ABLEISM: THE MISSING NARRATIVE IN 21^ST CENTURY MEDIA

by: carl sanchez

As I walk around the streets of Iloilo City one can notice the visible exclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Although we see ramps for those who use wheel chair, they are often too high or too steep and does not follow the ideal dimensions and or angles that are meant for ramps. Or perhaps how the absence of elevators in the city’s overpass and how it forces people with disabilities to confront the horrific flight of stairs just to reach the other side of street makes the lives of these PWDs harder and more precarious. In my own school, the University of the Philippines Visayas, the absence of ramps and PWD friendly infrastructure makes it cumbersome for students in wheelchair, crutches, and even senior citizens to attend to their class and transfer from one room to another. Further, riding public transportation becomes a burden to these PWDs. Our public transport system here in the Philippines is undeniably inaccessible to PWDs. The absence of wheelchair lifts in busses and in jeepneys, braille on signposts or even priority lanes for PWDs are nowhere to be found. However, disabilities are not only limited to physical attributes it also includes mental impairments that affects the individual to function within society in the aspects of social, economic, and environmental participation (Lidubwi, 2017). The lack of quality mental facilities, and the growing stigmatization of mental illness in the country is an indicator of the lacking representation of PWDs in the realm of 21^st century media.

Just like the absence of PWD friendly infrastructures within our public spaces, PWD representation in media is nowhere to found either and even if there is representation it is either portrayed in a stereotypical manner, or is depicted in a manner harmful to the PWD community. That is, media has never tackled the reality of PWDs instead, has banked on the stereotypes attributed to PWDs and forwarded the prevailing narrative of PWDs as heroes and pitiable individuals (Lidubwi, 2017). Further, Croteau and Hoynes (2019) argues that content creators of media are more likely to reproduce these inequalities in media depictions that exists in society especially on themes such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation, perhaps even themes such as those of people with disabilities. Further, they argue that media are also behind the reinforcement of these dominant narratives to which the public perceives to be real.

As a result of these inequality in representation and content, distorted and inaccurate images and portrayals are created of these PWDs. For example, in 2021 film by Darryl Yap entitled “Tililing” garnered a lot of negative comments on how the movie banked on the stereotypical notions of people with mental illness as “crazy”, “scary”, “creepy”, and “weird” which is not the real case of people having mental illnesses. Or how the notion of acceptance among PWDs can only be achieved if they rise above their disabilities or perhaps become heroes like the ABS-CBN TV series Kapanerang Kuba that was released in 2005 where the actress Anne Curtis, who plays a hunchback only becomes accepted when she becomes more “desirable” or attractive. This depiction in Philippine media only reinforces the idea that being disabled is something that should be pitied upon by society.

Because of these misinformation and stereotyped depictions, a new reality is created. As pointed out by Shoemaker and Reese (2014) this mediated content no longer reflects reality but has created a new reality based on how these contents are represented in media. However, it is important to point out that this stereotyped notion within the realm of the media content is controlled by media owners, editors, producers and even writers (Croteau and Hoynes, 2019). As pointed by Lidubwi (2017), the creation of stories is based on the palatability of the subject and whether or not it can generate income for the company. That is why stories or depictions of PWDs that depict pity, striving for a better life, working hard amidst their condition creates a story of inspiration and rising above their conditions is a big hit among Filipino viewers. But some call it poverty porn wherein big media companies exploit their stories and romanticize it instead of revealing their real condition and discussing the existing structural limitations that PWDs encounter everyday.

However, this should not be case. Although highlighting their ability to overcome these challenges are good what should prevail however are the existing social challenges they face in reality like the lack of PWD friendly infrastructures, the lack of government subsidy, and the growing stigmatization of their condition media should then recalibrate their storyline and content with regards to how people with disabilities should be realized and viewed within society. I think that with proper and visible representation of PWDs in media, only then can we reach proper social consciousness of their needs where we become sensitive of their needs. Media companies in return must be responsible of the content they show and produce. In the same manner that they should forward the betterment of the community that they are telling a story about and not be fixated with profiteering. I hope that someday we can see and live in a world where PWDs are well represented not only in media but also in our public spaces.

References:

Croteau, D. and Hoynes, W. (2019). Media/society: Technology, industries, content, and users. 6th ed. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Lidubwi, Jackline. (2017). Representation of Disability in media.

Shoemaker, P. J. (2014). Mediating the message in the 21st Century: A Media Sociology Perspective. Routledge.

Influencer Yarn?

By: Carl Sanchez

Just like any other teenager at the start of the pandemic, I too, was one of those who downloaded the famous Tiktok application to keep myself entertained amidst the uncertainties of that time. Since then, this application has remained on my phone and has been the most consumed application. However, I am not here to talk about my experience with Tiktok but I’m here to share some thoughts on how the contents in Tiktok shifted from dancing and dubbing to becoming a space for brands to expand their profiteering venture, as well as how it paved the way for the rise of the so-called “influencer culture”

Shifts in the media landscape have prompted various media organizations to venture into new mediums on how they can be able to sustain their business and their product (Shoemaker and Reese, 2014) and by doing so, we see more media organizations add an online version of their services. For example, we can see how radio companies shifted to streaming their radio broadcasts on Facebook as compared to limiting to radios alone—or how they venture into the world of applications-- we see more and more radio companies having their applications to cater to those who rely on their phones. Or how the music industry shifted from the traditional CDs to having online stores and online streaming applications like iTunes and Spotify. However, it’s not just the reason for inclusivity that media organizations shift to the online platform; instead, it is also the case of maximizing their profit.

Because of these shifts, many media organizations and brands took advantage of this opportunity to reach as many people as possible to maximize their profit but with minimal costs. Thus, the apparent rise of social media influencers eventually happened. According to Duffy (2020), social media influencers are a subset of digital content creators having a massive following and the ability to influence others to either consume or try products or services they are advertising. Because of the massive perks that influencers get such as money, fame, and endorsements the surge of influencers all around the world became apparent. The shift to choosing local influencers over celebrities is becoming more and more popular aside from it costing less, media organizations and businesses feel that by choosing local influencers, their products and services translate a notion of relatability to which the common masses adhere (Duffy, 2020), but for some, these influencers are sources of credibility (Daniel, 2018) that consumers believe in. Because of the emergence of influencers, it also affected how present-day media conduct themselves, especially with the kind of content they create, and how they communicate this content to their audiences. That’s why we can perhaps see more and more peculiar trends in the advertising industry because of how influencers create and frame their content online. Having more political content, gender sensitivity, breaking gender norms, and women empowerment are just some of the emerging trends in content and advertising.

What this tells us is that because of the changes in the media landscape, we see the emergence of innovations in the marketing landscape and profiteering schemes of media organizations as well as of brands. A manifestation of this is the rise of the so-called influencer culture that is currently happening in social media. Perhaps in the near future, we can see further changes that would exceed our expectation. For sure, the influencer culture has caught us by surprise. Maybe you, my dear reader, is the next social media sensation.

Reference

Daniel. (2018). The influence of social media influencers: Understanding online vaping communities and parasocial interaction through the lens of Taylor's six-segment Strategy Wheel. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15252019.2018.1488637

Duffy, B. E. (2020). Social Media influencers. The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119429128.iegmc219

Shoemaker, P. J. (2014). Mediating the message in the 21st Century: A Media Sociology Perspective. Routledge.

Threlfall, D. (2022, April 9). Influencer Marketing: A comprehensive guide for 2022. Oberlo. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.oberlo.com/blog/influencer-marketing

Bagong Pilipinas, Bagong Mukha?: Media and the Philippine Election

by: carl

On denial and grief :

As I am writing this blog post, I must admit that I am still disheartened by the recent results of the 2022 Philippine national elections. I must be honest in saying that I had hoped for a better outcome rather than having another Marcos assuming the presidency. However, I have come to reflect on the recent happening and the changing political landscape that has uncovered right in front of me and how the active role of media had become a major game changer in the recent elections.

on technology development:

The dawn of technological advancement and the massive influence that social media hold has definitely played a crucial role in both the 2016 and 2022 national elections. However, it was only in this year’s elections where the role of technology and disinformation was realized. However, one important factor to note, is the role that the pandemic played in the proliferation of disinformation because of the various lockdowns, and the closure of schools, the dependence of individuals towards various social media platforms such Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for information has dramatically increased. In various interviews shown on television and on Facebook, many supporters of Marcos cited that because of YouTube and Facebook they were able to learn that the Marcoses were not at fault

during the martial law period. They further cited how human rights violation that occurred during the martial law period were mere speculations and were not true. Although there have been many historical

evidences that counters these claims many still refuse to believe facts. The weaponization of technology and media has proven to be crucial in the campaign of Marcos Jr. and now has proven to be effective in his presidential bid. As what Cushion (2019) pointed that because of the so-called post-truth politics, facts has now become questionable and eventually paved the way for fake news to arise and proliferate.

What this signifies is the changing landscape of Philippine politics. Changing in a sense that there are new mechanisms that politicians use in order to garner and win votes. However, such change in our political landscape through the use of misinformation mechanisms is a harsh and sad reality that as much we want to deny, we would most likely accept in the coming years. I’ve come to accept this sad fate in Philippine politics that in order to win, the deprivation of truth is necessary. I have come to reflect on this and have come to realize that misinformation and politics seem to be a perfect match. However, it is an unsettling reality that one’s rise to power is grounded on lies and deception. But what is also unsettling is the fact that various media organizations, and journalist has turned a blind eye to their responsibility in advocating for ethical practice, truth-seeking, fairness, and quality (Shoemaker and Reese, 2014).

I am scared to be honest on what for what the future might be for me who is about to enter the workforce, for my fellow Iskolars ng bayan, and for the future generations to come. However, not all hope has been lost. During VP Leni’s visit to Bacolod, a beautiful Hiligaynon word was used: Paglaum -- a Hiligaynon word that means hope. During the course of this election this has been the outcry of many individuals myself included. The Marcoses might have won but I still have this hope burning within me that someday the Filipino people will be making the right choice. Whose choices are incorruptible and whose conscience are strong, and are immune from deception. If there is one important thing I've learned from this course its that media is as powerful as a nuclear bomb-- it can destroy lives, or create a safer and conducive world to live in. To a better future.

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