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Gerardo Lanuza, a sociology professor at the University of the
Philippines-Diliman and an expert on youth culture, says that these
videos become popular because of their novelty.
He adds that convergence of the mass media
contributed to their popularity. “You can download. You can
upload. You can share. Mobile technology also enables you to upload
and download anywhere you want.”
Lanuza says that how these videos affect the way
we think depends on the reason for downloading them. “Some of the
videos uploaded were unauthorized, violating the privacy of the
involved characters,” he notes. “On the positive side, it
becomes a point of discussion. It bridges friendship and establishes
long-distance virtual relationship,” he adds.
“These videos challenge us to be creative,”
he adds. The sociologist says these videos also give us a new way of
criticizing others. “The impact on the person is lessened by
turning it in into a joke.”
However, he says some people abuse the
popularity of the medium. An example of this is the spoof of the
movie 300. “For me, politically, 300 is an expression of a people
who resisted imperialism and colonialism,” he says, adding that
spoofing the characters as gay is politically incorrect.
These videos are not just sources of
entertainment. “Spoofs attract the youth and become springboard
for discussion,” he says. To those who exploit the new medium,
Lanuza advices, “Look beyond the picture screen, to the way the
society looks at it.”
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