Chapter 1

Rationale

The founders of sociology, particularly Auguste Comte and Herbert

Spencer, looked to the grand sweep of history, searching for an
understanding of how and why societies change. Many contemporary
sociologists continue to be intrigued by these big questions.
In the Philippines, media is considered as part of the Filipinos everyday
life. Newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, movies and the internet are just few
of the many media that the Filipinos consume.
Change have been happening in the Philippine archipelago because of
the existence of media. According the Nielsen Cross-Platform Report, eight
(8) in ten (10) Filipinos consume media content through multiple screens. In
addition, multi-screening is now a prevalent behavior among digital users,
thus the shift in the consumption of media.
Despite the Internets accessibility via mobile devices, newspaper
readership (broadsheets, tabloids, and regional newspapers) remains stable
over the past year and steady quarter-on-quarter. Around 14% of people in
National Urban Philippines are yesterday readers, according to the Nielsens
Consumer and Media View study.
Radio listening also shows an upsurge from 53% yesterday listeners to
62% in the past year. Yesterday TV viewership also slightly exhibits increase
from 93% to 95% over the past year.
But about 7 in 10 digital consumers in the Philippines report watching
TV content and movies via online sources such as video-on-demand the
second highest penetration of Internet TV in the region after Thailand.
Knowing all these things enable us to pronounced that there is change
in the society, which is currently happening momentarily. Change means to
become different which involves human beings, things, and events. It also
means to become someone else which is termed as transformation.

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Meanwhile, significant alterations, modification or transformation in the

organization, and operation of social life over time all refer to social change.
The transformation of the aspects of social life is a complex processs.
Macionis (2006) identified four major characteristics of social change: (1)
Social change happens all the time, (2) Social change is sometimes
intentional but often unplanned, (3) Social change is controversial, (4) Some
changes matter more than others.

Definitions:
1. Social change happens all the time whether it occurs in personal
relationships, in systems of stratification, or in institutions, change in
the preeminent characteristic of modern human societies (Newman,
2000)
2. Social change is sometimes intentional but often unplanned Industrial societies actively promote many types of social change
(Macionis, 2996). However planning social change can bring
unforeseen or unwanted changes. An example is the One Child Policy
of China (Farley, 1995). As a consequence, there has been a difficulty
in operating schools because teachers complain of children being
spoiled; there is prevalence of female infanticide because of the
preference for male heir; and the emergence of eventual labor
shortage in the long-run.
3. Social change is controversial Improvements in transportation
allowed people to move from one country to another. There are
controversies about how people should live. Social arrangements in
one society can be viewed ethnocentrically by another. Changing
patterns of social interaction between black and white people, women
and men, and gays and heterosexuals are welcomed by some people
but opposed by others. (Macionis, 2006).
4. Some changes matter more than others - Some changes (such as
clothing fads) have only passing significance; other changes (like
computers) last a long time and may change the entire world
(Macionis, 2006). People react to change, and their reactions to change
play a role in shaping the consequences (Ferrante, 1995). In addition,
some societies welcome change more than others.
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The Major Theories/Perspectives of Social Change

1. The Evolutionary Theory
-evolutionary theorists see change as a process following stages
in a simple one-line progression through which every society must
pass. The direction is from simple, homogenous forms to complex,
differentiated forms.
Example: Lewis Henry Morgans sequence fo savagery,
barbarism, and civilization, or Karl Marxs sequence of primitive
communism, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, and communism.
(Farley, 1995)
2. The Cyclical Theory
-Unlike the evolutionary theory, cyclical theory explains how
social change follows a rise-and-fall pattern or change in cycles. They
believe that social change is neither cumulative nor progressive
(Calhoun et al., 1994) rather it follows a natural life cycle.
-two influential historians argued that the course of civilization is
cyclical, and they compared societies in a search for generalizations
regarding their stages of growth and decline.
-The German scholar Oswald Spengler (1880-1936) contended
that culture passes through the same stages of growth and
decline as individuals: a period of development, followed by
maturity, eventual decline, and death.
-based on his examination of eight cultures, Spengler said that
each culture possesses a life span of approximately 1000 years.
Western culture, he held, emerged about A.D. 900, and therefore
its end is close at hand.

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3. The Conflict Theory

-Conflict theorists hold that tensions between competing groups
are the basic source of social change.
- social theorists in the 19th and 20th centurys were concerned
with conflict in society. But, the label of conflict theorists is generally
applied to those sociologists who opposed the dominance of structuralfunctionalism.
4. TheEquilibrium/Functionalist Theory
-one of the features of a system stressed by structural
functional theorists is its tendency toward equilibrium.
- Structural-functional sociologists like Parsons (1966,1977) have
introduced the notion of evolution to the perspective to broaden
the concept of equilibrium to include both developing and selfmaintaining properties.
- the equilibrium theory views society as tending toward a state
of stability or balance. Thus, when sudden changes cause disruptions,
those disruptions are only temporary. Societys institutions will
eventually adapt, achieving a new stabillity.

Sources of Social Change

1. Population
-The size and composition of the population is enough by itself to
transform a society
-Growing population puts pressure on the natural environment as more
and more people occupy areas previously inhabited and consume
increasing amounts of natural resources.
2. Innovation
-The social creation and institutionalization of new ideas, products,
processes, or structures is called innovation.
-Cultures and societies experience social processes that result in
significant changes. There are three types of innovations that result to
social change:
a. Discoveries can be a new knowledge about the external world or a
reinterpretation of an existing knowledge.
Example: The discovery of fire allowed people to have more dietary
options and better able to survive in hostile and cold environments,
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and provided them the option of having to burn some trees so they
can cultivate crops for a more secured food supply.
b. New Ideas ideas can take the form of explicit descriptions of the
world, or can be moral evaluations about the state of the world.
Example: For instance, the ideas of liberty, fraternity, and equality
motivated members of the French middle class to rise against the
monarchy.
- Max Weber (1958 in Macionis, 2005) highlighted the
importance of ideas by revealing how religious beliefs of early
Protestants set the stage for the spread of industrial capitalism.
c. Inventions the making fo a new product or process is called
invention
- Material inventions have been there since the dawn of
human life. One of the greates inventions of modern day is the
automobile, which significantly changed social lifefrom the ease of
transformation to residential patterns and suburbanization to the role
of women.
- inventions can also be in the form of social processes or
techniques.
3. Physical Environment the availability of natural resources influences
how humans lived throughout history. The physical environment
provides the opportunity for social change, but it also constrains or
limits the kinds of changes humans might impose to make (Calhoun et
al., 1994).
4. Diffusion innovations spread from one social setting to another. The
spread occurs when one group borrows something from another group,
including norms, values, food, and other innovations.
- The extent and the rate of diffusion depend on the degree of
social contract (Shepard and Greene, 2001). Material
elements of culture are also easily borrowed than the
nonmaterial elements. Borrowing is also selective, groups only
adopt certain elements, and these borrowed elements must
harmonize with the group culture.

The Media
Technological innovations like the printing press, the radio, the
television, and the personal computer have created mass media, ways to
communicate with vast numbers of people at the same time usually over a
great distance. Mass media have developed in countless directions: There
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are books, newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, records and tapes, CDs
and DVDs, radio and television programs, comic strips and comic books, and
a whole range of new digital media. New forms of mass media are constantly
being developed, and old forms are constantly falling disuse.
Sociologists are interested in the access to media by different groups
with different resources and also in the effects of media, how they affect our
behaviors and attitudes, how they bring us together or drive us apart, how
they shape the very rhythm of our days.
Types of Mass Media
There are many types of mass media. All have experienced enormous
growth since the nineteenth century, and today media animate and
some would say dominate our everyday lives.
1. Print Media - the newspaper and magazine were originally vehicles
for general interest readers.
2. Online Print Journalism - a blog, (short for Weblog) is essentially
an online personal journal or diary where an author can air his or her
opinions directly to audiences. Some call it personal journalism.
Others call it citizen journalism. Some say it doesnt qualify as
journalism at all. Blogs you might say, put the meback in media.
3. Radio, Movies, and Television - before 1880, if you wanted music,
you had to make it yourself or hire someone. That all changed when
Thomas Edison recorde his voice. Movies offered no such commercial
resistance. Between 1955 and 1985, television was arguably the most
popular form of mass media in the United States.
4. Video Games, Gambling, and Porn: Guy Media - worldwide, more
than 300 million people play video games. Pornography is a massive
media category worldwide.
5. The Internet - there was a home computer on the market as far back
as 1975. The internet has not only transformed mass media but is a
new form of mass media in its own right. A website is its own medium,
like nothing that has ever come before, with text, graphics, and sounds
combined in a way that no previous medium could do.
The Influence of Media in the Family

The media is all around us and is becoming increasingly popular within

the home.

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It seems that media has become a part of the family unit. It is a part of
most families' everyday life, both collectively and as individual
members.

The Three Basic Functions of Mass Media:

They are providing news/information

Entertainment

education.

TAKE NOTE:

it is important to be aware of what your children are watching, what

video games they are playing, and so forth.

actively participating in media viewing with your children can provide

an opportunity to interact and bond with them.

communication will go a long way in helping your child understand the

role of the media in today's society and competing those potential
negative outcomes of the media.

The MTRCB
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board
Mandate
Regulate and classify motion pictures, television programs, and publicity
materials
Promote an environment leading to authentic and responsible selfregulation in the film and television industry
Initiate plans and cooperate with the movie and television industries as
sources of fueling the national economy
Promote and protect the family, the youth, the disabled, and other
vulnerable sectors of society in the context of media and entertainment
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 Empower the Filipino family, particularly parents and at the grassroots

level, such that family members are able to evaluate and intelligently choose
media and entertainment content
Promote a value-based media and entertainment culture

MTRCB Ratings:

PG

Viewers of all ages are admitted.

Viewers below 13 years old must be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult.

R-13

Only viewers who are 13 years old and above can be admitted.

R-16

Only viewers who are 16 years old and above can be admitted.

R-18

Only viewers who are 18 years old and above can be admitted.

X-rated films are not suitable for public exhibition.

G Viewers of all ages are admitted. A G classification advises parents

or supervising adults that the film is suitable for all audiences.
A film classified as G shall, in the judgment of the Board, meet the
following criteria:

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1. Theme The film should not contain violence, threat, abuse, horror, or
other themes that may cause fear or disturbance to a young childs
mind.
2. Language The film may contain dialogue or other word
representations beyond polite language, but profane, offensive, and
sexually-suggestive language or gestures shall not be allowed.
3. Nudity The film may contain occasional, as well as natural non-sexual
nudity.
4. Sex The film cannot contain and depict sexual activity.
5. Violence The depiction of any violence must be mild, brief,
infrequent, and unlikely to cause undue anxiety or fear to young
children.
6. Horror The depiction of horror and frightening scenes should be mild,
brief, infrequent, and unlikely to cause undue anxiety or fear to young
children.
7. Drugs There shall be no depiction of, or reference to, prohibited drugs
or their use.
Parental Guidance (PG)
PG Viewers below 13 years old must be accompanied by a parent
or supervising adult. A PG classification advises parents or supervising
adults that the film may contain any of the elements that may be suitable for
children below 13 years of age.
A film classified as PG shall, in the judgment of the Board, meet the
following criteria:
1. Theme The film may contain themes that require parental supervision
and guidance, but should not promote any dangerous, violent,
discriminatory, or otherwise offensive behavior or attitude.
2. Language The film may contain mild and infrequent swear words and
menacing language. Offensive, menacing, threatening language and
references to sex shall always be suitable for viewers who are below
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13 years of age. Infrequent, brief and justifiable sexually-suggestive

language may be allowed.
3. Nudity The film may contain occasional, as well as natural non-sexual
nudity.
4. Sex The depiction of non-graphic sexual activity may be allowed, but
it should be discreet, infrequent, and not prolonged.
5. Violence The depiction of non-gratuitous violence and suffering
should be minimal, and without graphic detail;.
6. Horror The depiction of brief and infrequent horror and frightening
scenes shall be allowed.
7. Drugs There shall be no depiction of, or reference to, prohibited drugs
or substances and their use.
Restricted13 (R-13)
R-13 Only viewers who are 13 years old and above can be
admitted. An R-13 classification advises parents, supervising adults, or
the would-be viewers themselves, that the film may contain any of the
elements that may not be suitable for children below 13 years of age.
A film classified as R-13 must, in the judgment of the Board, meet the
following criteria:
1. Theme The film may contain mature themes but is suitable for
teenagers above 13 years of age, and shall not gratuitously promote
or encourage any dangerous, violent, discriminatory, or otherwise
offensive behavior or attitude.
2. Language The film may contain moderate swear words and menacing
language consistent with the context of the scene in which they are
employed. The use of infrequent and non-vulgar strong swear words or
sexually-derived or suggestive expletives and expressions as well as
the use of swear words and expletives shall be allowed. The use of
sexually-oriented or suggestive language and other references to sex
shall always be suitable for viewers who are at least 13 years of age.
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3. Nudity The film may contain brief, discreet and justifiable occasional,
natural and sexually-oriented nudity.
4. Sex Discreet, infrequent, brief, non-graphic and justifiable sexual
activity may be depicted.
5. Violence Infrequent, non-gratuitous, non-graphic and justifiable
violence may be allowed.
6. Horror The justifiable depiction of horror, frightening scenes, and
occasional gore are allowed.
7. Drugs The brief, infrequent and justifiable depiction of drugs or their
use may be allowed. The movie shall not in any case promote,
condone, justify and/or encourage drug use.
Restricted16 (R-16)
R-16 Only viewers who are 16 years old and above can be
admitted. An R-16 classification advises parents and supervising adults
that the film may contain any of the elements that may not be suitable for
children below 16 years of age.
A film classified as R-16 must, in the judgment of the Board, meet the
following criteria:
1. Theme There are no restrictions on themes; provided that the
treatment is appropriate for viewers who are at least 16 years of age.
2. Language The film may use any kind of language.
3. Nudity The film may contain discreet, non-gratuitous and justifiable
natural and sexually-oriented nudity.
4. Sex Non-graphic, non-gratuitous and justifiable sexual activity may
be depicted.
5. Violence Non-gratuitous and justifiable violence and gore may be
allowed.

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6. Horror The non-gratuitous and justifiable

frightening scenes, and gore are allowed.

depiction

of

horror,

7. Drugs The non-gratuitous and justifiable depiction of drugs or their

use may be allowed. The movie shall not in any case promote,
condone, and encourage drug use.
Restricted-18 ("R-18")
R-18 Only viewers who are 18 years old and above can be
admitted. An R-18 classification advises viewers, parents, and supervising
adults that the film may contain any of the elements that may not be
suitable for children below 18 years of age.
An R-18 rating does not mean that the film is obscene, offensive, or
pornographic, as these terms are defined by law.
A film classified as R-18 must, in the judgment of the Board, meet the
following criteria:
1. Theme There are no restrictions on themes and their treatment.
2. Language The film may use any kind of justifiable language.
3. Nudity The film may contain non-gratuitous and justifiable sexuallyoriented nudity.
4. Sex The realistic depiction of non-gratuitous and justifiable sexual
activity may be allowed.
5. Violence There are no restrictions on the depiction of non-gratuitous
and justifiable violence.
6. Horror The justifiable depiction of horror, frightening scenes, and gore
are allowed.
7. Drugs The justifiable depiction of drugs or their use may be allowed.
In no case, however, should the use of drugs be promoted, condoned,
justified and/or encouraged.

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Not for Public Exhibition (X)

X X-rated films are not suitable for public exhibition.
A film shall be disapproved for public viewing if, in the judgment of the
Board:
1. The average person, applying contemporary community standards and
values, would find that the dominant theme of the work, taken as a
whole appeals solely to the prurient interest and satisfies only the
craving for gratuitous sex and/or violence.
2. The film depicts in a patently lewd, offensive, or demeaning manner,
excretory
functions
and
sexual
conduct
such
as sexual
intercourse, masturbation and exhibition of thegenitals.
3. The film clearly constitutes an attack against any race, creed, or
religion.
4. The film condones or encourages the use of illegal drugs and
substances.
5. The film tends to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in
their government and/or duly-constituted authorities.
6. The film glorifies criminals or condones crimes.
7. The film is libelous or defamatory to the good name and reputation of
any person, whether living or dead.
8. The film may constitute contempt of court or of a quasi-judicial
tribunal, or may pertain to matters which are subjudicial in nature.

Prepared by:
GROUP 5
Leader:
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Jevem M. Tango-an
Members:
Kyle Christian S. Asuncion
Keeshia Mae Maglasang
Erika Nina D. Suico
Ellenette Joyce L. Tagalog

-2015 All Rights Reserved-

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