A decade ago, declaring that you had “poked” somebody online would have carried a very different meaning and draw out a violent reaction.
A couple of years ago, engaging in a Mafia War would have gotten you a visit from the police; while planting crops on a farm would not be a young Filipino’s idea of entertaining himself on a lazy afternoon.
But ever since Facebook rose to prominence in the country in 2009, when Filipino Facebook users increased from four million to almost six million in number, the way with which we pass our time online and connect with friends and family has changed drastically – and dramatically.
We now “tag” photos we’d like to share rather than send out copies. Relationships begin and end on this social networking site. Even the spread of humor and rumor can be accomplished with a simple status message!
The pervasiveness of Facebook in the lives of everyday Filipinos is what brought it to the attention of the UP College of Mass Communication’s (UP-CMC) Department of Communication Research, which made it the focus of the College’s 13th Department Extension Research Project (DERP) entitled “FaceBUKING: Uncovering Filipino Culture in Facebook”.
The DERP studies key issues related to mass communication, and provides an avenue for the hands-on application of research applications and techniques.
The Communications Research students who conducted the study spent December 2009 and January 2010 glued to Facebook, gathering information through surveys, content analysis of users’ “walls,’’ as well as focus group discussions with users.
The students sought to answer two questions: What are Filipinos’ perceptions on and attitudes toward Facebook? How do Filipino Facebook users “Filipinize” Facebook?
CURRENT EVENTS ON FACEBOOK
For the most part, Filipinos appear to have a keen and pragmatic view of what role Facebook plays in their daily lives.
The group’s findings show that Filipinos use Facebook to maintain relationships rather than initiate new ones, and accept friends based on the quality rather than quantity of their relationship.
Almost half of the study’s respondents also maintain Facebook accounts to express themselves through content that they make themselves; to make known socio-political concerns that they want addressed; and keep up with current events, especially with regards to the coming election.
“A majority of the study’s respondents agree that Facebook is an effective tool to help young people get to know their electoral candidate better. A discussant at the focus group discussions shared that Facebook is helpful because it has made her aware of the failures of certain political candidates,” says May Ann Acasio, one of the students who conducted the study.
PRIVACY CONCERNS
The issue of one’s privacy, which in recent weeks have become the focus of the ire of international Facebook users, is also a concern. However, most Filipino users regard the protection of their privacy as their responsibility and not the site’s concern.
“Sixty-eight percent of the respondents think that they are personally responsible for their wall posts and believe that they should exercise caution when posting. A lot of them are concerned about what others will think,” reveals group member Jihad Mariano.
The study also reveals that 62 percent of the respondents feel that their profiles accurately reflect their character and personality.
THE SIX TYPES
The UP-CMC study categorizes the Filipino Facebook users into six types:
THE (FACE)BOOKWORM. These are users who are always updated on the people on their Facebook network, incessantly checking and reading status updates.
PAIMPORTANTE. These are users with a constant stream of status updates on their lives, utilizing the site like an online diary or planner.
IKAW NA ANG BAD TRIP. These are users who use their status messages as a venue to vent and rage about their everyday life.
APPDATED. These are users who only log in to engage in Mafia Wars, harvest crops in Farmville, and serve customers on Café World.
NAG FACEBOOK KA PA. These are users who use the site only to connect with friends and do not utilize Facebook’s unique features like applications and chatting.
PAPANSIN. These are users who post status messages – whether positive or negative – directed at other people, without explicitly naming who these people are.
The study says these six types are not only reflective of the kinds of Filipino users Facebook has, but how these same Filipino users have “filipinized” Facebook and made it their own.
The (Face)bookworm, for instance, reflect positive and negative sides of the Filipinos: our spirit of bayanihan and our sense of rumor.
“Facebook has allowed Filipinos to post and repost cause-oriented messages during times of crisis and emergencies, such as during Ondoy and Pepeng,” explains Acacio. “But we also like to gossip; it is a national past time. We like to make tsismis anywhere and anytime, and with Facebook, we can even do it online.”
The fact that a majority of Filipino Facebook users value how the site allows them to connect with friends and family and maintain existing friendships also reflect the importance that our society places on close family ties.
FILIPINIZED FACEBOOK
UP-CMC dean Roland Tolentino commended the project, saying it reveals how Facebook has changed Filipinos and how Filipinos have changed it in turn.
“Ang FaceBUKING ay isang pambibisto sa mga ideya, praktis, at phenomenon ng panahong ito. Kung bakit ang WiFi ng kolehiyo ay isa sa pangunahing ginagamit para sa pangangailangang makakunekta, lagpas sa usual na paraan ng SMS,” he ends. “Mas maraming updates ang sinasaad, mas maraming praktis at kalakaran, mas maraming pangangailangan at responsibilidad. Sa FaceBUKING, muling pinatutunayan ng kolehiyo na nangunguna ito sa napapanahon at makabuluhang pananaliksik at pagsusuri ng mga isyung pang-komunikasyon.”
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