I was just reading the latest articles on the recently concluded Anti Con-Ass rally on Inquirer.Net. According to the police, this rally had the lowest turnout, around 6,000 based on their estimates. The organizers, on the other hand, claim that they had 13,000-15,000 warm bodies. You got to ask yourself the question: despite all the outrage this issue has generated, why only 15,000 people went to the streets? I’m sure there are varied reasons but at the end of the day the measurement of success for events like this is the number of participants. Sadly 15,000 is not representative of the majority of the Filipino people and can easily be dismissed by the politicians pushing for Con Ass. However, the good news is that on the internet, we have almost double the number of the people who went to the rally sign up on the “Stop Con Ass Now” cause on Facebook. As of this writing, there are almost 28,000 sign-ups on the cause.
With that in mind, I came up with this short article explaining the strengths of Cyberactivism and why it should be taken seriously not just by the proponents, but also by politicians and organizers who want to provide a platform for the citizens to be part of a cause.
Physical Rallies can be Inconvenient
Let’s face it, life these days is hard. Missing a day of work means a salary deduction or a lost vacation/sick leave. The reality is a lot of Filipinos will not “pay” to be part of a rally by missing work. I think this was the biggest hurdle a lot of office workers had to face in Makati when they wanted to join the rally last night. This was the sentiment of several colleagues I have here in the office.
Rallies also need a convergence point. You physically have to be in one spot on a specific time to be able to make the effort count. This literally makes the rally limited since those who are outside of Manila, especially those in Visayas and Mindanao, cannot participate because they won’t buy a plane ticket and fly all the way here to protest Con Ass.
Virtual Rallies, on the other hand, are completely the opposite. All you need to have to be part of it is to have access to the internet. The good thing these days is that there are more than 10,000+ internet cafes spread all over the Philippines and most of them charge very reasonable and affordable rates. There are a few cafes in Davao that charge as low as P5/hour. By going to the worldwide web, you transcend the inconveniences brought about by physical rallies. You’re still counted and your part of the movement without having to spend that much time, resources, and effort.
Physical Rallies end when they’re finished
This, I think, is the biggest weakness of physical rallies. When the crowd disperses, the event ends, especially if there were only a few or an average number of attendees. Other succeeding rallies are usually treated as separate efforts and they don’t really all add up in terms of metrics.
And that I think is one of the strongest qualities of Virtual Rallies. The moment a person joins, he’s in it for the long haul. The count is cumulative regardless of the time and space. As long as the website is up and running, people will be counted. That’s the reason why the Facebook Cause against Con Ass is already nearing 30,000 sign-ups. Imagine if we give it more time? That number will continue to grow and eventually might even end up more than 100,000.
What is more effective in pushing for a cause? An unsure attendance of 6,000-15,000 in a rally in Makati or a virtual representation of more than 100,000?
Organizers of the Anti Con Ass Campaign should really take Cyberactivism seriously. Given the right firepower, the Facebook approach might actually be more effective in the long run.
tol, opinyon ko lang, mula sa punto de bista ng isang dating guro ng komunikasyon.
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gaano naman kaya kalalim ang pagtataya ng mga sumasali sa virtual rallies na tinutukoy mo?
oo, magandang tignan na napakaraming numero ang lumalabas sa facebook, ngunit ilan naman kaya sa kanila ang nakikisakay lang? at ilan naman kaya ang handang magsakripisyo at tuluyang magtaya ng sarili?
oo, nagbago na nga ang anyo ng konsepto ng public sphere na ipinianukala ni Habermas, dahil na rin sa pag-unlad ng teknolohiya, ngunit hindi rin kaya lumalabnaw ang pagkasangkot ng mga nakikilahok dahil may mga bagay na ayaw nilang isakripisyo? na ayaw nilang mapagod? na ayaw nilang maulanan, makipagsiksikan, mapukpok o mabomba ng tubig?
hindi kaya ang malalim na pagtataya sa mga isyu ang susi sa tagumpay ng mga rally na tulad nito? iyong lalim na iyon ang hindi kayang ibigay ng facebook. iba pa rin syempre yung hinihinga mo yung hininga ng katabi mo. iyon, iyon ang tunay na pakikilahok.
Php 5/hr? for real?
Everything has its pros and cons… Everything. Nothing is absolutely right especially if it’s based on an individual basis because everyone has his/her own opinion, point-of-view and belief about almost everything in life.
With this regard, online or offline rallies have its own advantages and disadvantages as well. So both points by the author and the commenter are right in their “own” way. Neither is wrong. It just depends on the person. Sure there are “general acceptable rules/beliefs” but that doesn’t mean that it’s the absolute truth as what is right for someone may not be right to another one.
Anyway… Personally, I don’t really support “rallies” on the streets aside from the fact that for me it’s already an overuse strategy to improve one’s personal status by “trying” to change the people in the government, the rallyists, vendors and its leaders doesn’t respect Mother Earth as well by throwing garbages on the street carelessly which clogs the drainages and they result to a major inconvenience to other people who go to work to cover the needs of their loved ones because the traffic is very overwhelming.
But this doesn’t mean I don’t support what they rallyists are doing. Of course I do. I just have other priorities and I consider them noble for prioritizing in changing the government (hopefully for the better) for all of our future. On that regard, they may be considered as “heroes”. But I hope that this is not the only thing they do to improve their lives as simply shouting your disgust is not enough as that may not work as you cannot really control them. Yes you can try but that is not a guarantee. The simplest analogy for this is the rain… No matter how disgusted you are because you have to go somewhere and rain spoiled your commitment, you can shout your lungs out to the heavens but it may or may not stop (it’s unlikely to stop because of you shouting). BUT you have total and 100% control over yourself – you can bring a raincoat, umbrella or even wear boots if you really want to go out.
Conclusion: Protesting against someone or something you feel is not right is A-OKAY but that should be supplemented by doing something for yourself. No money? Find a job, create a biz, have a sideline… Sabi nga, “Kapag gusto may paraan, kapag ayaw sandamakmak ang dahilan”.
Hi guys,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
@Darn: Hey bro! How are you? We should have dinner soon with Mich and the others. Anyway, I agree with you that physically being in rallies has a deeper meaning. However, complimenting causes or movements with an online component can bring you a level higher because your reach expands exponentially. With the internet you break a lot of barriers that stop Filipinos from going to the street.
@Binog: Yup. At off-peak, P2.
@anonymouspinoy: Thanks for the insights bro. Agree with you 100%. Rebuilding this country starts with oneself. If you can’t provide for your family, how do you expect to serve the nation?
I have to agree with those that say that such has it’s pros and cons.
I am a Senior UP Political Science student conducting a research on the topic at hand. Having read your post, it has come to my attention that you MAY have read or even have a copy of the book Cyberactivism: Online Activism in Theory and Practice.
The book is not available in the country and can only be purchased via online shopping. No full e-books are available as well.
If you have already read the book that I mentioned I would like to request for your personal synopsis if you would allow.
(or even borrow the book if possible. hehe)
Sorry I don’t have a copy.