Reflective Writing #5:

MY NEW NORMAL ICT (Information and Communications Technology)

ICT (Information and Communications Technology) has significantly impacted my daily life, especially now that we are in the new normal setting where lessons and pieces of information are obtained through media and technology. ICT became the bridge for communication, it keeps the connection to people closer and easier even though you are miles away from your loved ones.

ETS (Empowerment Technology) has changed the way I view ICT; it taught me to layout projects and taught me convenience. It also became a way for me to express my opinions and viewpoints through infomercial, infographic, and google site campaigns in order to spread awareness to people around the world. ICT Project for Social Change allowed me to become a great example to the generation, and this subject made me an advocate for change and a chance to wake people up with realities in life. This subject is one of my favorites since I love to edit and make designs using gadgets. This subject also made me aware of hacking, prioritize safety and security, and taught me to always check the privacy policies in every application I download. Furthermore, it encouraged me to embrace learning and participate in educational activities. ICT helped me improve my work or output quality, which boosts my self-esteem and confidence to complete more challenging learning tasks. Additionally, it allows for collaborative learning, especially with my group members in the “cyberwareness” campaign.

Social media sometimes became a harsh tool for people with insecurities and depressions. More often than not, the world we live in is increasingly adapting to technology. Others use it 24 hours; there are statements that I see online stating that “I can’t live without media, without a cellphone, without wifi” which is exaggerating for me. I have a favorite quote since my elementary days where it is stated that “People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.” by the author John Green It is very much true and sometimes people are blinded with technology or media that they tend to forget their loved ones and those people that truly care about them. All I can say is invest your time to people that are worth it rather than always keeping your eyes on gadgets because, at the end of the day when you die gadgets are not the one who mourns in your death, it is your loved ones and the people who love you too. Meanwhile, there are also people in the media who use ICT as a tool for change, such as influencers, someone who influences us to be good and beneficial things. I believe that when there are people who are blinded by technology, there are also people who are responsible users. I somewhat agree with how people currently use technology nowadays since I observed that people in media are resourceful in order to have income through ICT, especially now that we are facing a pandemic, it is not that easy to get a job, and having the media or online sites we get to have the opportunity to work again, entertain, and connect with people (e.g. TikToker, blogger, vlogger) 

In conclusion, always use ICT wisely, it may be a cliché, but when we are awake to its advantages and disadvantages, we always think before we click on every action, we take in every aspect. Let us follow technology guidance and rules for us to become responsible users. Always adhere to the basic behavior in any official site and stop using media or technology to judge or bully others. I sincerely hope that adolescents will be able to manage their time spent utilizing technology. It is understandable for me that often we are unable to regulate our emotional states, and in order to do so, we turn to the media for release, but we must exercise caution because we may be judged by the entire world for a single mistake and we do not know what will happen after. To avoid encountering unnecessary things, we must use ICT in the correct and proper manner.