Bridging the “gap” of Digital Divide

COVID-19 has indeed affected everyone’s lives around the world. We are forced to stay in our homes in Quarantine, follow safety protocols, avoid physical distancing, and many more. People are willing to conform and equip technology into their lives by adjusting to this ‘New Normal’. In reality, who is really ready for this unexpected change? This pandemic has shown some light on our country’s digital divide. Digital divide is described as a “gap” found between individual’s social classes, businesses, and even countries with different socioeconomic backgrounds and their ability to access and use information communications technology. According to a report by the World Bank and the National Economic and Development Authority (2020). The gaping digital divide in the Philippines is preventing more Filipinos from harnessing the benefits of digital technologies. It is said that around 60 percent of Filipino households do not have access to the Internet. It is unfair to some people that they cannot have access to the Internet like other privileged citizens, as it is necessary to gain digital knowledge to be able to cope and adapt easily to our new normal. So, despite quarantine and physical distancing, we are still connected with each other through the Internet.

 It is important to bridge this “gap” because it will have a positive impact on our country and people coping with this new normal. According to Steele C. (2018), Various initiatives we need to engage to narrow the digital gap includes Increasing digital literacy; Provide operational incentives to information and communication technology entities; Develop relevant and local content in addition to telecommunications infrastructure; Encourage the establishment of cyber clubs; Establishment of workable partnerships between all information and communication technology stakeholders and; Promote innovations geared towards overcoming the digital divide. The upcoming generation will likely to adapt in the new normal easily if we bridge this “gap”, because they will be provided with better access to technology, and various learning tools available on the internet so that they can have the quality information they deserve. This, will hopefully diminish the gap between the rich and the poor in the future, and benefit our country and people in progressing through the new normal.

Source:

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/10/06/huge-digital-divide-blunts-phls-gains-from-technology/

http://www.digitaldividecouncil.com/how-to-bridge-the-digital-divide/?fbclid=IwAR1_oWtAHfa_qMpP3vRq9jvMuYzgJdl169RxISrewsB2IMfSNg4-m103B40

Photo source: https://constanttherapyhealth.com/brainwire/icymi-closing-the-digital-divide-in-aphasia-before-covid-19-and-after/

The Setbacks of Piracy

In the Philippines, Many make a living out of selling CDs that contain versions of movies or series that has been recorded in cinemas or downloaded illegally, meaning that they have been distributing these films without proper license and therefore, violate the law. The problems of piracy has been rampant because many people profit from stolen content for selling such at a low price distributing thousands of copies. Many film makers has experienced this and therefore affecting their sales. It makes distribution of film hard because official DVDs provided by them are no longer being bought and people will just go to places that sell pirated copies from the same film. We should be responsible enough to buy these films at official stores in order to help film makers of today and fight back piracy. This also helps our artists by supporting them the right way and help them from struggling in making money from the content they make for the public. Many of our fellow citizens may depend on this kind of business which is selling pirated films but we must also give importance to the value and hard work artists put into life. And all those actions may just be put into waste if we pirate their works and pay for it at a cheaper price. Films may be expensive but it is priced fairly so that artists may reap what they sow and that is where they gain money for a living. Piracy causes problems in the film industry especially for the small companies. Piracy is not just a problem for people in the film industry but also in video games and arts. Video game companies are forced to shut down because a free version of their game was revealed on the internet causing the users to refuse in buying the game. Many artists are struggling to make profit out of their works because their hard work can just be stolen and sold at a cheap price. Because of piracy, entering the world of industries where your product can be stolen, many struggle even harder to rise up above. We should all be vigilant and alert to cases of piracy, support not just international but also local as well in the proper way, and always be aware that piracy is wrong and illegal. 

“The Value of being a Media and Information Literate Individual”

According to Leonardo Da Vinci “The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” In order to make use of something, perhaps an equipment, one must be able to understand how the equipment works and what it does to be able to use it easily. For example is the bicycle, we are annoyed when we are new to riding it because most of the time, we come up stumbling down, so we practice and learn the bicycle for us to enjoy it and this applies to the everything that is essential for our understanding  specifically the media and information around us. We, young or old, must be able to understand media and information around us to be able to survive the 21st Century. And not just for survival, the media and information in this world is used for different purposes and each find its use depending on our circumstances.

 Our country, the Philippines, is named “The Social Media Capital of the World” because most of our users have an incredible high time of usage for up to four hours per day this should mean that we know how to properly use the media because of our long exposure making us gain experience, and yet it is very noticeable that many users of social media platforms still share information that is false, attack other users, and many more unethical acts that can be named it’s as if we don’t know how to use the social media. Why is that? That’s why we should be literate in our social media to enable the platform to be more useful and to be able to generate a community where professionalism is observed and competency standards in the media is reached. Being Media and Information literate enables this, that we can educate others in a way that it is ethical, evaluate and share information that is much needed for everyone. Thus, each of us understand and learn media and information literacy gives as a pleasure knowing that everyone is using it for the joy of serving others.

Source used: https://www.statista.com/statistics/489180/number-of-social-network-users-in-philippines/#:~:text=The%20Philippines%20have%20been%20called,about%20four%20hours%20per%20day.

photo source: https://www.dw.com/en/media-and-information-literacy/a-18406566