Home⇛PCS Review⇛vol. 15 no. 1 (2023)

Rants for Reform: Collective Consciousness and #LigtasNaBalikEskwela

Karina Y Evangelista | Tanya Amadeus Leibniz Komoda | Rian Mitchell Piamonte | Enrico Miguel D Pilapil

Discipline: media studies

 

Abstract:

The shift to remote learning highlighted several issues in the Philippines; the most significant being the socioeconomic disparities experienced by Filipino learners in the unequal access to education in the remote learning setup. Such issues prompted the public to campaign for the safe reopening of schools using #LigtasNaBalikEskwela on Twitter (now known as X). Applying Émile Durkheim’s Collective Consciousness to the digital space, this study aimed to identify how #LigtasNaBalikEskwela was utilized to construct the participating users’ collective consciousness. Using thematic and discourse analyses, we inquired into the discourses in the #LigtasNaBalikEskwela network with the primary objective of elucidating what they collectively say about the situation of remote learning in the Philippines. Our analysis of 108 tweets revealed that the current learning setup brought about different struggles and challenges to the education sector. The tweets presented how users related their personal experiences with sociopolitical concerns through interactions in the network through the use of hashtags. We found that the hashtag was used to disseminate information on the resumption of on-site classes, to describe the worsening mental health of students, to discuss the technological and financial disparities highlighted by the online mode of learning, to raise the implications of remote learning on human rights, to discuss remote learning setup in the context of the pandemic, and to criticize the government’s handling of the education sector amidst the pandemic. Our analysis also uncovered how communicative cues, such as the mention of mostly antagonistic lexical cues targeting the national government’s imposition of remote learning, shaped their collective consciousness. By and large, these frames depict the remote learning situation in the Philippines as a collective struggle—which ultimately pushes the need to call for the safe return to face-to-face learning.



References:

  1. Abella-Zata, G. (2020). Digitalization in the social media capital of the world. Cabot Inc. https://www.cabotinc.com/en/articles/digitalization-social-media-capital-world/
  2. Agaton, C. B., & Cueto, L. J. (2021). Learning at home: Parents’ lived experiences on distance learning during COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 10(3), 901–911. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v10i3.21136
  3. Agoncillo, J. A., Ramos, M. S., & Valenzuela, N. G. (2020, March 15). Metro Manila schools cope by holding online classes. INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1242106/metro-manila-schools-cope-by-holding-online-classes 
  4. Albert, J. R. G., Santos, A. G. F., & Vizmanos, J. F. V. (2018). Profile and determinants of the middle income class in the Philippines. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/PUBLICATIONS/pidsdps1820.pdf.
  5. Alingasa, A. T. & Ofreneo, M. P. (2021) “Fearless, powerful, Filipino”: Identity positioning in the hashtag activism of #BabaeAko. Feminist Media Studies, 21(4), 587-603, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2020.1791927
  6. Alperstein, N. M. (2019). Social movements: Our virtual collective consciousness. Celebrity and Mediated Social Connections, 195–222. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-17902-1_7
  7. Alvarez, Jr., A. V. (2020). The phenomenon of learning at a distance through emergency remote teaching amidst the pandemic crisis. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 144-153. ​​https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3881529.
  8. Anwar, A., Malik, M., Raees, V., & Anwar, A. (2020). Role of mass media and public health communications in the COVID-19 pandemic. Cureus, 12(9), e10453. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.10453.
  9. Baloran, E. T. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes, anxiety, and coping strategies of students during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 25(8), 635–642. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2020.1769300
  10. Barker-Plummer, B. & Barker-Plummer, D. (2017). Twitter as a feminist resource: #YesAllWomen, digital platforms, and discursive social change. Emerald Studies in Media and Communication, 14, 91-118.
  11. Barreiro, V. (2021). Twitter’s top PH hashtags for the first half of 2021. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/technology/internet-culture/twitter-top-philippine-hashtags-first-half-2021/
  12. Baticulon, R. E., Sy, J. J., Alberto, N. R. I., Baron, M. B. C., Mabulay, R. E. C., Rizada, L. G. T., Tiu, C. J. S., Clarion, C. A., & Reyes, J. C. B. (2021). Barriers to online learning in the time of COVID-19: A national survey of medical students in the Philippines. Medical Science Educator, 31(2), 615–626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01231-z
  13. Bautista, J. R., & Lin, T. T. C. (2015). Tweeting social support messages after a non-celebrity’s death: The case of the Philippines’ #Fallen44. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(11), 641–646. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0214
  14. Bayani, D. B. S. & Tan, S. G. (2021) Health systems impact of COVID-19 in the Philippines. [Center for Global Development Working Paper]. https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/WP569_Health_systems_impact_of_COVID_in_the_Philippines.pdf
  15. Beduya, S. V. A., De Leon, D. N. Q., Quintana, J. P., Alenzuela, R. A. G., Mira, C. R. M. M., & Afan, A. M. P. (2022). The digital spectator activities of Twitter users on the issue of the anti-terrorism bill in the Philippines. Simulacra, 5(1), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.21107/sml.v5i1.14462
  16. Blasiola, S., Sang, Y. & Xu, W. (2015). More the words: Technical activist actions in #CISPA. In N. Rambakkuna (Ed.), Hashtag publics: The power and politics of discursive networks (pp. 139-151). New York: Peter Lang.
  17. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. SAGE Publications.
  18. Bruns, A. & Burgess, S. (2015). Twitter hashtags from ad hoc to calculated publics. In N. Rambakkuna (Ed.), Hashtag publics: The power and politics of discursive networks (pp. 13-27). New York: Peter Lang.
  19. Bunquin, J. & Gaw, F. (2021). Digital witnessing in a pandemic: An assemblage analysis of the Twitter hashtag network #MassTestingPH. Southeast Asian Media Studies, 3(1). Retrieved from http://www.ejournals.ph/form/cite.php?id=16530
  20. Cahapay, M. B. (2021). Involvement of parents in the remote learning of children amid COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines: A transcendental phenomenology. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3825316 
  21. Cahapay, M. B., & Labrador, M. G. P. (2021). Experiments gone wrong? Lived experience of Filipino teachers in remote science education amid COVID-19 crisis. Asian Journal of Science Education, 3(2), 90–101. https://doi.org/10.24815/ajse.v3i2.20981
  22. Cahapay, M. B., Lorania, J. B., Labrador, M. G. P., & Bangoc, N. F. I. I. (2021). Instructional development for distance education amid COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines: Challenges and innovations of kindergarten teachers. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 16(2), 69–84. http://asianjde.com/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/592
  23. Chang, C. L. & Fang, M. (2020). E-Learning and online instructions of higher education during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Diseases (COVID-19) Epidemic. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1574, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1574/1/012166.
  24. Chaves, M. G. (2021). Remote learning readiness and challenges: Perceptions and experiences among tertiary state university management students. Recoletos Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 9(1), 79–89. https://doi.org/10.32871/rmrj2109.01.08
  25. CHEd Memorandum Order No. 20, s. 2021. (2021). Guidelines on the implementation of flexible learning options and gradual reopening of campuses for limited face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic period for the bachelor of science in marine transportation (BSMT) and bachelor of science in marine engineering (BSMarE) programs. https://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/CMO-No.-20-s.-2021.pdf
  26. CNN Philippines Staff. (2020, March 7). Walang pasok: Class suspensions over coronavirus outbreak. CNN Philippines.  https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/3/7/class-suspensions-coronavirus.html?fbclid=IwAR3fQMAr9HJZzyG0hl7EbJVxJb7l12epx796g28sFGO3qY07YUW4X250sdU
  27. Cordero, K., Paloma, K., & Viñas, V. (2014). Analysis of tweets with the hashtag ‘YolandaPH’. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268576973_Analysis_of_Tweets_with_The_Hashtag_%27YolandaPH%27.
  28. Dancel, R. (2020, March 23). Coronavirus: Duterte places a third of the Philippines on sweeping lockdown. The Strait Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/coronavirus-massive-cracks-in-manila-lockdown-luzon-under-enhanced-community-quarantine.
  29. David, C. C. (2013). ICTs in political engagement among youth in the Philippines. The International Communication Gazette, 75(3), 322-337. DOI: 10.1177/1748048512472948
  30. DepEd Order No. 029, s. 2021. (2021). School calendar and activities for school year 2021-2022. https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/DO_s2021_029.pdf
  31. Estella, P., & Löffelholz, M. (2019). Philippines-media landscape. Media Landscapes. https://medialandscapes.org/country/philippines/media/digital-media.
  32. Gocotano, T. E., Jerodiaz, M. A. L., Banggay, J. C. P., Nasibog, H. B. R., & Go, M. B. (2021). Higher education students’ challenges on flexible online learning implementation in the rural areas: A Philippine case. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20(7), 262–290. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.7.15
  33. Harms, J. B. (1981). Reason and social change in Durkheim’s thought: The changing relationship between individuals and society. The Pacific Sociological Review, 24(4), 393–410. https://doi.org/10.2307/1388775
  34. Korn, N. (2015). #FuckProp8: How temporary virtual communities around politics and sexuality pop up, come out, provide support, and taper off. In N. Rambakkuna (Ed.), Hashtag publics: The power and politics of discursive networks (pp. 127-137). New York: Peter Lang.
  35. Labor, J. and San Pascual, M.R.S. (2022). Online Discourse Framing of LGBTQ Student Activism in the Philippines. In P. Pain (Ed.) LGBTQ Digital Cultures: A Global Perspective. Routledge
  36. Leading countries based on number of X (formerly Twitter) users as of January 2023. Statista. Retrieved October 25, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/242606/number-of-active-twitter-users-in-selected-countries/ 
  37. Lee, S. H. (2018). Alternative information and digital citizenship: The rise of unconventional political participation in the asian context of internet use. Journal of International and Area Studies, 25(1), 71-92. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26485931
  38. Lynn, T., Rosati, P., & Nair, B. (2020). Calculated vs. ad hoc publics in the #Brexit discourse on Twitter and the role of business actors. Information, 11(9), 435. https://doi.org/10.3390/info11090435
  39. Macaraan, W. E. R. (2021). #ChurchInAction: more than a hashtag, it is an activism. Journal of Public Health, pp. 1-2. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdab196
  40. Pandey, A., & Gupta, R. K. (2008). A Perspective of Collective Consciousness of Business Organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 80(4), 889–898. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25482188
  41. Poncian, P. (2017). The impact of home environment on students’ academic achievement in Tanzanian secondary schools: A case of Geita Town Council [Unpublished master’s thesis]. The University of Dodoma.
  42. Rambakkuna, N. (2015). From #RaceFail to #Ferguson: The digital intimacies of race-activist hashtag publics. In N. Rambakkuna (Ed.), Hashtag publics: The power and politics of discursive networks (pp. 29-46). New York: Peter Lang.
  43. Roengtam, S., Nurmandi, A., Almarez, D.N. and Kholid, A. (2017). Does social media transform city government? A case study of three ASEAN cities: Bandung, Indonesia, Iligan, Philippines and Pukhet, Thailand. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 11(3), 343-376. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-10-2016-0071
  44. Rotas, E. E. & Cahapay, M. B. (2020). Difficulties in remote learning: Voices of Philippine university students in the wake of COVID-19 crisis. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(2), 147-158. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4299835.
  45. Rotas, E. E., & Cahapay, M. B. (2021). From stress to success: Exploring how Filipino students cope with remote learning amid COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 3(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpsp.2021366608
  46. Sauter, T. & Bruns, A. (2015) #auspol: The hashtag as community, event, and material object for engaging with Australian politics. In N. Rambakkuna (Ed.), Hashtag publics: The power and politics of discursive networks (pp. 47-59). New York: Peter Lang.
  47. Shinozaki, S. & Rao, L. N. (2021). COVID-19 impact on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises under the lockdown: Evidence from a rapid survey in the Philippines. Asian Development Bank Institute Working Paper 1216. https://www.adb.org/publications/covid-19-impact-msme-under-lockdown-evidence-rapid-survey-philippines.
  48. Simbulan, N. P. (2020). COVID-19 and its impact on higher education in the Philippines. Higher Education in Southeast Asia and beyond, 8, 15–18.
  49. ​​Countries with most X/Twitter users 2023. Statista. (2023, September 13). https://www.statista.com/statistics/242606/number-of-active-twitter-users-in-selected-countries/ 
  50. Talabong, R. (2020, March 12). Metro Manila to be placed on lockdown due to Coronavirus outbreak. Rappler. ​​https://www.rappler.com/nation/metro-manila-placed-on-lockdown-coronavirus-outbreak.
  51. Taylor, G. W., & Ussher, J. M. (2001). Making sense of S&M: A discourse analytic account. Sexualities, 4(3), 293–314. https://doi.org/10.1177/136346001004003002
  52. Teodoro, L. V. (2020). Philippine education in crisis. BusinessWorld, https://www.bworldonline.com/editors-picks/2020/07/09/304328/philippine-education-in-crisis/
  53. Tomacruz, S. (2020, March 9). Duterte declares state of public health emergency amid rise in coronavirus cases. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/duterte-declares-state-public-health-emergency-rise-coronavirus-cases-march-2020.
  54. Toquero, C. M. D. (2020°). Challenges and opportunities for higher education amid the COVID-19 pandemic: The Philippine context. Pedagogical Research, 5(4), em0063. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/7947.
  55. Toquero, C. M. D. (2020b). Emergency remote teaching amid COVID-19: The turning point. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 185-188. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3881748.
  56. Vicari, S. (2017). Twitter and non-elites: Interpreting power dynamics in the life story of the (#)BRCA Twitter stream. Social Media + Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305117733224.
  57. Vitales, V. A., Aquino, K. J. M., De Leon, E. F., Lacap, P. P., Maranan, S. S., & Duldulao, J. J. (2021). Preparedness and challenges of the new normal: perspectives of Filipino students in virtual learning. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 3(1), 199–211. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v23i1.4283

Tools


Copyright © 2024  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic