Sunday, November 4, 2012

How The Internet Has Changed And Affected Me As A Human Being



 

Because of the Internet, I was able to fulfill my dream of becoming a cause-oriented writer. Though I finished Marketing, my actual ambition was actually to become a writer. I’ve been writing poems, essays and political commentaries since high school and I’ve been aspiring to publish a book of poems since my college days. The Internet gave me the opportunity to publish and sell my own works. An ‘online publishing group’ made it possible for me to get my works published in year 2003.  I wrote about 8 booklets about my beliefs that human rights, democracy and freedom are natural and universal for all humanity. Those booklets got published by an ‘online publishing firm’ from 2003 to 2006. I also saw my short stories, essays and poems got published by such online publishing company in 2005. I’ve never thought that my written works will be printed and published at all in this lifetime of mine. The Internet made it possible for me to publish, promote and sell my written works. I’m happy that those works got printed and sold in the market. Since the Internet also gave me the chance to promote such books, people did buy such works of mine.

I'm Rummel Pinera from the Philippines. I’m a blogger, salesman, citizen-journalist, free-lance writer, entrepreneur, poet, human-rights advocate, and campaigner for social reforms. I started doing online campaigns for good and worthy causes in 2001. I wrote books about my own political beliefs from 2003 to 2006. I started my own advocacy called a 'political abrogationism' in year 2003. Political abrogationism is an advocacy which preaches that all dictatorships, monarchial reigns and despotic regimes all over the world should be abolished through peaceful and lawful means. Political abrogationism also advocates that every country, social organization and culture on Earth should peacefully and lawfully embrace democracy and secure human rights. I know that the ultimate objectives of such an advocacy are nearly-impossible to achieve. I didn't create such advocacy to really make democracy become absolute all over the world. We know that most countries in this world right now are already democratic republics. I know that there will be some situations that may occur on this planet that can give way to dictatorial rule in some places. I made such advocacy because I want the responsible citizens of this globe to be always vigilant in their lifetimes in defending the importance of human rights, democracy, civil liberties, constitutional processes and freedom. Such kind of vigilance should always guide humanity in the march for global stability and progress. I personally believe that human rights, civil liberties and freedom are natural and universal for all humanity. Hence, all humans deserve democracy and freedom.

I started doing online campaigns supporting Obama's bid to win the Democrats' primaries in year 2008. I organized fan-clubs for Obama during the same year and propagated the ‘Obama campaign’ all over the Internet. I was really impressed by Obama's intelligence, charm and sincerity that even though I'm not a US citizen, I campaigned for his presidential bid during that time.

It was about February of 2008 when I created 2 online fan clubs for Obama . I think those were the very first online fan clubs for Obama in a social networking site. I formed such fan-clubs on Friendster. As I've said, even though I'm not an American, I actively used the power of the Internet to champion the then presidential bid of Barack Obama in year 2008. I even went to the extent of chatting with my friends and relatives in the US to convince them to support and campaign for Obama. I actively joined several U.S.-based online forums to defend and promote Obama's presidential campaign. I used the Internet to campaign for Obama during the Democratic primaries in 2008 and during the actual campaign for the US presidential election. Because of such dedication, I got interviewed on two different occasions by a national TV network here in the Philippines for the 'online campaigning' that I did for Obama in year 2008. Such interviews happened after Obama won the 2008 US presidential election.

The Internet has become a common place, a huge and wide public space like any park, village, or province, except that it is the largest common area that has ever existed on Earth. I actually met my current girlfriend on the Internet. We started our romantic relationship by chatting on a social networking site. If my girlfriend and I can’t see each other in person due to busy schedules, we often turn to the Internet to actively communicate with each other. We‘ve been dating for 2 months now. The Internet is a place of diversity. The principle of diversity exists throughout the whole universe. Such principle is eternal in the whole universe. If you look closely at the Worldwide Web, anything that any person wishes to say can be heard by anyone else with access to the Internet, and this world-wide community is as gigantic, diverse and wide as humanity itself. Therefore, from an intelligent point of view, the Internet is a diverse place where one can find new information or idea and share such knowledge to anyone else who has access to such 'common place.' It’s no wonder that some people actually met their romantic partners on the Internet. The Internet is now the largest common place on Earth!

Such 'common place' called the Internet is a melting pot of cultures, ideas, expressions, hopes, dreams, innovations and visions. Hence, it's only normal for such a common place to have sub-areas wherein individuals can meet new friends, form organizations and promote ideas or causes. Now we have the various 'social networking sites' as sub-areas wherein people can create forums and groups as well as meet new friends. It's obvious that the Internet can be used as a medium to promote causes and advocacies since it is a diverse common place, and its scope is probably as wide as humanity itself. Activists like me are using the power of the Internet to advocate and popularize causes and ideals that would help make this world a better place to live in. I know that the Internet is a modern-day invention, but I can see the reality that it has become a huge and wide public space wherein I can freely express my ideas and opinions. I’m using the power of the Internet to promote racial equality, religious tolerance, humanitarianism, gender equality, human rights and other worthy causes all over the world.

After Friendster changed its 'format' in 2010, all the online groups there, including the online fan clubs that I made for Obama, suddenly disappeared. I continued being an active fan of Obama by establishing my own blog called as 'The Obama Fanatic's Blog' in year 2010 after all the online groups and forums located in Friendster disappeared. I went on defending Obama from his 'online critics' during that time.

I'm not that new in harnessing the power of the Internet to promote worthy causes and good advocacies all over the globe. I joined the Free Burma Coalition- Philippines through the Internet. I was able to suggest creative means of protesting for Burma's freedom through the Internet. Burma is now slowly but surely being democratized as news-reports had shown. I was able to join various solidarity-campaigns, which helped some countries that were once under despotic rule to gain democracy and freedom, via the Internet.
Early this year, in January, I established a new online fan club for Obama on Facebook. I called the online group as 'Barack Obama's Worldwide Fans'. The said group was established as a forum for US Pres. Obama's fans from all over the world. Most of its members are Filipinos and quite young. Other members of the said group hail from Europe, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Tunisia, US, etc,

The 'Barack Obama's Worldwide Fans' was established on January 18, 2012. The said online fan club is basically a cause-oriented group that is dedicated to the curtailing of modern-day slavery and human trafficking as well as championing democracy, human rights and freedom throughout the world. The group is opposed to child labor and wants an effective global approach that can really curtail global warming and stop all forms of pollution. Our fan club also advocates racial equality and religious freedom.

I became a citizen-journalist through the Internet. I think the Internet was a main factor in the development of citizen-journalism. The Internet made it possible for amateur photographers, bloggers, videographers, activists and concerned citizens to freely upload interesting pictures and videos that can be considered as news. As the communications landscape becomes more dynamic, more far-reaching, more secured, more fascinating, more complex, more gigantic, more accessible, and more participatory, the networked population is gaining greater and wider access to information, better opportunities to engage in public speech and debate, bigger chances of producing and sharing bright ideas and works, wider options to show creativity and an enhanced ability to make collective decisions and actions. The Internet is now the biggest common place on Earth, and it’s a place where people are free to express their ideas and opinions. Freedom of expression leads to creativity, reformation, invention, innovation and progress.






PLEASE CLCIK THIS LINK TO WATCH MY VIDEO-COMMENTARY ON THIS ISSUE:




 http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-813034