Sining Para sa Pagbabago: Examining How Sharing Protest Art Online Shapes the Attitudes and Actions of Young Filipinos Towards Socio-Political Advocacy Groups

Abstract

With the internet’s unrelenting presence in people’s lives today, the distribution, reach, and accessibility of protest art has been changed irrevocably. In the evolving landscape of protest art and its audiences, this study endeavored to identify and discuss the societal implications of sharing digital protest artworks in online spaces, examining how they shape the attitudes and actions of young Filipino audiences towards socio-political advocacy groups.

Through semi-structured, open-ended interviews and surveys with organization representatives, local artists, and audiences, the data used in this research were analyzed using the Grounded Theory approach by Glaser and Strauss. This research study culminated in a paradigm entitled “Effect Beyond The Screen” that explains the starting grounded theory, “The ‘Societal Implications of Sharing Digital Protest Art’ is dependent on the consideration of ‘Audience-Influencing Factors’ in the production of the artworks that serve as the ‘Means of Introduction’ which consequently restarts the process.”

Even with the overarching positive sentiment on the efficacy of sharing digital protest art in shaping Filipino audiences’ attitudes and actions towards socio-political advocacy groups, this study found that while digital protest art is a valuable tool, it is most effective when integrated into a broader framework that emphasizes subsequent calls to action and offline engagement beyond digital activism. Awareness, engagement, and participation in digital protest artworks do not necessarily equate to actual, productive community engagement and collective action, as the outcome still relies heavily on the individual’s decisions.