How have we changed? How is technology, in turn, changing us?
As digital adoption, technological advancement, and social media proliferation and usage keep going at a blistering pace, the big question we want to ask is: how has it changed our values – the very fabric and intricacies of a culture’s psyche – the Whys of what they do? That is what we wanted to find out through AdSpark Intelligence in this year’s Independence Day Special. What is the effect of a more digital lifestyle on our value system as Filipinos?
Finding out how the Filipino values have evolved or remained steady helps uncover impacts of technological advancements on the other, similarly changing areas of the Filipino’s life. Understanding these effects also helps businesses in different ways: it can help employers train and retain their value-driven workforce, and help brands craft a communication plan grounded on the evolving Filipino value system.
The values to be discussed in this report are going to be based on the landmark study of Virgilio Enriquez.2 These include Hiya, Utang na Loob, Lakas ng Loob, Pakikisama, Bahala na, and Pakikibaka – looking at how they are at work in creating or fueling digitally-fueled phenomena today.
The six values are very much alive in the Filipino psyche today. It is just that the way they are understood may have been altered or the way they are expressed is now in multiple ways, varying across generations, understandings, and even access to digital media.
Digital, especially social media, has become not just a mirror of these values. In some respects, it has become a molder, refiner, and an outlet to express them. Thankfully, it is also a way to continue seeing these values through a different lens.
Brands – and technology and media – today, are no longer just items on the shelf, or nice-to-haves in the living room. They are a means to make the world come to us, for life to continue, in a time when life seems to be on pause. Today, if brands can listen well to the consumers and act swiftly and meaningfully, they can be not just brands – but life-help to their customers.
To learn more about how digital transformed the values of the Filipinos,
download the full report here.
