Cyber Warriors Report

Sociology 10: MTh 1-2:30
Group Members:
Justin O. Ho
Brian K. Ong
Mayden Joy San Antonio
Leoneil Francisco
Marjorie Ann Yu
Nestor F. Margallo Jr.

WRITTEN REPORT

Cyber Warriors! – How has the Pinoy adapted to the information age

Subtopic: USE OF INTERNET AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION

INTERNET
- publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data.
- "network of networks"
NUMBER OF INTERNET USERS IN THE PHILIPPINES
- 11.8 million in 2004 and may increase to 20 million by 2007.
INTERNET ACCESS
* Home access - dial - up
- landline broadband
* Public places - libraries
- internet cafes
* Wi - Fi - wireless access to the internet
* Cellphones

COMMON USES OF INTERNET
*World Wide Web - a collection of interconnected documents and other resources linked by hyperlinks.
- used for keyword - driven Internet research using search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo)
- easy, instant access to a vast and diverse amount of online information.
*Remote Access - internet allows computer users to connect to other computers and information stores easily, wherever they may be across the world.
*Collaboration - the low - cost and nearly instantaneous sharing of ideas, knowledge and skills has made collaborative work dramatically easier.
*File sharing - a computer file can be e - mailed to customers, colleagues and friends as an attachment.
*Streaming media - an internet - connected device, such as a computer or something more specific, can be used to access on - line media in much the same way as was previously possible only with a TV or radio receiver.



ISSUES REGARDING THE USE OF INTERNET
*Plagiarism - the practice of claiming, or implying, original authorship, or incorporating material from someone else's written or creative work in whole or in part, into one's own, without adequate acknowledgement.
*Censorship
ADVANTAGES
*Easy and fast access to different information.
*Internet serves as a bridge for different people in different parts of the world.
*Internet is used for communication purposes.
DISADVANTAGES
*Issues of plagiarism and censorship arise.
*Piracy is committed.
*Internet can be used for things that can harm other people.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet


Subtopic: USING FRIENDSTER, MULTIPLY, YAHOO MESSENGER, BLOGSPOTS and DOING OTHER ACTIVITIES


Some points:
- Some people find their soulmates
- Socialize and chat with anonymous people
- Stalking
- Sharing of pictures


Did you know?
- A pinoy made friendster!
Joseph Ross Lee, 26 years old, is currently Friendster’s Philippine team chief
- There are about 4.5 million Friendster accounts in the Philippines
- 1 in 7 Filipinos is based outside the Philippines, so a lot of of us use Friendster to stay in touch considering our geographically disparate network of friends and relatives.
- Most companies ban Friendster from office Internet access, a testimony to its timesucking ability during work hours.
Source: http://business2.blogs.com/business2blog/2006/05/friendster_is_b.html

OTHER STATISTICS:

- 41 Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

- 8000 Internet cafes (from 1500 in 2002)
- Around 80% of Metro Manila Internet users access the Internet from their homes.
- 48% use prepaid Internet cards to access the Internet. The top ISPs that appeared in our surveys lately are PLDT and ISP Bonanza.
- The prepaid Internet market is getting bigger and is currently estimated to be worth 818 million pesos.

- Top prepaid ISPs at the moment are ISP Bonanza, Bl@st, Go, and SurfMaxx.

- The biggest Internet cafe chain in the country is Netopia.
- Figures on the number of Internet users and Internet cafes per province.
 Baguio City - 13,000 Internet users, 100 Internet cafes
 Cagayan De Oro City - 35,000 Internet users, 100 Internet cafes
 Cebu - 350,000 Internet users, 600 Internet cafes
 Davao City - 70,000 Internet users, 300 Internet cafes
 Iligan City - 11,000 Internet users, 20 Internet cafes
 Iloilo City - 40,000 Internet users, 200 Internet cafes
 Manila - 3,000,000 Internet users, 2000 Internet cafes
 Zamboanga City - 25,000 Internet users, 40 Internet cafes
 Albay - 70,000 Internet users, 40 Internet cafes
With the greater availability of online facilities from Internet cafes, cheaper dial up subscriptions, DSL, broadband, broadcast, satellite, cable, it is forecasted that the number of Internet users will increase by 50% every 2 years.
Source: Philippine Internet Demographics by: Janette Toral
http://www.digitalfilipino.com/ecommerce_article.cfm?id=57

Top 10 Internet Activities
1.) Using web-based emails (yahoo.com, hotmail.com) – 87%
Above 20 yrs. old, professionals, entrepreneurs
2.) Using instant messenger to chat – 75%
Young adults, housewives, professionals, entrepreneurs
3.) Reading news online – 70%
Males, above 30 yrs. Old, entrepreneurs
4.) Using a search engine to get brand information before buying – 63%
Males, young adults, professionals
5.) Reading regular newsletters from websites after signing up for them – 61%
Above 30 yrs. old, working individuals
6.) Visiting a job site (e.g. trabaho.com) - 59%
Professionals, young adults
7.) Sharing/posting pictures on the net - 56%
Young adults, working people
8.) Sourcing information about movies/DVDs – 54%
Teens and young adults
9.) Finding out about brands/companies – 54%
Young adults, professionals
10.) reading sponsored content pages/websites - 49%
teens and young adults, students

Points of Access:
Ø Work/School – 46%
Ø Internet café – 43%
Ø At home – 41%
Length of Time Online – 1-3 hours (average TV viewing levels is about three hours)
Primetime: lunch break at work, after school, weekend mid-afternoons

Source: “Marketing, Communications Enter Digital Age”. The Philippine Daily Inquirer January 19, 2007 issue section B5.

Subtopic: SOCIOLOGY IN ONLINE GAMING

- Online games are social worlds with their own geography, culture, dialect, and social rules.They are places where protests and vigils are held. They are places where slang and etiquette rules emerge. They are places where people meet and then get married face-to-face.
- teenagers prefer a virtual world to compromise personal issues and sociological problems
- online marriage, courtship and friendship and conflict develops in a virtual setting
- Some of these patrons may find leadership and affiliation opportunities in virtual worlds that they don’t have in the real world.
- Positive effect:
o alleviate social pressure
o personal development in virtual social interaction
o serve as therapeutic means for social entrapment
- Negative effect:
o Academic / Work and relationship stagnation
o Virtual Plunder or scams, exchanging virtual value for real money and money squandering
o Health deterioration
- Problems
o No law to resolve extreme cases in a legal procedure


SYNTHESIS:
Social effects of internet use have increased dramatically. Our lifestyles have definitely been altered by it. Here in the Philippines, many use it primarily for research and entertainment purposes.
Given the data regarding the Filipinos’ role in today’s information age, it is seen that Pinoys have clearly embraced the internet and everything it offers. Granted that there are numerous advantages to the internet from research to leisure purposes but it still cannot be ignored that there are also several valid concerns that should be addressed. Given that the internet is necessary in this day and age, cautionary steps in the law should nonetheless be taken since some ethical and legal issues have arisen due to the internet’s fast worldwide access. The dilemma, however, lies in the “borderless” aspect of the internet. Indeed, it is borderless, so much so that monitoring it to avoid the issues previously mentioned is very difficult to achieve. So, first, the internet technology is evolving too rapidly for safeguarding laws to be passed and second, supervision for ethical purposes is nearly impossible.
The temptation to get hooked to the net is so great particularly because of the ease and convenience it offers; up-to-date information a mere click away, hundreds of contacts throughout the world without even leaving home, and entertainment alongside virtual social interaction. Despite the numerous warning bells that may be ringing in our heads every time we research via the net without properly citing the source, or when we spend too much in checking our account for new testimonials, or when we start missing classes because we need one more hour playing DOTA, it seems the internet is a force as easily controlled and even stopped as an avalanche gathering speed downhill.