Context-aware social networking

...[P]eople still love social media in the Philippines, like everybody's on Facebook and Instagram, and...actually...without [the lens of] looking down on users of these platforms to...preserve memories, there's also a lot of very beautiful ways that people practice memory-making or experiencing traditions through digital capacities. Like for example, during the pandemic, there's a...Master's thesis by Noreen Sapalo who did a project on how Filipinos mourned...during funerals and deaths [in the midst of] the strictest lockdowns of the pandemic. So they would sort of post very specific profile pictures, they would post Facebook Lives, etc. And these are interesting ways that people practice...preserving memories and traditions that are usually in-person. [Another example:] so there's also this wonderful art project...it's called [Kamustahan Art Projects]...[by] Nathalie Dagmang, where she collaborated with migrants from outside of the Philippines to celebrate [Flores de Mayo]...So I think my answer is that as we develop more closely with technology, we would see it as integral to...the very life practices that we embody.

...[I]t would be cooler if we have Facebook Messenger, but then you can see [something like] Google Maps. And then in the Google Maps, there are pinpoints. Let's say there's a pinpoint in Greenbelt. When you click it, you can see what events are happening and who are the people going, what small organizations are doing some meetups there. So it would be cool to see what other people are up to, but you can see it through a map. It's kind of creepy, actually, now that I think about it. [You see], right now, I moved to Makati, and I want to find new friends nearby. So it would be cool if Google Maps has that feature where I [can] see what small social clubs are there, and where they usually meet up. So for example, I thought: "Where can I find a Halloween party that I can crash?". It's hard because in Facebook, I have to follow the stores or restaurants and find the [post]. So [it'd be] much better if that data was scraped...I'm sure there are keywords about it. And then just plot it in a map, and see where all the events are happening.

[In an optimistic future,] I'm easily able to make friends internationally. Okay, not to diss on Fil-Am couples, but you can find someone online to talk to, [so that you can] learn new languages. So I did that. I learned German by talking to this German girl. I was also able to find pen pals through social media. So it's like expanding your network, not only within the Philippines, but also internationally. And I guess locally, being able to find interest groups like what I mentioned: joining Japanese classes in Makati and through meetup.com.

...I think a lot of people also, just with like social media in general, care a lot about representation. Like..[for example,] One Down Media. Like, I think Filipinos in general [are] like really vocal about representation...there's like a joke that...people in the diaspora [are] always finding each other and ...there's this...term [called] "lukso ng dugo". I don't know if people really say that a lot, but just like that feeling of ...so much solidarity. I see it playing out a lot on the internet as well. Like I have connected with so many Filipino artists — even us like connecting is [one such example]...social media gives us so much space for representing ourselves and connecting with others. And a lot of people do that very explicitly as well, [as seen in] like making Filipino content, and educating others on the history of colonization...

[S]ocialization should be accessible for all people that do want to socialize, but are hampered  by certain aspects of it...[L]et's say, introverted people who do want to get out and socialize more, but fail to do so, and let's say they just end up using social media or more anonymous apps for social organization, say Reddit or Discord, where they don't truly show their identities or real life personalities. I believe that technology  would have advanced far enough to provide actual avenues for all different people to be able to socialize in meaningful ways, and would become like less hostile for sure...[I hope cases like] people who develop social relationships with their idols...or people who become very attached to their Discord friends who they have never met [in real life]...would no longer be as rampant by then...because whenever it's actually time for these people to go out and see their real world, [they generally struggle with it, from what I've seen]...I hope that by...[2040,] the big difference between online socialization and real life socialization would not be as distant, there would not be such a big gap between them, such that whenever these online socializations do have to be just related into real world socializations, it wouldn't be a struggle, and socialization would simply be socialization.

...[I]t would be [all about]...being able to find those interactions that are meaningful...not just like, "Oh, I have so many friends or I can find so many people."...[A meaningful interaction is] not just...[about] likes and views, but...[focused on] back and forth [conversation], and then being able to connect with them. So like when you'd be able to talk to them, it builds a natural...[and] long-lasting bond where like it gets to the point like, "Oh, we can maybe meet up [offline], [and] talk further."...And I'm also thinking...[about] making...technology that will...[be] integrated [into the activities you do, like a supporter/facilitator]...It has to fade into the background like "Oh, we're just doing the thing and it's just helping us do the thing," whether it's online or offline.

So in an ideal future...socialization is a mix of technology and human-to-human skills. It's that kind of mix. Because I see the value of technology, especially if you are distant or geographically apart. But at the same time, like what I've said, the benefits of human communication should still be there. So in an ideal scenario or future, I want people to have that kind of approach that they know how to mix both, rather than be dependent and be comfortable with only one form of communication...So perhaps technology can help in terms of nudging the user to explore other communication channels as well. Like, for example, how they can also suggest...[something like:] "Hey, this [conversation] can be best [done] talking in person rather than...inside the technology space."...Kasi, I'm assuming lang na the person is passive in terms of how the technology can drive them. So given that, I want technology to anchor on that and use that to give other perspectives and approaches to that user. So sila na mismo.