular opinion, it’s bound to get people engaging through replies or quote retweets. This is just one of the strategies Vtubers make to strengthen their platform. The effectiveness varies though depending on how it is executed. It might end up entertaining, it might end up being controversial, but it will definitely earn some publicity.

Through encouraging creating and sharing fanarts, these Vtubers also form more interactions with their fan community. Users who are part of their target audience end up going through the multitude of sketches, paintings, and dribbles artistically made for the content creator. Even when the Vtubers are not currently streaming, fans can look through the art and still feel entertained. It may also make them feel more motivated and excited for the upcoming streams.

These are just some of the ways Vtubers keep their audience glued to them. There are many strategies and there are those who are even more creative when it comes to audience engagement.

Reference:

Wanless, A. and Berk, M. (2021). Participatory propaganda: the engagement of audience in the spread of persuasive communications. In H. David and S. Fisher-Hoyrem (eds). Social Media and Social Order. De Gruyter Poland Ltd.

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