LITERATURE: ADAPTATION OF LITERATURE IN THE MODERNIZED WORLD

Adonis, R., Austria, P.C., Baladad, R., Baustista, M.B., Yongco, D.M.
BSA 2-3
AH2- Philippine Popular Culture
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela

Literature in the Age of Technology

Reading printed textbooks, published articles, and other hard copy texts creates bigger
effect. The impact of its teachings to the moral of the youth readers of it by means of textbooks
where animals are the characters who will teach the reader a moral lesson after the story. Impact
of reading as to enrich the reader's vocabulary. And the impact of it making the readers explore
their imaginations and explore different dimensions in the world. But what is the importance of
reading if we are living in the age where advancement of technologies and rising of social media
is prevailing nowadays? Taking the fact that the celebration of the birth of our language, "Buwan
ng Wika" is about to be commemorated — language has played a bigger role in literature to
reflect the culture of being a Filipino. The language that has evolved through time has opened
doors for the modernization of literature in the Philippines. Literature seemed to be dynamic — it
changes in every aspect as required by the modernization and the rise of technology and internet
is one of the reasons why publishing hard copies became unpopular these day. Modernization is
the one that gave birth to the new ways of making poems, telling a story, and any other forms of
literature.

There were stories that were written and posted in a video accompanied with music while
the readers reads the text on the video — Marcelo Santos III was one of the popular makers who
did this new way of making stories. He, currently, has published two books. There were also
short poems that can be easily be read and understand by the readers by Lang Leav. The
popularity of spoken word poetry where Juan Miguel Severo was famous of — entitled as the
"Prinsipe ng Hugot" and lastly, the battle rap that was become immersed in FlipTop Battle
League that was considered as the new way of debate. Also, because of internet, it became easy
to access reading materials, poems, articles, diaries, stories and such. These common stories were
published in known sites like Wattpad and other e-books site. The rise of technology and internet
became a great help to open the minds of every readers living in this generation but the questions
is, was it enough? We are never certain if the things they read in the internet was one with a good

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quality content. They were exposed in this way were written text stories were presented in a
video — but were they exposed on how wide and beautiful the history of Filipino literature? Was
there something to worry about? What was really the condition of literature in the Philippines
and how does it affects everyone of us?

Contemporary Literature: The Acclimatization through Modernism

The past periods had just established groups of people who greatly contributed to the
ascendance of Literature here in the Philippines. Their published works, which as of today, are
being examined and used in schools and colleges. As times change, individuals need to adapt to
changes, innovate, and be progressively mindful of the current condition of the world, just as the
occasions and events that guided us to be at the present state that we stand. The continuous
curiosity and the emerging mindfulness of people nowadays resulted to the modernization,
creation, articulation, and a more extensive perspective about innovations and changes including
alteration of technology. Filipinos of modern day, just as the young people of today become
progressively aware of what's going on, essentially on account of simpler access to instruction
and innovation. Print, we may state, is slowly biting the dust and gradually dying, yet our craving
for information and knowledge keeps on developing and obviously our Literature with a
different and new medium, still flourishes alongside innovation. The entirety of this paved the
way to the 21st century Literature, with different classifications, themes, topics, and voices. The
Philippines keeps on creating numerous angles and as a liberal nation, we are under the overall
advancement of ways on the most proficient method to exchange and share thoughts regarding
the present occasions which have similarities with every nation.

Since we are in the period of innovation, we use them to bestow and encounter writing to
make it all the more intriguing and attracting particularly to the youthful ones. They grew up
utilizing technology such as gadgets as an essential learning device, and for them to be
progressively engaged in literature, for example, the web and devices play a colossal role for
them in securing information and knowledge. Additionally, Filipinos wanted easier ways on
finishing their daily tasks, so that they used technology. Alongside with this, they became
slightly indolent, together with acquiring information. Truthfully, tasks became less hassle with
the help of technology.

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 Writing keeps on changing with society and despite the fact that we are in the 21st
century and are binded with innovation, writers and authors are as yet attempting to address
outright human inquiries and questions about current condition and modern life. In this manner,
modern literature accommodates them with the regularly changing innovation that encompasses
us; subsequently, this results to the introduction of the diverse 21st century. In the new
instructive framework that the Philippines is presently under which is the K+12 program,
undergraduates are qualified to become familiar with the new curriculum that includes the topics
such as the contemporary literature that we have in the 21st century.

The Quality of Modern Literature

In the most time we are able to set aside stories, poetry and essays with depth of
civilization which can be useful for the people and our national literature. Yes, and our books are
filled with the means and contributions of various distinguished and experts in the field of
literature, but in contemporary works, we are more likely to read writings of which we can more
easily understand, without looking at the quality of it. No one wanted something new. They all
wanted a sure thing. And they all especially wanted to read something that already had a certain
amount of approval through social media networks, previously published stories in journals, etc.
Many literature now shine with the help of Social media sites and the technology. Because of
this there are many who can declare and do various desires. One of the example of contemporary
literature is the stories from the Wattpad that is especially popular among young people at
present. Technology has helped the youth be more motivated to read, but it is not sure if these
readings are made of good and quality. Most of them are only shining because of the number of
reads but not to the quality of keeping with the characteristics of a deep, genuine literary. But it’s
not that the subject matter of most modern literature is bad, it’s the quality of the actual writing.
It can be very hard at times to even figure out what the writer is trying to say. It is not likely to
deny that the Internet is not well-made from the writer. According to Vox Day, Postmodern
literature is literally word salad. It’s not good. It’s not deep. It’s childish, it’s superficial and it is
meant to be skimmed lightly so that it makes you feel something. It is literally anti-intellectual.
You have to turn your brain off to try to understand this. If this type of writing continues, it is a
threat for our country's pan mattering. These types of literature do not cause the form of reader's
civilization because those considered true literature are works more than stories and should be

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reflected in a deeper and heavy thought and the events that should be every citizen to know. The
real writing will include you in every letter and will make you part. It is a worthy to pay attention
to this condition of our literature to be saved in his actual price. The quality of writing has been
devalued while the writer himself becomes the star. The writer’s personal status, minority status,
victim status, or whatever status needed to make him or her a writer slash celebrity takes
precedence over the craft, style and theme and art of the writing.

Issues of Literature Today

The Customary Philippine Literary foundation seems, by all accounts, to be a little, and a
very close network—unreasonably little for a country of 70 million individuals. In this
community, we can see somehow that remarks and opinions condemning another people’s work
appears to be forbidden and a taboo. Only great and positive words are permitted to turn out in
print. But in the modern society, because of arising technology and social media, expressing of
opinions and thoughts are way more exercised and unfolded by all Filipinos who have access on
the internet. This is favorable in terms of our freedom of speech, but this can be disadvantageous
when it comes to the limitation and excessiveness of criticisms, some of which are very alarming
and critical to the situation of the lives of other people. If different posts and opinions are easily
and effortlessly shared on the internet, various comments and arguments of other people can also
be written against the opinion of the former. In this case, chaos and disorder can undoubtedly
arise.

Another one of a kind characteristic of Philippine Contemporary Literature is the

equivalence and sameness of voice or tone in Philippine content. This is somehow because of the
openness of the medium nowadays and anything can be plagiarized and copied, like it is their
own range of thoughts. To illustrate this, various memes and jokes online are easily spread if it
catches the opinion of the viewers and readers. But then after some period of time, people seem
to be fed up with a particular meme, thus they easily forget this and focus on much more content.

Presently, the sentence use, structure, style, and the grammar of words are less likely to
be organized. This is also because of the wide medium of inserting different opinions regarding
various matters. Users of internet are now free to post anything, even if the use of words and
style are not appropriate with the medium itself and audiences/viewers. Unlike in the traditional

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Philippine Literature, most of the printed works are more organized and established because of
different approval of scholars and experts.

Filipino’s Lack of Interest in Philippine Literature

Philippines still faces serious problems and one of which is how to sustain the interest in
its own literature because Philippine literature is an important subject for Filipinos. This is one of
the treasures that were given by our ancestors however, its seems that its popularity to Filipinos
remains adverse. Back in the past times, Filipino writing is in a blast. Youths read a great deal of
books about the Ibong Adarna, the distinctive legendary animals of the Philippine folklore, for
example, the tikbalang, tiktik, and aswang. And many Filipino children appreciate the stories of
Lola Basyang.

What most alarming is how the Filipinos ignore their literature. Nowadays, Filipinos are
gradually losing its interest in its own cultural roots and slides into a rejection of its own
traditional heritage and continue to lose interest in their literature. Some of literatures are
becoming unknown and forgotten. But maybe because of the section of various foreign titles like
the Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings, Filipino stories are step by step being overlooked.
They are presently yet hesitantly being perused at school where the students sometimes even
complain why they even have to read them. Their unfortunate stereotype is that Filipino
literature was cliché or “baduy”. They see a common and predictable formula in the plots of
novels, films, and teleseryes in Philippine media and are tired of it. In response, they sought
more creativity in foreign works.

However, these literary works are at the core of the Filipino culture. The artistic works of
Inigo Ed Regalado, Lualhati Bautista, Jose Rizal, among others deify Filipino culture in various
periods in ink. The stories of Lola Basyang are a source of education about the mores in Filipino
society and how youthful Filipinos are relied upon to act and behave, as Filipinos.

The Filipino's lack of interest greatly affects the condition of Philippine literature. It is
vital to consider the participation of Filipino in the matter. They are not only the audiences for
literary works but they are also the ones who have a capacity to continue the legacy of great
Filipino writers.

Conclusions

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 To conclude, the status of the literature in the present days was highly influenced by the
advancement made by technology. Books, texts and other literary works seems to be more
accessible than before because of the invention of internet. In line with this, literature can easily
be spread out because of different social media platforms and also, the concept of literature turns
into a flexible one because of its emerging forms. Today, literature is not only enclosed in books
and other reading materials, it become diverse and easily adapt to the changes happening in the
current generation. E-books, Fliptop, spoken word poetry are some of the evidence that literature
are not being left out, instead it is getting engaged on what the modernization brings to us.

Aside from the positivities being emphasized, modernization has also a disadvantage to
the flourishing of the literature in the current generation. Some authors are highly engaged in
becoming popular rather than making good quality of works. In addition, the content or idea that
the authors want to convey in their piece was being compromised because they want get the
attention of the young readers who’s hopeless romantics than expressing the intellectual ideas
that they have. As the internet becomes prevalent, printed reading materials transforms into and
electronic book or which they called e-book in which everyone has an access to it. Literary
works posted on the internet are easily being plagiarized which result to almost similar content of
every Wattpad stories you could ever read.

Lastly, going to our own literature, it is very evident the Philippine Literature is inferior
among other literature especially here in the Philippines. Sad to think but it is really happening
and take note, in our own country. As Philippine Literature seems to be boring, contrived and
less vibrant for others, this kind of mentality should be eliminated because we, as Filipinos
should be the one to help our own literature to flourish. We are the one responsible to see the
beauty of what we have and let’s not pass it to others. We should not only be a “keyboard
warrior” in which we only show sympathy through posting on our social media sites but in
reality, we are just doing nothing. Come to think of it, a person who belongs into a family, help
his/her family members to grow and would not left them out. In sense, we as a Filipino should
show support to our Filipino authors, because we, living in the same country, can be considered
as a family. Even though only one person is making a difference is still a difference after all.
Support our country, support our authors, support our own.

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Sources:

Definitely Filipino. (2014). Is Filipino Literature Dying? Retrieved from

https://definitelyfilipino.com/blog/is-filipino-literature-dying/

Holiday , kitten. (2017). Modern Literature is nothing more than an Anti-Intellectual

Word Salad. Modern Literature Is Nothing More than an Anti-Intellectual Word Salad. Retrieved
from https://writingcooperative.com/modern-literature-is-nothing-more-than-an-anti-intellectual-
word-salad-6952a0f5b759

Santos, H.O. (2002). The Best Philippine short stories. Philippine Literature today.
Retrieved from https://www.sushidog.com/bpss/essays/rplit_today.htm

Sieras, N. (2014). Keeping a pulse on Philippine literature. Retrieved from

https://thelasallian.com/2014/08/15/keeping-a-pulse-on-philippine-literature/