Digital and Sociocultural Diversity

by SV

Theme: Embracing Digital Socio-cultural diversity for sustainable development
Topic: How digital and socio-cultural diversity could help or affect the society to the youth of today.
Resource speaker: Hon. Eric Otayde – currently Provincial Information Office of Antique and Professor, Former board member and former Provincial Administrator and town councilor.

Abstract

Digital and Sociocultural diversity workshop will explore the impact of a powerful global media-driven culture a=on young people and how it has affect their socialization process and values including the gender implications and changing generational relationships (both as a unifying and diversifying influence.) Through this event, we will demonstrate the young people a sense of social responsibility and leadership among youth in order to bring about more sustainable development outcome.Encourage young people to become active and motivate the proper use digital sociocultural diversity for sustainable development of society. This workshop also demonstrate how to be make decisions about the challenges they are facing as well as in the future due to the effect of digital and sociocultural diversity to facilitate a greater understanding through dialogue and teamwork. Furthermore, this explains how they can have a positive contribution to improve the quality of life through digital and sociocultural diversity.

Introduction

Youth is the backbone of the society but with the rapid growth of digital and sociocultural diversity how can this affect to their mental and emotional behavior, belief and their relationship both internal and external. We at United Tribes Organization Study Group (UTROS) in Philippines believe in the unique power of young people to face this challenges and opportunities embracing digital and sociocultural diversity with courage and dignity.

In this event, we desire to gather a textural opinion and perspective from the students of University of Antique. We aim to build the capacity of young people to understand, analyze, participate actively in and benefit fully from digital and socio youth culture of today and awakening them on how vital their roles in the society and hoping for those students who will be participating this event will share what they have learned to their peers and continue their community leadership and address the unique issues of concern that emerged in the workshop.

Sociocultural Diversity

Way back, sociocultural diversity according to our resource speaker Hon. Eric Otayde, some people were born naturally rich, some were born rich and them became poor and vice versa. And the other diverse is the sense of intellect and sexuality until other subcultures came out such as tribes, punks, emo, norms, values, etc. and changing position of young women within youth cultures, the impact of globalization and consumerism. Hence, it’s not that complicated as the way in this age of technology.

Youth Digital and sociocultural Diversity

Revolving or involving a combination of social and cultural factors such an example Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapshot, YouTube, Hangouts, etc. or known as social media are today’s digital sociocultural diversity of young people.

How digital and sociocultural diversity affect the youth in terms of mental, social and emotional behavior?

According to some students of University of Antique, it affects their mental behavior by jumping into conclusion in what they’ve seen in social media rather that finding the truth. Some also said that it makes them be aware of the happenings around them and other said it gives knowledge and help them in terms of research.

In their social behavior, digital and sociocultural diversity affects the youth to make friends and networks much easier and it makes the communication faster. Some said that they used this to express themselves. And other said that digital and sociocultural diversity makes their interpersonal interaction lesser.

Digital and sociocultural diversity affects the young people emotional behavior by living in their post. Happiness lies on likes, comments and shares they gain. Some said it develops concepts and comparison that leads to competition that would cause joy, sadness, anxiety, depression and worst suicide.

How digital and sociocultural diversity affect their values, belief, relationships (Internal and External)

Digital and sociocultural diversity affects the values and belief of today’s young people according to the students such as taking photos before meal or taking some time posting on their social accounts instead of praying and eating their usual meal time. Some said they are creating an image that was far from the reality.

In terms of relationship, digital and sociocultural diversity sometimes put some interaction gap. Instead of hanging out with the family and friends, they rather prefer to be on bed with their phones. Some said it also lessens the family bonding time even though they are sitting next to each other it feels different because they all facing their own social worlds. While some other said in terms of business, it makes the work easier and help them earn easily.

Conclusion

Today’s cultures are affected by social media especially to the youth. Without proper guidance, control and knowledge, the world today becomes a competition and addiction that leads to anxiety, depression and sometimes suicide.

They lie or “decorate” the truth in order to be more interesting or to please others, to get more likes, comments and shares. Digital and sociocultural diversity is a good place for sharing the highlight of your days but inevitably it tends to become a competition for validation and the lack of it could make you feel less valuable as a person. Sometimes tweets and likes become more important than living.

Social media has helped this shift happen with lighting speed. It’s concerning to see this new foundation for social exchanges being laid by the current generation for the next because it isn’t solid.

This is not only a challenge for us but also an opportunity as long as we know the proper usage and to make it profitable and helpful to us. This way we can build a fruitful respond to the urgency of our global rapid digital change for sustainable future.