Atenews
The official student publication of the Ateneo de Davao University NOVEMBER 2020 | PANDEMIC SPECIAL ISSUE
VOL 66 NO.2
‘Digibak’ Rising: Pandemic limitations amplify online activism JULIA ALESSANDRA TRINIDAD
INSIDE STORIES OPINION dialogue 2 Isdead? NEWS of modules 5 Lack causes distance 7
learning fails—ACT After 38 years, SAMAHAN ratifies new consti
FEATURES dreams, 8 Five one laptop 10
Love in lockdown
A
s the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impose crowd and close contact restrictions, the new normal is prompting activists to rethink public demonstrations, setting the scene for the re-emergence of digital activism.
“It encouraged more people to learn how to sympathize and engage. Maybe, there are instances that people might use it for the ‘clout.’ But let us not limit the knowledge to ourselves just because we think people are just getting along with the trend,” Abueva said.
Nekka Abueva, former governor of the University of the Philippines-Visayas Skimmers, expressed how social media activism does not intend to veer away from the real protests that usually happen on the streets. Instead, social media has become a means of informing more people, strengthening and widening the reach of their calls and fights.
The UP-V Skimmers former governor also emphasized how social media serves as a platform to criticize people and hold them accountable when using someone else’s struggles for fame and popularity. “So, where can we make them pay? On social media. What we see on this platform is a pool of opinions. That is why we should learn how to fight these misconceptions in order to educate other people,” Abueva added. According to AdDU-SHS Humanities and Social Sciences Chairperson Vincent Gonzaga, the concept of online activism has already been there during the physical setup, even before the pandemic. But with the transition to the digital platform, there is now a stronger presence of online activism. “Siguro in terms of how social media is changing activism in the country, given the current situation and transition of events, mas napalakas. It became more relevant; it became more prevalent in the sense that since there is already a restriction of mass gathering[s] [for] activism,” Gonzaga stated. With the onset of the pandemic, social distancing has greatly affected activists from taking their movements to the streets’ parliament, making social media’s pre existing role in activism amplified. The technological evolution and growth within the youth uprisings provided more entryways to youth leadership through decentralization with digital media. CONTINUE TO PAGE 5 >>>
ART BY SEAN ANTHONY PENN LACORTE