Up and About for the Jungle World Around!!

Sherry Ann T. Devera

      Every time people would ask me, what course I am taking, though they were expecting it is nursing, (maybe because they were deceived on how I look) still, it was more surprising for them to learn that I am a mass communication student.

We Filipinos are known for the democracy we have shown and remarked not just in our country but in the world’s history. Mass media played a very significant role in becoming what we are right now, indeed, democracy combined with mass media are the most powerful force in our society nowadays.

As I enter college life, I was pleased by the uplifting reactions and positive feedback on the path I am taking. I was full of hope and idealistic on my future then. But that was before, eventually, with the everyday experiences, stories I heard, lessons I learned and the day to day realities I am encountering, my ideal world full of hope, integrity, and smooth sailing happiness turned out to be a jungle of interconnecting issues, problems, and huge challenges that you need to overcome to obtain what I’ve been aiming ever since.

I have learned that life is not that easy, that media industry nowadays are not the one I thought of, it’s not just about glitz and glamour, not about truth and justice, not about criminals sent to jailed, not about the IDOL-material of the politicians, but it’s all about the truth that lies beyond everyone’s eyes, it’s about business and survival of the fittest.

My professor once told us that after graduation, with the exposure for the real world, there can only be two ways we are leading to; first, to be just and fair, avoid a lot of temptations and inspired life by all the things we have learned inside our classroom, and the second one is to become of what we never thought we could be; the sad truth that most of the media practitioners nowadays are dwelling with, the money/anomaly track, the people that has been swallowed by the dark side of the media industry.

Now, is this also part of the democracy? This might  be really confusing, is mass media really friends with democracy? That the most powerful force composed by these two, really friends with us?

Then, my another professor said, these things, (the sad reality) is inevitable part of the industry, we just have to balance everything, since we all have to feed ourselves, but not let to be gulp down by these dark side that I was saying.

Having exposed in the real world realities and mature enough to realized what I had been tracking on these past years of my life, I can say that no matter what, I’ll still be hopeful not just for my tomorrow but for the future of the industry, I will chose to be one of those who will stand for what I knew was right, the first path that my professor told us, that’s where I’ll be. I know I might sound idealistic, but I know I will make it, if I can’t change it, I’ll avoid temptations that will doubt me as a REAL media practitioner. I’ll be part of the media people not just by title but also, I am by heart.