Article for Prelims Examination

Faulty and Excessive Disclosure of Information in the Media

            In the advent of technology, communication travels faster than a speeding bullet. Media, whether print, social or electronic, is the primary source of information in today’s society. Communication and technology go hand in hand in making the sender-message-receiver process easier and more convenient.

But on the contrary to the advantages the media has been rendering to humanity for centuries, an unpromising scenario relative to imparting information is becoming common in the society today. Unfortunate events are happening in the modern times because of an unexpected culprit – the media. It might not be evident, but the well-known channel of information is a tool for mishaps and incidents.

Stalk Me Not

Carla* is an avid user of Facebook and Twitter. She updates her accounts everyday, spending an average of 6 to 8 hours a day. She meets both new and old acquaintances via the networking sites and posts her address and contact numbers on her site.

She met Simon* on Facebook and eventually, they become good and close chat mates. Their intimacy grew to the extent that their friendship could possibly move on to the next level - that is, a romantic relationship. However, Carla was not interested and deleted Simon from her friend’s list. The following week, Simon showed up at her house and threatened her life.

According to a study released last January of 2010, more than half of adults 45 and older who are on social networking sites like Facebook could be in danger of becoming victims of identity theft, stalking and other crimes because of sharing too much private information. If the older generation is susceptible to this kind of danger, the youth is even more vulnerable to it. More and more teenagers are becoming victims of Facebook stalking and online deception. 

*not real name

Accessory to Crime

            Last August 23, 2010, the whole world was stricken by the Quirino Grandstand Hostage crisis. A dismissed Philippine National Police Officer, former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, took over a tour bus carrying 25 people (20 tourists and a tour guide, all from Hong Kong, and 4  Filipinos) in an attempt to get his job back. After nearly 12 excruciating hours, the tragedy resulted to 9 fatalities, including the hostage taker.

              Many experts and viewers who saw the ending of the tragedy live on television were appalled by what they saw. Charles Shoebridge, a security analyst who has worked in counter-terrorism with the British Army and Scotland Yard, said that the officers of the SWAT team involved showed great courage but they were not properly trained or equipped for the task. But one big factor that contributed to the failure of the bus siege was the televised updates and proceedings. Mendoza was able to follow the events via the television in the bus, revealing everything that is happening around him. The media disclosed too much information – information that has lead to the death of 8 innocent tourists.

Ruining the Democracy

            Even US President Barack Obama believed that technology and media can be a lethal combination. He said in a commencement address at Hampton University in Virginia last May, “You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter,” 

“With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,” Obama said.

            He lamented on the fact that “some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction,” in the rumpus of certain blogs and talk radio outlets.

“All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy.”

Summing Everything Up

            People today live in a world filled with the social media craze. From Facebook to Twitter, the world has embraced the new and improved tools that help thousands interact each day no matter how far they are from each other. There are two sides to every pancake – the same goes for Media. It may present the people with a handful of advantages but all those may bring a couple of disadvantages along with them. All good things have flaws and indubitably, it is inevitable. 

Instructions for the Prelims examination in CommTech

For Patche and my other classmates. :))

Response to the Trendspotter's Guide to New Communications: Death of Distance

We were asked to make a feature article as a response to TP's Guide. I chose the death of distance aspect as the focus of my article.

I agree with this aspect because distance seems non-existent with the use of technology. However, there is a side effect to this advantage. Read on to know. Here is my two cents on the topic:

Death of Emotions

I stare with apprehension at the blinking cursor before me. Gradually, I obtain the courage I need to click his name on the Facebook search engine. I take the liberty of browsing through his profile, reading his status messages and looking through his latest pictures. I frown at some posts; I laugh at some of them. In between my stalking and reminiscing moves, I begin to miss him. 

He was my good friend. I was always in awe of everything he does. He was good in his academics. He played sports well. He was good-looking, too. He was kind, sensitive and friendly. Despite all the commendable traits, he kept his feet flat on the ground. But then again, he was my good friend. Was. Past tense. 

We were good friends back in High School. We used to eat lunch together, study for quizzes together, practice for group presentations together. We practically did everything together. But graduation came and we had to part ways. We went to different universities, making a promise to keep track of each other constantly with the use of technology. 

At first, we managed to keep the promise as planned. We texted everyday. I posted recent photos of my new world, just so he knows what I’ve been doing. He tweeted his whereabouts, his daily life and new activities. It felt like the distance between us died; he was so far yet so close to me. I was happy with the kind of set-up, the situation we had.

But months passed and the updates began to fade away. His texts were reduced to a sentence or two. The always-present smiley became non-existent. I felt that our relationship’s status was beginning to deteriorate. I made efforts to win his attention back. But he always replied with “I’m busy, let’s talk some other time” or “I’m tired, I’ll call you later.” We drifted apart like the islands of the Philippines described on the Continental Drift Theory.

The feeling is indescribable. There are no words to illustrate the pain I felt after the rejection. Yes, the death of distance is present between us. But why am I also feeling the death of emotions between us? Technology is indeed a double-edged sword, like plenty of things. It helps you stay in contact with the people you love, but there is no guarantee that you maintain your good relationship with them. You may be talking every single day on Yahoo Messenger, but nothing compares to being together and enjoying each other’s company, even for just an hour.

Technology has made everything easier, but it has also made some things impersonal beyond our control.

Check it out.

 National Geographic is holding its annual Photography contest again. Check out the amazing photos and get inspiration from the shots! :)

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/11/national_geographics_photograp.html

The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English

Ailurophile	A cat-lover.
Assemblage	A gathering.
Becoming	Attractive.
Beleaguer	To exhaust with attacks.
Brood	To think alone.
Bucolic	In a lovely rural setting.
Bungalow	A small, cozy cottage.
Chatoyant	Like a cat's eye.
Comely	Attractive.
Conflate	To blend together.
Cynosure	A focal point of admiration.
Dalliance	A brief love affair.
Demesne	Dominion, territory.
Demure	Shy and reserved.
Denouement	The resolution of a mystery.
Desuetude	Disuse.
Desultory	Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous	Filmy.
Dissemble	Deceive.
Dulcet	Sweet, sugary.
Ebullience	Bubbling enthusiasm.
Effervescent	Bubbly.
Efflorescence	Flowering, blooming.
Elision	Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Elixir	A good potion.
Eloquence	Beauty and persuasion in speech.
Embrocation	Rubbing on a lotion.
Emollient	A softener.
Ephemeral	Short-lived.
Epiphany	A sudden revelation.
Erstwhile	At one time, for a time.
Ethereal	Gaseous, invisible but detectable.
Evanescent	Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
Evocative	Suggestive.
Fetching	Pretty.
Felicity	Pleasantness.
Forbearance	Withholding response to provocation.
Fugacious	Fleeting.
Furtive	Shifty, sneaky.
Gambol	To skip or leap about joyfully.
Glamour	Beauty.
Gossamer	The finest piece of thread, a spider's silk
Halcyon	Happy, sunny, care-free.
Harbinger	Messenger with news of the future.
Imbrication	Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.
Imbroglio	An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue	To infuse, instill.
Incipient	Beginning, in an early stage.
Ineffable	Unutterable, inexpressible.
Ingénue	A naïve young woman.
Inglenook	A cozy nook by the hearth.
Insouciance	Blithe nonchalance.
Inure	To become jaded.
Labyrinthine	Twisting and turning.
Lagniappe	A special kind of gift.
Lagoon	A small gulf or inlet.
Languor	Listlessness, inactivity.
Lassitude	Weariness, listlessness.
Leisure	Free time.
Lilt	To move musically or lively.
Lissome	Slender and graceful.
Lithe	Slender and flexible.
Love	Deep affection.
Mellifluous	Sweet sounding.
Moiety	One of two equal parts.
Mondegreen	A slip of the ear.
Murmurous	Murmuring.
Nemesis	An unconquerable archenemy.
Offing	The sea between the horizon and the offshore.
Onomatopoeia	A word that sounds like its meaning.
Opulent	Lush, luxuriant.
Palimpsest	A manuscript written over earlier ones.
Panacea	A solution for all problems
Panoply	A complete set.
Pastiche	An art work combining materials from various sources.
Penumbra	A half-shadow.
Petrichor	The smell of earth after rain.
Plethora	A large quantity.
Propinquity	An inclination.
Pyrrhic	Successful with heavy losses.
Quintessential	Most essential.
Ratatouille	A spicy French stew.
Ravel	To knit or unknit.
Redolent	Fragrant.
Riparian	By the bank of a stream.
Ripple	A very small wave.
Scintilla	A spark or very small thing.
Sempiternal	Eternal.
Seraglio	Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.
Serendipity	Finding something nice while looking for something else.
Summery	Light, delicate or warm and sunny.
Sumptuous	Lush, luxurious.
Surreptitious	Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna	A river in Pennsylvania.
Susurrous	Whispering, hissing.
Talisman	A good luck charm.
Tintinnabulation	Tinkling.
Umbrella	Protection from sun or rain.
Untoward	Unseemly, inappropriate.
Vestigial	In trace amounts.
Wafture	Waving.
Wherewithal	The means.
Woebegone	Sorrowful, downcast.