Marcelli Q. Papas Archives

ALL'S WELL that ends well, but sometimes, it goes viral. The power of social media has changed the way we do things—from connecting with the people we love to the way we do work and everything else in between. With what looks like just mish-mashed interactions online gave rise to what it means to go “viral,” and as author Karine Nahon puts it, “In this new information ecosystem, an individual can share information that can flash across our digitally-supported social networks with a speed and reach never before available to a vast majority of people.” As such, given this emergent phenomenon at our disposal, we have seen one too many instances in which going viral has been used not just to entertain, but also to shed light on issues that matter (or not). Peopl...

MOCHA WAS a pretty good flavor—not until it manifested itself as something so distasteful. In case you are wondering, this is not about food or satiating the taste buds. In fact, this is about satisfying a deeper hunger that is of the intellect. However, in order to address this in a manner in which I will not stoop down to the level I am about to lambast in this piece, I must grapple for words with just the right amount of disdain hoping that my criticism would not look too catty. So here goes. During the previous elections, Filipino netizens were all about politics—the debates, election violence, the candidates’ pronouncements, witty jingles and the memes that went viral—in an outright showcase of democratic engagement powered by social media. With the immense popularity a...

Tag: Marcelli Q. Papas

Virality as a means to get even

Some Flavors Turn Sour