Sunday, September 28, 2008 Cabaero: More than text By Nini B. Cabaero Beyond 30
AS A media tracker report said, people are getting and sharing information not anymore through text but through other mediums like video, photos and audio, as well.
Time will come when you wouldn't be reading this column but you would be watching a video of me sharing with you my views over an issue. This is the finding of a recent survey done by Universal McCann, an international media research company, on the worldwide trend of how and in what format people are getting information.
Gone is the communication flow of text message from sender to recipient. Nowadays, the message takes the form of audio and/or video.
The Universal McCann study released in March 2008 showed that while the rate of ownership of computers and Internet subscription in the Philippines is a low of 15.4 percent (from the website Internetworldstats.com), this does not necessarily mean Filipinos are slowpokes when it comes to taking advantage of the benefits of new media. You do not need to own a computer to be able to share and upload photos and videos for relatives to view from around the globe.
The 80-page report titled “Power to the people: Social media tracker (Wave 3)” reported on blogging, online video and social networking sites. It showed how Filipinos, challenged by limitations in their ability to own the necessary equipment and Internet connectivity, can lead in terms of memberships in online social networks and in the frequency of sharing or uploading of photos and videos.
The study said the sharing of photos and video is done primarily for the consumption of family members either within the Philippines or abroad.
The Philippines topped the survey of Internet usage in 29 countries in terms of creating a profile on social networks like Friendster or Multiply, in watching video clips in video-sharing websites like YouTube. com, and in uploading photos in a photo-sharing website like Flickr. In terms of actually uploading video so others may view it, the Philippines ranked second to Brazil.
All these point to how Filipinos, despite being challenged in terms of ownership of technology tools, are well-versed when it comes to sending and receiving messages through mediums like photos, video and audio.
This is the reality of this new kind of media savviness of Filipinos.
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The Cebu celebration of the feast of the Our Lady of Penafrancia, patroness of Bicolandia, culminates today with a concelebrated mass at 5:30 p.m. at the Capitol parish church. Main celebrant in the fiesta mass is Msgr. Cris Garcia.
The fiesta celebration today was preceded by a fluvial procession held yesterday wherein the image of the “Ina,” as the Our Lady of Penafrancia is fondly called by devotees, was brought by motorcade to Pier 3 where the image was boarded onto a vessel, escorted by other seacraft, around the waters of Cebu. This was followed by a motorcade back from Pier 3 to the Capitol parish church where the ninth-day novena was held yesterday.
