Emergence of the Individual

Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher has over two million followers in Twitter, an online social media network. Before he worked his way up to this number, he challenged CNN, a global and powerful broadcast network, to a public contest -- to get a million followers in Twitter. Kutcher won. An individual winning over an institution. With what he won, Kutcher donated 10,000 mosquito nets to places that are infested with mosquito.

Individuals, not social institutions, are beginning to have more social, political and economic power.

One person who advocated for more community support on an ailment that has never been taken seriously for research and development sent an appeal to an open-ended audience via the world wide web. Millions replied. The government and the private sector moved to provide financial and technical support.

The EDSA II revolution happened so fast mainly because individuals, equipped with cell phones, provided the critical mass to engage the government in a solid fight against corruption.

Each person, through the use of technology, can reach millions in an instant and create a response that is equally instant. Everyone has basically the same access to information and knowledge at a socialized cost, and to opportunities that before were reserved to the privileged few.

This is not a social development where individuals escape from the protection and care of communities, but one where the individuals, liberated by freer access to knowledge, purposely become the powerful and effective instruments of communities for positive change.

David Mercer presented a thesis that the primary social force for change and development will be the individual. Individuals have liberated themselves from strictly social beings who depend so much on social institutions to social beings who are less dependent on others to innovate, discover, advocate and earn.

Mercer believes that over the longer term, full flowering of this individualism will represent nothing less than a quantum leap in social organization and that the “philosophy of individual empowerment is likely to be the greatest force for change in the next millennium.”

There is a negative side to this. One person created and unleashed the “I Love You virus” and infected millions of computers around the world. The business community lost billions of dollars all because one computer programmer failed to pass his thesis defense.

One person in Mindanao has so destabilized peace that the Philippine government spends millions of taxpayers’ money everyday just to fight him and his band of terrorists. The U.S.A. had to invade Afghanistan and Iraq because of one man who, through creative use of technology, eludes the powerful forces of America.

(For comments, write to Nick Fontanilla, abfontanilla@yahoo.com or nick.fontanilla@gmail.com)

Growing Influence of Women

The growing influence and power of women will, in more ways than one, change the contour of individual, political and economic power in the world.

According to David Mercer, “The emancipation of women is now going beyond mere equality, even to establish a form of supremacy, so that the beginning of the Third Millennium might be considered to be the age of women” (Mercer, 1998).

The largest minority, that of women, will not merely achieve equality but will attain some degree of advantage as society overall is progressively feminized. We are entering upon what may come to be described as the women’s century (Mercer).

It is even arguable that, over the next century, the traditional position may be reversed, with women holding marginally more power than men, leading to tensions within some parts of society (Mercer).

The growing influence of women is slowly making its mark, in the West and, in some measures, the East. If we believe the scenario painted by David Mercer, the influence is going to become pervasive and omnipresent.

In the Philippines, a woman occupies the highest executive position. She is the second to become the country’s Chief Executive Officer. In the Philippine Military Academy, a male-dominated institution, women are starting to elbow males for the top positions, academically and militarily.

In my Strategic Management classes at the DLSU Graduate School of Business there are usually more women than men. It is something that was unthinkable 20 years ago. When I facilitate in seminars, I have noticed that more women register and participate. They are also the more diligent, arriving on time and participating in all exercises.

With nurses and care givers presently in demand, I will not be surprised if, in the near future, a big share of our inward remittances come from women.

Let me emphasize, however, that the growing influence and power of women versus men is not the issue. The major issue is that while before, they were not so actively participating in economic activities, they are, in the future, expected to contribute more to expand the pie and not just merely share in the pie. Despite the attendant social cost, the participation of women in economic activities should bring positive results.


(This article is part of a presentation on marketing trends delivered by Nick Fontanilla during the national marketing conference organized by the Philippine Marketing Association. For comments, email to abfontanilla@yahoo.com or nick.fontanilla@gmail.com)

Social Defiance

Down under, where the sun rises earlier than in Manila and playfully hides as often as it shines, I encountered some amusing surprises – pleasant and unpleasant. These were amusing experiences because they were unexpected.

Photo shows one of these surprises. It was taken inside the wharf of famous Manly beach in Sydney and which to my simple mind expresses the universality of misunderstanding or social defiance, something that is widespread and not endemic to poor countries like the Philippines. What is shown in the photo is really nothing extraordinary except that my brother-in-law has conditioned my mind to expect otherwise down under.

My brother-in-law, a German who has lived in Australia for over 30 years and who so kindly met up with my siblings and me in Brisbane to bring us to the sunshine coast to attend his son’s wedding, proudly declared that Australia is a land of discipline and progress which, I admit, was very evident. But to some, being otherwise is probably sweet and beautiful.

(for comments, write to bestof thesituation or email to abfontanilla@yahoo.com or nick.fontanilla@gmail.com)

Happiness is a mystery

Picture of happy children.









They live just across in shanties along this river, somewhere in Metro Manila. These children eat, breathe and play in this environment. Given the few options that they have, this is where they will most likely grow up.

Andrew Matthews said, "The best place to make a new start is where you are." I wonder whether we should let these children take that chance -- make a new start where they are.

(to request for more pictures and comments, and to join me in my advocacy to rebuild this area, email abfontanilla@yahoo.com or nick.fontanilla@gmail.com)